Exhibitions

• Open Tuesday – Sunday
• Closed Mondays except Bank Holiday Mondays
• 10am – 4:30pm (last admission 4.10pm)
• Free admission

Cwilt Cymru

Cwilt Cymru is an exhibiting group of textile artists who live in or have family ties to Wales. They are geographically far flung from Carmarthen to Leeds, from Penarth to Anglesey, from Bristol to Faversham, Kent.  They keep in touch via the internet and meet when they can.

Several members of the group are well established names in the quilt and textile world and have exhibited nationally and internationally. Margaret Ramsay won the Fine Art Quilt Masters 2017 prize of 10,000 (pounds) at the UK Festival of Quilts.

The first Cwilt Cymru exhibition was in 2011 when members joined with Scottish and Irish groups for a travelling exhibition, launched at the Festival of Quilts,  called Spirit of the Celts.

The forthcoming exhibition at Swansea Museum features two collections of Cwilt Cymru quilts including their latest on the theme of Traces.

Each member has interpreted this theme in a series of related pieces. Inspiration has come from landscape, history, architecture, the refugee crisis and a derelict South Wales housing estate.

The second collection on display is Connection, made in 2014.  Again the inspiration was diverse, including mediaeval Welsh history, water ripples, a mother who worked in a WWII factory making Spitfires, wildlife habitat destruction, social breakdown and the politics of austerity.

Although rooted in traditional quiltmaking, Cwilt Cymru makes use of new methods and materials in order to express what they want to say and show. Paint, photography, paper, print, text and even ragged vintage quilts sourced from the internet go into their repertoire of techniques.

Cwilt Cymru members aim to widen the interpretation of the old craft and express their ideas as art.

Members of the group are: Judith Barker, Judy Fairless, Bethan M. Hughes, Georgina Newson, Margaret Ramsay, Dorothy Russell, Judy Stephens, Millie Thomas and Sandra Wyman.

 

ContexArt

Contex 2000 was formed by a group of textile artists with the aim of bringing embroidery to a wider public and finding a market for their work. The thread which binds the members together is a passion for colour, texture and form which is interpreted in many innovative and exciting ways.

Their work evolves from original ideas on paper through to the finished article and whilst most of their work has a contemporary textile base several members incorporate printing, wire and glass-work.

ContexArt members continue to develop their own personal boundaries at the same time remaining true to their personal styles.

This year’s exhibition ‘Shoreline’ follows the theme of the sea, with each member being inspired by the many diverse aspects that the title represents. Follow the waves,the plants, the creatures and the scenery which unfold in fabric, paint and stitch.

 

Opening Tuesday August 7th.

 

The Welsh at Mametz Wood by Christopher Williams (1873 – 1934)

Now on display in our Great War Exhibition.

Four thousand men from the 38th (Welsh) Division were killed or injured at the battle of Mametz Wood between the 7th – 12 July, 1916. It was one of the most significant and bloody battles fought by Welsh soldiers during the Somme offensive and the First World War. The year 2016 marked the centenary of this battle.

The 14th (Swansea Service) Battalion, the Welsh Regiment, went into the attack with 676 men. After a day of hard fighting they had lost almost 400 men, killed or wounded before being relieved.

The battle has come to represent the bravery and sacrifice of Welsh troops in World War One. This heroic ideal was captured in the painting by the artist Christopher Williams, who was commissioned by David Lloyd George to travel to the Western Front a few months after the battle.

Kindly on loan from Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales.

 

Swansea and the Great War – ongoing…
The exhibition focuses on the stories of the men who went to fight in the Great War many of which were Swansea people.
The exhibition also reveals the struggles faced by women who were left behind and looks at their contribution to the war effort. It also explore the stories of conscientious objectors.