ABOUT

Courtney Spencer, also known as court, is an artist, curator and collaborator. Originally from Australia, she moved to the UK in 2003 and has called Yorkshire home since 2005.

She is currently Principal Curator and Producer for Light Night Leeds, one of the UK’s largest annual arts and light festivals. She also curates exhibitions and cultural projects, commissions artists, develops partnerships and helps people find brilliant art for public and private spaces. She has worked with organisations including the British Library, the National Trust, Leeds Playhouse, the University of Leeds and Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate.

Courtney believes art should be exciting, thought-provoking and open to everyone. In 2022, she founded The Art Court to help people discover and buy incredible art in a way that felt welcoming, accessible and refreshingly free from unnecessary wank.

Her route into the art world hasn’t been entirely conventional. She began her university studies in Fine Art before switching to Design, specialising in Advertising and Marketing, and later completed an MA in Business. With a background in marketing, fundraising and partnerships, she’s as happy shaping an idea as she is working out how to make it happen, bringing people with her and securing the funds to make it happen. She loves bringing people and places together to create amazing cultural experiences that feel generous, engaging and memorable.

Earlier in her career, Courtney spent five years as Director of Left Bank Leeds before joining Leeds Museums and Galleries, where she led on audience development. She then worked as a freelance curator with artists and cultural organisations, including the National Trust, British Library, Leeds Playhouse and The Mercer Gallery in Harrogate.

Courtney founded the annual Leeds Summer Group Show in 2015 and wrote the monthly column Snooping Through Studios for The State of the Arts. In 2026, she was appointed Guest Curator of the Friends of University Art and Music (FUAM) Graduate Art Prize by the University of Leeds.

Courtney is also a practising artist. Her work explores memory, place and discovery, and is often shaped by the landscapes and materials around her. Growing up in remote parts of Western Australia gave her an instinctive connection to rocks, sand, earth, sticks and found objects. Her practice moves between sculpture, installation, drawing, photography and film.

Courtney is always interested in thoughtful ideas, unexpected connections and good people to work with, in the UK and further afield.