Off Site Projects

Find out more about projects, activities and events organised by Oriel Myrddin Gallery

Oriel Myrddin Gallery
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Oriel Myrddin – In The Frame

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Oriel Myrddin – In the Frame

Happy New Year from Oriel Myrddin Gallery!

Here’s what we’ve been up to and what we’ve got coming up at the gallery over the next few months:

What we’ve been… doing in our Christmas holidays!

We treated ourselves to a few packets of sweet peas from Grace Alexander during our show ‘Y Bwrdd’ and they have been potted up ready to plant out in the Spring. If you have somewhere undercover, sweet peas can be planted and overwintered ready for the warmer weather. We’re really excited about the ‘nimbus’ variety. We’ll let you know how they’re doing in the Spring! We love seeing where pieces bought at the gallery end up, here are some lovely photos of the fabulous dried flower wreaths by Leila Robinson in their new homes, bringing a little colour inside during the cold winter months.

 

What we’ve been… to see:

Over the Christmas break our Education and Research Officer Emma went to London to see the Olafur Eliasson ‘In Real Life’ exhibition at Tate Modern. A fantastic reminder of the effects of climate change alongside interactive pieces.

What we’ve been… buying:

We love a good cup of tea here at Oriel Myrddin, usually accompanied by a sneaky biscuit, and Tea Traders have a fantastic range to liven up your tea time. As a refreshing treat we enjoy Rooibos Kalahari or for a reminder that summer is on its way try Pai Mu Tan with Peach and Apricot. They taste even better out of one of our Jessica Thorn mugs available in the shop!

What we’ve been… reading:

Book club is fast approaching, our Gallery Assistant Rachel has been reading ‘One moonlit night’ by Caradog Pritchard. Prepare yourself for a shocking end, this book will certainly have a lasting impact!

What we’re… looking forward to:

Our exhibition Trelar/Trailer by Gareth Griffith opened on the 11th of January and we have a fantastic programme of events to accompany it. Here are all the dates for your diary:

Saturday 18 January – Wednesday 26 February

CARTrefu Cube

The cARTrefu Cube showcases the work produced in Age Cymru’s flagship arts in care homes project in association with artists living and working in Wales. In this piece, cARTrefu artist Elizabeth Stonhold explores the frustration felt by an elderly resident who can’t comprehend his routine and how the freedom and self-expression of mark making with paint helped bring staff and residents together for regular shared creative activities.

Free

 

Thursday 27 Feb, 5 March, 12 March, 19 March, 26 March 10:30am – 3pm

Oriel Myrddin Art School with Steve Wilson

The Carmarthen School of Art opened in 1892 the building now houses Oriel Myrddin Gallery and we invite you to join us as we revive its Art School heritage for this five-week long course. Steve will focus on the tradition of still life, how to plan and organise an image with initial sketches and develop your composition. All levels welcome. Learn and develop skills in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. Including tea and biscuits, please bring your own lunch

£120 per person

Booking essential – please book via Eventbrite

 

Saturday 29 February 2pm – 5pm

Cerdd(ed)

Join experimental poet Rhys Trimble for a bilingual poetry walk on the day of Carmarthen’s St David’s Day parade. Explore Carmarthen collecting sounds and words to create poems inspired by Gareth Griffith’s sculptures of collected objects and memories. Part of Carmarthen’s Welsh Week and open to Welsh learners.

£25

Booking essential please book via Eventbrite

 

Thursday 5 March 6pm – 7.30pm

Oriel Myrddin Book Club: One Moonlit Night by Caradog Pritchard

Alongside our first exhibition of the new year – Trelar // Trailer by Gareth Griffith, we will be reading Caradog Pritchard’s One Moonlit Night. A profoundly sad but at times darkly comical telling of rural life in a Welsh mining town set against the backdrop of the First World War.

Free, everyone is welcome

 

Saturday 7 March 10am – 5pm

Build a Go Cart

Discover the art of the go-cart with artist Mark Folds. Learn the principles and techniques involved by making a go-cart collaboratively with the group using reused and recycled materials. The go-cart produced will be displayed as part of Gareth Griffith’s exhibition Trelar/Trailer.

£60 for one adult and one child

£40 One adult only

Suitable for 8+, children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult

Booking essential please book via Eventbrite

 

Wednesday 11 March 11am – 12 noon and 2pm – 3pm

Gallery Talk: Curating the un-curatable and still making it work

Oriel Davies Gallery Director Steffan Jones-Hughes discusses the working process and art of Gareth Griffith

Free

 

Saturday 14 March 10am – 4pm

Enamelling with Julia Griffiths Jones

Join us and Julia Griffiths Jones in her studio for an exclusive enamelling workshop. Watch Eisteddfod winning artist Julia at work before using blank ready ‘gripped’ metal squares to explore and experiment with different techniques and colours. Then use your new-found skills to transform plain enamel kitchenware into bespoke and personalised pieces. All the work you create is fired in the kiln throughout and ready for you to take home at the end of the day. The workshop fee includes all the materials, lunch and refreshments.

£100 per person

16+

Booking essential please book via Eventbrite

 

11 January – 21 March

Featured Maker: Rachel Larkins

Our Featured Maker from January to March 2020 is Dorset based maker Rachel Larkins. We will be showing a small collection of Rachel’s hand illustrated automata.

Oriel Myrddin Gallery: In the Frame

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What we’re… visiting:

House by Betty has just opened on Water Street in Carmarthen. Anyone who follows the House by Betty Instagram, or visited her previous shop in Narbeth, will know that a wealth of goodies for your home awaits. Her new, bigger, better shop now means you can sip a coffee whilst you browse, or even have a cheeky gin and tonic if you like! We love their colourful ‘pick n mix’ display of candles and soaps.

What we’re.. buying:

New King Street business Green Elephant Plants and Gifts is a treasure trove of gorgeous greenery to brighten up your house during the grey winter months. Once you’ve chosen your plant why not house it in one of our colourful concrete planters by Studio Emma, currently on sale at the gallery in Y Bwrdd // The Table.

 

What we’re.. reading:

As part of Black History Month and for our November book club on the 28 November we’ll be reading ‘On Beauty’ by Zadie Smith. A contemporary homage to E.M.Forsters Howard’s End, following the complications of family politics set against a New England backdrop. Why not join us on the 28 November for mince pies, gingerbread and discussion!

What we’re… making:

We are all trying to do our bit and use less plastic. Instead of buying decorations this year why not learn how to make them? Learn how to construct your own Wreath in our gallery workshop on the 30 November using home-grown vegetation. Alternatively why not bring the whole family and have a go at making your own tree decorations in our Festive Make and Decorate on Saturday 14 December.

What we’re… looking forward to:

In the New Year we are very excited to have an exhibition by Gareth Griffith! Trailer / Trelar opens on the 11 January and will run until 21 March 2020. Watch this space for our Programme of Events coming soon.

Oriel Myrddin at The Big Cwtch Festival!

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On the 30th and 31st August Oriel Myrddin gallery staff and textile artist Louise Bird travelled to The Big Cwtch festival in Crugybar to promote Criw Celf at this fabulous, family event!

We hope our participants got a taste of the creative activities offered by joining the Criw Celf Programme and will apply now that applications are open. Criw Celf is an Arts Council Wales funded project which gives children who are passionate about art the chance to take part in five masterclasses lead by practicing artists, as well as visit exhibitions and receive a pack of art materials.

Our stand in the walled garden area featured ‘The Big Knit @ The Big Cwtch’ and we encouraged children and adults of all ages to take part in our French knitting activities. Our enormous hazel pole knitting nancy ensured we made an impact with over 10 meters of knitting produced by the end of the festival using recycled t-shirt jersey yarn.

We also gave participants the opportunity to learn how to make their own nancy from recycled cardboard packaging and lolly sticks. Some of our champion knitters continued throughout the festival and managed to transform their knitting into a variety of things including a dog, a snake and a cat toy!

We had an amazing time at the festival, such a friendly crowd with great food, crafts and bands to keep everyone entertained throughout the day. The festival also raised plenty of money for charity ‘Ski4All Wales’ as well as other local community projects.

We hope to see you all next year!

 

Oriel Myrddin at Hafal Carmarthen Open Day

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On Tuesday 16th July 2019 Hafal Carmarthen held an open day to raise awareness of the services it provides to the local community. Hafal provide help and support for those with a mental illness and their carers. Oriel Myrddin were thrilled to be invited to host an arts activity at the centre after some of the service user groups joined us for ‘The Building Project’ earlier in the year.

In keeping with the materials we used during ‘The Building Project’ we made imprints into clay and cast them in plaster to form tiles. If participants were feeling ambitious they could even paint them with watercolours.

We were lucky enough to meet service users, care givers and mental health professionals during our day and recognise the important work going on to support mental illness in our local community. We hope that participants will feel more confident to come over and visit our exhibitions at the gallery and know there will be a friendly face to greet them!

Elder Trees

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An exhibition of photographs by Heather Birnie documenting Oriel Myrddin Gallery’s nature engagement project with older people funded by Age Cymru’s Gwanwyn Festival.

The group of older people, tenants at extra care scheme Cartref Cynnes in Johnstown, were led by Oriel Myrddin Gallery’s Community Art Co-ordinator Emily Laurens through a series of exercises encouraging sensory engagement with the world around them. The work was informed by Joseph Cornell’s Sharing Nature and landscape artists such as Andy Goldsworthy.

There is a great deal of evidence that as people get older the time they spend in nature diminishes. Research shows that time spent in nature has numerous positive effects on health and wellbeing. A 2018 report from the University of East Anglia found that exposure to greenspaces reduced the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stress, and high blood pressure.

This project has been inspired by work being shown at Oriel Myrddin Gallery by artist duo Forest + Found. Their work explores craft traditions and landscape and can be seen at Oriel Myrddin Gallery until 6 July.

Elder Trees // Coed Hynaf has been funded by Age Cymru’s Gwanwyn Festival. Gwanwyn is a month-long national festival held across Wales in May each year celebrating creativity in older age. The aim of the festival is to offer opportunities for greater participation by older people in the arts.

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin” Shakespeare

 

The exhibition will run from the 25 May to 23 June 2019

The Warren restaurant, bar and café, 11 Mansel St, Carmarthen, SA311PX

Opening Hours:

Tue: 9am – 4pm
Wed: 9am – 4pm
Thur: 9am – 10pm
Fri: 9am – 10pm
Sat: 9am – 10pm
Sun: 9am – 4pm

Photograph: Heather Birnie –  heatherbirnie.com

Sketchbook Walk with artist Peter Bodenham

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Saturday 11 May 2019 11am – 1pm

Free event

Meet at Oriel Myrddin Gallery

Join Peter Bodenham for an urban / rural journey and a series of engaging drawing tasks. Explore and absorb the surroundings from Carmarthen town to the banks of the Tywi recording changing perceptions along the way. Walking and drawing together is often a stimulating experience as when the body moves the mind moves too.

This sketchbook walk echoes our current exhibition Sometimes all you can do is walk by Angela Maddock documenting her 2018 walk from Carmarthen to Middlesbrough.

Peter Bodenham is an artist and potter. In 2002 as part of walking art project 2mph he walked from Cardigan to London with fellow artist Simon Whitehead. Peter runs a pottery in Cardigan and works as a Senior Lecturer at Bath Spa University.

Croeso i bawb / All welcome

FREE! Making session at Dinefwr Park

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Saturday 16 March 2019

The Building Project, by creative practice Freshwest, is a collaboration with Oriel Myrddin Gallery that invites people to participate in the making of their own miniaturised settlement in the gallery in which to experiment, play and debate.

For one day only! Come along to the National Trust’s Newton House in Dinefwr Park for an exclusive chance to take part in this fantastic community project, join a friendly, fun session and make your own plaster house.

For this special off-site event the mini houses will be made with a corrugated finish to reflect the history of ‘Tin Town’, a collection of tin buildings that once stood on the Dinefwr Estate. The houses will create their own tiny settlement at Newton House for the day before being taken back to join the main installation at Oriel Myrddin Gallery.

All workshop sessions are led by our bi-lingual facilitator and each participant will get to make a house.

This session is FREE to attend including entry.

Book Now!

Sketchbook Walk: St David’s Cathedral

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Saturday 23 February

Sketchbook Walk  at St David’s Cathedral with Seren Stacey

11am – 12.30pm

FREE

11am Meet under the arch of the Gatehouse, St David’s Cathedral, St Davids

Celebrating Welsh Week and our current exhibition – The Building Project – this sketchbook walk will explore one of Wales’ most iconic buildings. From a 6th century monastic community founded by Wales’ patron saint, to the 12th Century building, St David’s Cathedral has been a place of pilgrimage and an inspiration to artists for over 1,500 years.

Join artist Seren Stacey for a series of guided exercises exploring texture, tone, mark making and scale – contrasting details and fine craftsmanship with the cavernous architecture of the interior. We will soak up the unique atmosphere of the cathedral and grounds allowing the sounds and feeling of the place to inform the drawing.

As part of Carmarthen’s Welsh Week this walk will be bilingual giving an opportunity to converse, listen and practice speaking in Welsh.