Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales

Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales | What's Onhttp://www.museumwales.ac.ukenWed, 08 Sep 2010 13:37:32 +0100Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Waleshttp://www.museumwales.ac.uk/cms/img/amgueddfa_logo.gifhttp://www.museumwales.ac.ukGuided tours: Origins — in search of Early WalesLed by Friends of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales The Archaeology gallery Origins: In Search of Early Wales traces life in Wales from the earliest humans 230,000 years ago. Who were our ancestors, and how different were they from us? What has changed and what has caused these changes? Visit the gallery and follow the arrival of the first hominins (humans) in the Old Stone Age to the end of the Middle Ages. Visit the Origins webpage for more information Group and BSL tours available, call (029) 2057 3325http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=28548 December 2007 & 31 DecemberExhibition of the work of Julia Griffiths JonesCome and see the work of Julia and follow the Family Trail linked to her work. Julia Griffiths Jones has been the National Wool Museum’s artist in-residence since 2007 and has drawn on our collection as a source of inspiration. Her work is concerned with the translation of textile techniques such as stitching, quilting, patchwork, embroidery, into a wire and metal form. She is inspired and influenced by textile work created by women alongside their domestic duties as much as for need for warmth. This interest began when she was a student at the Royal College of Art. To view her work and find out more about Julia please visit her website. Julia has created five new pieces of work specifically for the Museum, which are being exhibited until 2010. Her work complements the Museum greatly as it combines elements of the historic and contemporary whilst also responding to the museum in a very personal way. The work has provided an opportunity to develop a new trail that enables visitors to respond creatively to the collection. The trail is suitable for individuals and for schools and offers a contemporary twist to the Museum’s collection. Each piece of work has different activities linked with it, allowing pupils to respond to the Museum, its collections and Julia’s work in a creative and personal way. The trail can be used as a whole or as individual elements. You can follow the trail in the Museum, with optional preparatory work and follow up activities in school. Items including a cup and saucer have been developed featuring Julia’s work and can be bought at the National Wool Museum’s shop or our online shop.http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=420519 March 2010 & 31 JanuaryGuided tour: Highlights of ArtA tour of the historic art galleries with a Volunteer Guide. http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=44128 June 2010 & 2 JuneWildlife Photographer of the Year 2009The most prestigious competition of its kind and the international leader in the artistic representation of the natural world comes to National Museum Cardiff. Owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine, the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 saw a record 43,135 entries - a 33 per cent increase on the previous year. This truly international competition received entries from 94 countries including China, Russia, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Macedonia, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia and Bahrain with first category winnners from Estonia, Zambia and the Czech Republic. British photographer Robert Friel was highly commended in the One Earth Award category, which seeks to highlight interaction between humans and the natural world. He captured his amusing, but thought-provoking, Footsteps photo of a curious king penguin chick on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. The much coveted title of Veolia Environnement Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year was awarded to Scottish teenager Fergus Gill, who lives in rural Perthshire. His dramatic image, clash of the yellowhammers, was judged to be the most memorable of all images by photographers aged 17 or under. The very best entries, including the winners from all 17 categories, can be seen at National Museum Cardiff  from 19 June until 12 September 2010. 'While there is no magic formula for winning and no hard and fast rules to explain why one photograph wins and another doesn’t, all winning shots have one thing in common – originality. The judges are looking for something that stops them in their tracks. The competition plays an increasingly crucial role in raising the profile of wildlife photography and generating awareness of conservation. Nothing speaks louder than an evocative photograph that stirs the imagination, tugs at the heart strings and engages the mind.’ Mark Carwardine, Chair of the judging panel. The 2009 competition and exhibition are sponsored by Veolia Environment. They are a world leader in environmental services, working with businesses, communities and governments to minimise our daily impact on the environment we have a communal responsibility to protect. http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=436719 June & 12 SeptemberArthur - Once and Future KingWho was King Arthur? Did he exist? 'Arthur - Once and Future King' is a temporary exhibition and video installation exploring the legend. Was Arthur a real 6th Century warlord or a figment of a medieval author’s mind? No physical evidence has been found for him; (it is thought that the finding of King Arthur’s grave at Glastonbury was a medieval hoax). We shall probably never know the answer to these questions; but in a way, does it matter if he existed or not? Arthur has captured the imagination of a nation for over 1,000 years - the King that defended Britain in its hour of need and lies in waiting to do so again. There are mentions of the name ‘Arthur’ as a war lord in some books dating back to the 8th and 9th centuries, but it is really with Geoffrey of Monmouth’s book, ‘History of the Kings of Britain’ around 1135 that the story ‘King Arthur’ starts. Geoffrey says that Arthur held court and was crowned at Caerleon, and talks of him and Guinevere, who eventually became a nun at Caerleon, in his book. After Geoffrey, many other authors wrote about King Arthur, adding their own ideas to the stories; weaving a complex tapestry in which there are noble knights, damsels in distress and magical quests. Chrétien de Troyes in the 12th Century introduced Lancelot to the story, as well as Camelot and the Holy Grail. Others followed him, like Sir Thomas Malory’s ‘Morte D’Arthur’ in the 15th Century, or Alfred Lord Tennyson in the 19th Century, who wrote parts of his ‘Idylls of the King’ at the Hanbury Arms pub in Caerleon. Arthur, Merlin, Camelot, the Holy Grail and all the other cast of characters and elements of the story have lost none of their fascination for modern audiences. Most recently people have been gripped by the tale in the BBC series ‘Merlin’, and there are many other films, programmes and books that retell stories of Arthur. These inspire another generation to believe in the magic of King Arthur. Long live the King!http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=438428 June 2010 & 30 JanuaryWelsh School of Architectural Glass (1965-1995)The Welsh School of Architectural Glass at Swansea Metropolitan University presents a spectacular display of work by graduates as part of the 75th anniversary of Europe's oldest architectural glass course.http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=44229 July & 19 SeptemberAllotment Keeper - A photography documentary by Betina SkovbroThe garden of Llainfadyn Cottage at St Fagans is currently being transformed for a new, temporary photographic exhibition called Allotment Keeper, a series of portraits by Betina Skovbro of allotment keepers from across Cardiff. The artist and photographer is currently working with a team of volunteers to transform the overgrown garden into a contemporary allotment, which will also double as a living gallery in which up to 150 of the images are displayed. The project will capture the renewed enthusiasm for ‘grow your own’ amongst the City’s diverse allotment community. Each photograph will be accompanied by a story or tip provided by the allotment owner – from serious growing advice to humorous anecdote. The exhibition will uncover the unique and idiosyncratic world of allotment growing, at a time when its popularity has never been greater. Read the photographers blog at http://allotmentkeeper.wordpress.com Allotment Keeper is supported by a grant from the Arts Council of Wales.http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=433417 July & 15 OctoberFrom Coal to Pole: Wales and Antarctica On 15 June 1910, a large, excited and noisy Cardiff crowd cheered a heavily laden ship as she left Bute Dock. SS Terra Nova was headed south - to Antarctica. Terra Nova had arrived in Cardiff five days earlier for her final preparations for the voyage south and to take on fuel. 300 tons of Crown Patent Fuel and 100 tons of steam coal were provided free by Welsh coal companies, as were 500 gallons of engine and lamp oil. All of the expedition’s cooking utensils were given by the Welsh Tin Plate Company of Llanelli and even Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s sleeping bag was bought with funds raised by the County School in Cardigan. In addition to support in kind, a further £2,500 was raised in Cardiff, more than from any other city. Without Cardiff-based sponsors such as ship-owners Daniel Radcliffe and William Tatem (later Lord Glanely) and the help of William Davies - editor of the Western Mail, Captain Scott would not have left in time to reach the Pole in 1912. Such was the support in Wales for the expedition that Cardiff was designated the home port of the Terra Nova. It was to Bute Dock that she was to return at the close of the expedition on 14 June 1913. 100 years after departure, the figurehead of Terra Nova is the centrepiece of From Coal to Pole: Wales and Antarctica - the first Antarctic exhibition at the Museum since 1914. In addition to a pair of skis worn by one of the expedition’s geologists Raymond Priestley, a sailor’s hat band, penguins, shells and rocks collected and even a biscuit from the expedition, a welsh flag provided by James Howell of Howells Department Store also forms part of the exhibition. Perhaps the most poignant objects are a handful of rocks, part of a load of 35lbs of geological specimens found on Scott’s sledge when the bodies of Scott and his companions were discovered. These are on loan from the Natural History Museum in London. The story will also be told through a series of images of the Terra Nova, autographs and letters. The exhibition also explores other Welsh links with Antarctica – a geologist from St Fagans, a stowaway from Newport and the Antarctic work of a zoologist from St Brides Major who later became Director of the National Museum.http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=442417 July & 10 OctoberFire and Water: The Atlantic Rowing ChallengeFollow the amazing adventure of two Swansea fire-fighters who rowed 3,000 nautical miles across the mid Atlantic Ocean in early 2010. More people have climbed Mount Everest than have successfully rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. In January, 40 year old Mike Arnold and 39 year old Simon Evans attempted one of the world’s toughest races. They rowed unaided, as a team of two, 3000 miles across the mid Atlantic Ocean (the equivalent of travelling from Swansea to London and back ten times). Tales from their adventure including the actual row, food, drinking and training and what they saw along the way are on display a with the boat - Pendovey Swift - as the centerpiece. The display delves into the impact of the changing weather conditions. On their best days, Mike and Simon rowed nearly 70 nautical miles and on their worst, the weather blew them backwards by five. It also explores how they managed to successfully navigate their way across the ocean, keep in touch with friends and family, and the amazing wildlife they encountered including dolphins, sharks and whales! During their two-month stint at sea, Mike and Simon managed to capture some spectacular moments on film, shown as part of the exhibition. The footage highlights the highs and lows of the journey and give you a real insight into the challenge they conquered. Mike, a watch manager based at Sketty, and Simon, a crew manager in Morriston, undertook the challenge to raise cash for The Fire Fighters Charity, which provides services to serving, retired and injured fire service workers. Here's more on Simon and Mike's adventure on the BBC website.http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=442617 July & 7 NovemberRyder Cup Heritage ExhibitionIllustrating the rich history of one of the most compelling events in world sport, and building up to The 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport. The Ryder Cup began in 1927 as a match between the professionals of Great Britain and the United States. This exhibition tells the story of the competition, from its humble beginnings to the present day. Enjoy a fascinating and unique collection of Ryder Cup memorabilia. From historic signed programmes and menus to team gifts and equipment, they are brought to life by photography from those first encounters more than 80 years ago right through to recent matches. The exhibition is on display at the Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre in Newport until 19 August, and can be seen at the Museum from 24 August to 22 September. When the eyes of the sporting world are focused on the first Ryder Cup to be held in Wales, the exhibition will be in the tented village at the Celtic Manor Resort for the thousands of spectators who will flock to see Colin Montgomerie’s European Team take on the United States Team led by Corey Pavin from 27 September to 3 October. The Ryder Cup Heritage exhibition helps bring to life the rich heritage of golf’s greatest team event and visitors will get a fascinating insight into how the competition has evolved over the years.http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=455324 August & 22 September