A unique exhibition continues at Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
The Teulu/Family exhibition opened on 9 March. It is unique as it was co-curated by four families local to Aberystwyth who have been collaborating with Aberystwyth Arts Centre since October.
The families have attended a series of workshops, visited galleries and museums including Amgueddfa Cymru, Cardiff and the Aberystwyth School of Art, and have been inspired to create their own ceramics and animation work to be exhibited alongside works by famous artists such as Pablo Picasso, Ceri Richards and Mary Lloyd Jones.
The project, run by curator Ffion Rhys and artist and Project co-ordinator Elin Vaughan Crowley is an innovative approach to find ways of putting the public at the heart of decision-making when it comes to curating exhibitions and introducing great works by prominent artists to the wider audience.
Elin said: “It's been a pleasure to collaborate with the four families and Ffion, the curator, on a project that encompasses something I'm very passionate about, which is to make the arts accessible to all.
“Our intention was to give the families a sense of ownership in terms of decisions relating to exhibition curation, such as what kind of art was on display, what kind of space to create and how to welcome and engage people who want to visit the gallery but might have thought it wasn’t a place for them in the past.”
The families were invited to choose themes of particular importance to them and were solely responsible for selecting prestigious pieces of art to be included in the exhibition. These pieces were selected and will be on loan for the exhibition with kind co-operation from The National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales (NCAGW) collection at the National Museum, Cardiff, and The National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth, alongside works from the Aberystwyth School of Art collection.
Petra Nelson has been a part of the project with husband, Shane and three children, Flynn, Mabli and Neli.
She said: “I’ve loved being able to go ‘behind the scenes’ in the National Museum Cardiff, the National Library of Wales and the Aberystwyth School of Art, seeing all the wonderful art and realizing how different everyone’s tastes in art is.”
The exhibition has been created by families for families, and includes photography, illustrations, print, painting and ceramics depicting the importance of spending time together, being in nature and looking after the environment. The exhibition will also include an impressive interactive sculpture on display, designed and created by Jenny Hall and Karina Kolesnikaite from Machynlleth with Tim Walley technician, in collaboration with Ella Louise Jones who creates soft and tactile sculptures.
Ffion said: “This exhibition has been a real journey for us, and I would like to wholeheartedly thank the families that have taken part.
“We have learnt so much from them, and the hope is that this learning will enable more families to have access to the arts, to take part in and enjoy, diolch o galon.
“Thank you also to our partners Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales, National Library Wales, Aberystwyth Arts School, Plant Dewi, Flying Start, Families First, Elin Vaughan Crowley artist and project co-ordinator, Laura Hughes ceramics tutor and Charlie Carter, animation tutor for their part in enabling this to happen.”
A series of free workshops with artists Ella Louise Jones, Jenny Hall and Elin Crowley will take place alongside the exhibition and information can be found on Aberystwyth Arts Centre’s website.