DIY and Grassroots activity

At last month's Visual Art Framework discussion event a feature of Leeds that kept recurring in discussions about what is positive about Leeds' visual art scene was the amount of DIY and grassroots activity. Comments included,


2 Beachwood avenue
a genuine effort to build upon successes
art in shops
art in unusual spaces
artist groups such as E.S.A. , Black dogs, etc.
arts and minds
arts in unusual spaces
Collaborative nature of D.I.Y. - get stuff done - resourceful. Not funding depend
D.I.Y.
D.I.Y. Responses to the lack of wall space / event space in city (centre)
focus on political and socially engaged practices
good D.I.Y. Culture
grass roots endeavours (and inspiration from D.I.Y. Music scene put into practice)
grass-roots scene
healthy grass roots arts scene
independent activity
inspires entrepreneurialism
inventive artists not just galleries to apply to you've got to do it yourself
long history of D.I.Y. Activity
lots of artist led projects / activity
participatory and community opportunities
pyramid of arts
self organised and artists led activity
strong grass-roots projects
the grass roots
unofficial mentoring and support
workshops

but it was also suggested that the city might have 'too much of a DIY culture' or that DIY is misunderstood. Comments included..

collaborative ventures could be improved / built upon
difficult for grass roots stuff to develop further and be recognised
essentially using it as an advertising ploy and devaluing the original
hard to find an access point without staging own events / exhibitions
institutional appropriation of term and identity of grass roots and D.I.Y.
lack of communication between grass roots groups with aspirations that are more similar than they recognise
larger projects seem isolated from grass roots activity
misconceptions of D.I.Y. Projects
no middle ground between grass roots and high end
no understanding of vitality of D.I.Y. Culture
oversaturation of D.I.Y. Projects

What do you think about the role that self-organised and 'DIY' activity plays in Leeds' visual art scene?