Press Releases

Art works by T .H. Thomas, contemporary silver designs and historical objects are just some of the treasures from the National collection people in Mid and North East Wales will be able to enjoy over the coming months.

Working in partnership with Oriel Davies in Newtown, Ruthin Craft Centre, the new Wrexham County Borough Museum and Archives (opening on 14 February 2011) and the National Library of Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales will be displaying some of its treasures at three new exhibitions, starting tomorrow (5 February 2011) in Newtown.

Fables from a New World: the life and times of T.H. Thomas As imagined by Jennie Savage at Oriel Davies, Newtown will run from 5 February until 6 April 2011. An exhibition where history meets the contemporary, Jennie Savage has responded in an extraordinary way to the fascinating life and collections of the artist T.H. Thomas (1839 – 1915), whose wide-ranging collections were bequeathed to Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales in 1915.

Jennie Savage invites visitors to experience the work of T.H. Thomas, who was instrumental in his efforts to shape and promote a cultural identity for Wales. Then through object, text, audio and moving image, she explores some of the issues and stories of Victorian Britain - a time when society became modern.

Silverstruck - the second exhibition in which Ruthin Craft Centre and Amgueddfa Cymru have worked together will be launched on 12 February 2011. The first project, Collecting Contemporary Ceramics from 2005, placed applied art pieces from the national collection alongside new work from the same makers. Since then, Ruthin Craft Centre has undergone a major transformation and Amgueddfa Cymru has developed a new area of collecting as a direct response to the growing quality and diversity of makers working in the country today – that of contemporary silversmithing.

The title of the exhibition, Silverstruck, is a word from curator Dr Elizabeth Goring's imagination:

“It felt like a perfect description of the condition in which I found myself, awed by the skill, creativity and dedication of contemporary silversmithing.”

She hopes that “the work in this exhibition brings you as much pleasure as I have had in selecting it, and that you will find yourself similarly Silverstruck.”

Following the official opening of the Wrexham County Borough Museum and Archives on 14 February 2011, Amgueddfa Cymru together with the National Library of Wales is planning an exhibition in a new dedicated space in the Museum this summer, which will tell the cultural story of Wales through our national collections. The aim is to celebrate the arrival of the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham and mark 150 years of the biggest event in the Welsh social calendar.

Also displayed in Wrexham will be information about the People’s Collection Wales - a contemporary, interactive and bilingual online experience dedicated to the history of Wales and its people: www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk.

Michael Tooby, Amgueddfa Cymru’s Director of Learning, Programmes and Development who leads the Museum’s partnerships team said:

“Effective partnerships between regional and national museums is essential to ensure excellent museum provision to people across Wales. It is a great way of sharing items from the national collection and the expertise that goes with them, learning initiatives and wider community projects such as those executed by Amgueddfa Cymru all over the country.”

Fables from a New World: the life and times of T.H. Thomas As imagined by Jennie Savage and Silverstruck are part of ArtShare Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru's visual arts partnership scheme. Generously funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the scheme aims to increase access to the national art collection through innovative collaborative projects at venues across Wales.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

• Fables from a New World: the life and times of T.H. Thomas As imagined by Jennie Savage

5 February - 6 April 2011

Oriel Davies Gallery

www.orieldavies.org

• Silverstruck

12 February – 27 March 2011

Ruthin Craft Centre

www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk

• Wrexham County Borough Museum and Archives

Official opening 14 February 2011

Amgueddfa Cymru & National Library of Wales exhibition summer 2011

www.wrexham.gov.uk/heritage

• In addition to working in partnership with regional museums, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales operates seven national museums across Wales. These are National Museum Cardiff; St Fagans: National History Museum; National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon; Big Pit: National Coal Museum; Blaenafon, National Wool Museum, Dre-fach Felindre; National Slate Museum, Llanberis ;National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

Admission to Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales’s Museums is free thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.