On Thursday 12 March, pupils from Ysgol Maesydderwen, Ystradgynlais, and the community group Welfare Wonder Women had a special opportunity to engage with art from the National Library of Wales. Staff from the Library brought two important works of art from Aberystwyth to The Welfare in Ystradgynlais to create a unique and inspiring experience for everyone involved.
The pupils and community group took part in creative workshops led by artist Elissa V Evans, where they had the opportunity to see Josef Herman’s Mother & Child and Claudia Williams’ Mothers & Children.
The sessions explored how different artists have interpreted the theme of mother and child. In the workshops, the pupils and women drew inspiration from Herman and Williams’s paintings to create their own works using the same themes.
This event was part of the Library’s long-standing initiatives to take collections out to schools, which is an important part of the Library’s new strategy of reaching every school and every town in Wales. The aim this year was to make an impact not only within a school but with the wider community. By building on the strong partnership already established with The Welfare, the Library ensured that these paintings, which have a strong local connection, were accessible and inspiring for multiple generations in the Ystradgynlais area.
Lloyd Roderick, Education Officer at the National Library of Wales said:
“We have been taking works of art to schools annually for 15 years, highlighting the Library’s commitment to sharing the collections with people and communities and in every part of the country.
“Our vision is to ensure that all the people of Wales knows the Library, has opportunities to take part, and recognises its value. Activities like this are an excellent way of achieving that.”
Zoe Gealy from The Welfare said:
“Today’s been really inspiring. You can see that the young people as well as the older members of the community have really engaged and taken on board what has been said by the artist and the National Library team and used that to feed into the work they have been creating which has been super exciting.”
Feature image:
- Mothers and Children, Claudia Williams © Claudia Williams
- Mother & Child, Josef Herman © The Estate of Josef Herman
