Exhibitions @St_Elvans
St Elvan's continually hosts rotating guest exhibitions in our beautiful new mezzanine gallery area
All exhibitions are FREE to view and are available to browse Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00
Each month we also present our monthly WAM (Words - Art - Music) Night in the Gallery, which frequently ties in with our visiting exhibitions. For further information on the WAM Nights, visit www.stelvans.com/wam-words-art-music
Further information on our current, forthcoming and recent exhibitions are available below
All exhibitions are FREE to view and are available to browse Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00
Each month we also present our monthly WAM (Words - Art - Music) Night in the Gallery, which frequently ties in with our visiting exhibitions. For further information on the WAM Nights, visit www.stelvans.com/wam-words-art-music
Further information on our current, forthcoming and recent exhibitions are available below
Current Exhibition
June
Aberdare Cenotaph 100
An exhibition marking the centenary of the Aberdare Cenotaph, in conjunction with Armed Forces Day month and the Rhondda Cynon Taf commemoration of the Cenotaph centenary in Aberdare on Sunday June 25th
The exhibition runs from Thursday June 1st and is open from 10:00am to 4:00pm daily
Additional information on the Aberdare Cenotaph is available in the Heritage section of our website here
A concert by the Tacoma Concert Band of Seattle, Washington, USA, together with Lewis Merthyr Band and the massed male choirs of Cwmdare Voices & Pelenna Valley, will also be held at the close of the month on Wednesday June 28th
Full information and tickets are available at www.stelvans.com/events
The exhibition runs from Thursday June 1st and is open from 10:00am to 4:00pm daily
Additional information on the Aberdare Cenotaph is available in the Heritage section of our website here
A concert by the Tacoma Concert Band of Seattle, Washington, USA, together with Lewis Merthyr Band and the massed male choirs of Cwmdare Voices & Pelenna Valley, will also be held at the close of the month on Wednesday June 28th
Full information and tickets are available at www.stelvans.com/events
Forthcoming Exhibitions
July
Caradogfest
Y Côr "Mouth" (Mawr)
E. Thomas & Williams, Aberdare
Nick Evans, Mining Paintings
August 4th to September 23rd
Prismatic Art
Deanne Mangold
Looking through a colourful window at the history of Deanne Mangold's architectural glass and textile exploration
The exhibition includes live "meet the artist" residencies by Deanne on Saturday August 12th & 26th, September 9th & 23rd
The exhibition includes live "meet the artist" residencies by Deanne on Saturday August 12th & 26th, September 9th & 23rd
September 25th to October 27th
Literature & Film Pioneers
William Morgan | William Haggar
October 30th to November 17th
Remembrance
November 27th to December 23rd
Christmas | Santa's Grotto
Previous Exhibitions
May
Not Necessarily Sew
Textiles Exhibition
Not Necessarily Sew, is a Welsh Textile group based at Fleur de Lys in the Rhymney valley. The group was formed in 2010 after collectively completing a City and Guilds course in creative embroidery.
Creatively, the group are all multi-disciplined and their work often combines drawing with fibres, wire, paper, plastics, alongside fabric decoration such as dyeing and printing
Their skill is to create original pieces with machined stitches and traditional hand embroidery methods which challenge the old view of needlecraft as a ‘repetitive exercise to fill in time’ and transforms it into new exciting Textile Art
Creatively, the group are all multi-disciplined and their work often combines drawing with fibres, wire, paper, plastics, alongside fabric decoration such as dyeing and printing
Their skill is to create original pieces with machined stitches and traditional hand embroidery methods which challenge the old view of needlecraft as a ‘repetitive exercise to fill in time’ and transforms it into new exciting Textile Art
April 11th to 27th
Responses to The Blue Wedding Dress
Coleg Y Cymoedd
An exhibition of work by students studying on the Coleg Y Cymoedd Level 3 Extended Diploma Fashion and Costume course and also Foundation in Art & Design Fashion/Textile students
The exhibits include corsetry and construction techniques inspired by Renoir’s Blue Dress painting and the blue Victorian wedding dress that was recently on loan to St Elvan’s from St Fagan’s National Museum of History
Please note that the mezzanine gallery is a multi purpose space - please check that it’s accessible before making a special journey
The exhibits include corsetry and construction techniques inspired by Renoir’s Blue Dress painting and the blue Victorian wedding dress that was recently on loan to St Elvan’s from St Fagan’s National Museum of History
Please note that the mezzanine gallery is a multi purpose space - please check that it’s accessible before making a special journey
March 1st to 31st
Welsh Icons - Barry Lewis
The architect of our resident quarter ton metal Welsh dragon “Gareth”, renowned Rhondda Cynon Taf sculptor Barry Lewis featured in an exhibition of his paintings featuring famous Welsh Icons
St David's Day was of course apt timing for a celebration of people who have helped make Wales great. This portrait exhibition featured not just the most recognisable Welsh stars of stage and screen, but also paid tribute to historical figures like Jemima Nicholas, who captured a dozen invading French troops with her pitchfork! Also featured was a portrait of the great Paul Robeson, an honorary Welshman due to the help and friendship he showed the people of South Wales
Quite a few of the portraits also depicted Welsh celebrities that Barry has met or worked with in his time as a television and film extra. These portraits give a more personal dimension to those individuals, more than the image normally just seen through a camera lens
Alongside the portraits are sculptural pieces Barry is better known for, including the giant dragon that once adorned the wall of Caerphilly Castle and smaller pieces which remain on display and available for sale here at St Elvan's
St David's Day was of course apt timing for a celebration of people who have helped make Wales great. This portrait exhibition featured not just the most recognisable Welsh stars of stage and screen, but also paid tribute to historical figures like Jemima Nicholas, who captured a dozen invading French troops with her pitchfork! Also featured was a portrait of the great Paul Robeson, an honorary Welshman due to the help and friendship he showed the people of South Wales
Quite a few of the portraits also depicted Welsh celebrities that Barry has met or worked with in his time as a television and film extra. These portraits give a more personal dimension to those individuals, more than the image normally just seen through a camera lens
Alongside the portraits are sculptural pieces Barry is better known for, including the giant dragon that once adorned the wall of Caerphilly Castle and smaller pieces which remain on display and available for sale here at St Elvan's
January 25th to March 2nd 2023
The Blue Wedding Dress
St Fagans National Museum of History
To open our 2023 season, St Elvan's was fortunate to host - for the first time ever on public display - a beautiful blue Victorian wedding dress, which was made in 1875 for a wedding at St Elvan's itself
The dress was loaned from St Fagan's National Museum of History. Inspired by Renoir's famous "La Parisienne", the dress was on public display at St Elvan's from Monday January 30th to Thursday March 2nd 2023
From February 4th to 24th, an additional selection of beautiful wedding dresses and photographs of weddings at St Elvan’s through the decades, from 1875 through to present day, was also on display, on temporary loan from members of the local community
The dress was loaned from St Fagan's National Museum of History. Inspired by Renoir's famous "La Parisienne", the dress was on public display at St Elvan's from Monday January 30th to Thursday March 2nd 2023
From February 4th to 24th, an additional selection of beautiful wedding dresses and photographs of weddings at St Elvan’s through the decades, from 1875 through to present day, was also on display, on temporary loan from members of the local community
November | December
Remembrance | Christmas
Throughout November | December each year, St Elvan's plays host to a series of Remembrance and Christmas events, for which the exhibition series on our Mezzanine level is temporarily suspended. Exhibitions resumed from January onwards
October
Cynon Valley Film Festival
An exhibition of period film posters, connected to the inaugural Cynon Valley Film Festival
The festival is now being hosted at St Elvan's each October
The festival is now being hosted at St Elvan's each October
September
Cynon Valley Community Showcase
A community exhibition of award-winning and most highly commended exhibits from the Cynon Valley Community Show
Exhibits included high level pieces from talented community artists of all ages from both within the locality and beyond and were exhibited here at St Elvan's throughout September
Exhibits included high level pieces from talented community artists of all ages from both within the locality and beyond and were exhibited here at St Elvan's throughout September
July | August
"Here Be Dragons"
Marking the 150th anniversary of the achievements of Griffith Rhys "Caradog" Jones and the Aberdare centred Côr Mawr, St Elvan's proudly presented our summer 2022 collaborative exhibition, which featured the large scale dragon images of Linda Agostini, the community dragon art of Artsy Community, Kevin Broome and Christina Davies; plus the largest metal sculpture of the incredible Barry Lewis - a giant 4.5 x 3m Welsh dragon! Further information on Griffith Rhys "Caradog" Jones, the Côr Mawr and the wider Caradogfest, is available at www.caradogfest.com
May | June
"Platinum" Jubilee
Royalty in RCT & The Metalwork Sculptures of Barry Lewis
Our Platinum Jubilee exhibition ran from May 9th to June 10th and was multifaceted in content. The first element featured digital historical images of Royal visits to Rhondda Cynon Taf, scrolling beneath aural recollections of those visits by local residents. The exhibition also featured models of the Crowns of the Commonwealth, created by Town Church Primary School, and finally, reflecting the "platinum" aspect of the Jubilee, the exhibition also featured the truly incredible metalwork sculptures of Rhondda sculptor Barry Lewis. Such was the popularity of Barry's works that many of these pieces remain with us and are available to view and purchase exclusively at St Elvan's
The Watchman's Hut
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Not Necessarily SewNot Necessarily Sew, is a Welsh Textile group based at Fleur de Lys in the Rhymney valley. The group was formed in 2010 after collectively completing a City and Guilds course in creative embroidery.
Creatively, the group are all multi-disciplined and their work often combines drawing with fibres, wire, paper, plastics, alongside fabric decoration such as dyeing and printing Their skill is to create original pieces with machined stitches and traditional hand embroidery methods which challenge the old view of needlecraft as a ‘repetitive exercise to fill in time’ and transforms it into new exciting Textile Art This incredibly popular exhibition of Not Necessarily Sew was also the first central art focus of our monthly WAM (Words • Art • Music) Night at St Elvan's Held on the third Thursday of each month, further information on the WAM Nights is available at www.stelvans.com/wam-words-art-music |
By Our Hands - Judith Beecher
"By Our Hands" was the incredible opening exhibition at St Elvan's, and was curated by Aberdare artist Judith Beecher "The exhibition represented a collaboration, bringing several artists working in Wales together through a concept of autonomy with the portrait and framework Each of the portraits are framed by the artist depicted; Beecher painted the portrait of each artist, and they, in turn, have painted, written, collaged, or pyrographed the frame in their own way; thus, artists have worked in a partnership which is rarely seen Alongside each portrait was also one or more pieces of work by the artists depicted. The artists were very well known throughout Wales and many of them worldwide" Judith Beecher, BA (Hons) |
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