A Christmas Letter
I believe the last time we wrote to you all, we were promising to keep a diary of all the comings and goings during the redevelopment…Well that hasn’t happened. Not because we didn’t want to keep you in the loop but due to the fact that there hasn’t been anything to update you on.
We’re sure you share our frustration with the lack of progress on OM’s new gallery space but let’s stay optimistic and keep everything crossed for an early 2023 kick-off!
In the meantime, let’s look back at what 2022 had to offer…
Winter // Spring
It’s true that the past year has been full of ups and downs for OM. However, the year did get off to a brilliant start with three exhibitions (and a riot!) with the atmospheric work of Gareth Hugh Davies’ Tir Cof, a charming tribute to the Gwendraeth valley in Huw Alden Davies’ photography and film-based exhibition; The Last Valley and Kathryn Campbell Dodd’s raucous Cragen Beca!
Summer
Closure…
We bid farewell to you all at the end of June, thinking that the new OM would be well on the way by the end of September…ah, so naïve!
The process of clearing out the gallery proved to be a lot more emotional than any of us had ever anticipated. The gallery has been a home from home for a lot of us over the years and I think we all found the closure to be a wrenching experience. We’d like to say once again a huge thank you to the wonderful OM team who helped with the big move.
Summer also saw us wave goodbye to two colleagues and friends: Education Officer Emma Baker and Community Arts Coordinator Emily Laurens. Cue more tears!
Autumn
We moved into our new office! Thank you to Carmarthenshire Museum in Abergwili for letting us bunk in with them for the foreseeable. Stunning grounds, top notch café on site with Stacey’s Kitchen – this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship!
Once we settled in, the urge to start programming kicks in. We have a very exciting meeting with artists Kim Norton, Jane Ponsford (pictured at the National Wool Museum, Drefach Felindre) and poet Laura Wainwright. The upcoming project will explore the materials of Wales. We’ll be sharing more on this project as it unfolds…
Artist and curator Abby Poulson joined our teeny OM team to coordinate next years Criw Celf. We’re very excited to have Abby join us and can’t wait to share her vision for Criw Celf. Our young artists are in for a treat with the upcoming workshops.
We’ve also been busy working with our old colleague Emily Laurens to launch OM’s new artist development programme i fyny. The programme seeks to nurture 15 early career artists and equip them with the skills and opportunities needed to pursue viable and sustainable arts careers. The i fyny steering panel have made their selection so wait for a very exciting announcement in the new year!
Alongside all of this, we’ve been working with graphic designer Aled Williams of NotJones to update Oriel Myrddin Gallery’s brand. Here’s a little taster…
More to follow in 2023!
In the meantime, we’d like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and all the best for 2023!
Love,
Catherine and Rachel
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