What's on / Ym Laen

Due to the cost of constant translating - the What's On page is only available in English. Torfaen Museum Trust apologises for any inconvenience.

Events: May/June/July/August 2010

Opening Times:
Mon - Fri 10.00 - 5.00/Sat & Sun 2.00 - 5.00 last admission 4.30pm
free admission at ALL times to Torfaen Library Card holders.

Admission charges: £3 adult/£2 concessions/£1 children/£5 family ticket- Torfaen Library Card Holders will remain free until further notice. Wednesdays & Sundays will have a special charge of £1 per person.

Pontypool Museum has now completed its major over-haul and invites you all to come and visit. Over the past three years, nearly half a million pounds has been spent on renovating the outside of the Grade II* listed building and upgrading the exhibition areas inside. The museum now has full disabled access with an outside ramp and a lift next to the Barker Gallery enabling full access to the Library, Research Room and Training Room upstairs. Spend some time inside the freshly decorated reception area and coffee shop, after enjoying the new displays and exhibitions, mostly telling the story of your local history.

Pontypool Local History Society present: talks every first Tuesday of the month at 2.30pm from September - April 2010. Join as a member or £2 charge for non-members each talk. Ring the museum 01495 752036 for further details or fuller programme.

 

 

ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME:

 

GWANWYN FESTIVAL 2010

FREE event at Pontypool Museum during the month of May.

Construct your own Memory Box with artist Roger Polley

A workshop for the over 50’s is being run from 11 th-13 th May from 10am-3.30pm. This three day event is for you to design and construct your own memory box from photographic images and/or artwork. This informal workshop is being tutored by photographic artist Roger Polley, whose work can be seen on display in the museum and includes materials. Sort through your photos and see what memories you might like to include!

This Free event is being sponsored by Gwanwyn. Contact 01495-752036 for further details. Booking is essential as places are limited.

 

ADULT LEARNERS WEEK – Pontypool Museum

Pontypool Museum are holding 2 free drop-in sessions during Adult Learners Week on Japanware decoration. Why not pop along and have fun decorating in the Japanware style – you could decorate a container, spoon or picture – all materials are free!

The tutor is Jill Hobbs, well known local artist, and the sessions will be quite informal. The first date is Tuesday 18 May from 10am-3pm and a second day on Saturday 22 May 2-4pm. These events are part of the Torfaen Learning Festival, sponsored by niace dysgu cymru & ESF WAG funding.

For more information or to book a place, contact the museum on 01495-752036.

 

May Half Term 2010

Free Family Fun Sessions – craft activities Wed 10-12

 

Please ring the museum for further info nearer the time.

 

 

Exhibitions:

May 2010

Oriel Barker Gallery

1 st May – 25 th July: Dr Robert Organ – b&w photographic exhibition

‘Home & Away’

Pontypool Museum is hosting a superb collection of black and white photographs by Dr Robert Organ, who lived in Pontypool between 1981 and 1985. The exhibition is divided into two series. ‘Home’ comprises photographs taken when the artist lived in Pontypool and provides a fascinating glimpse of Pontypool life in that era. ‘Away’ comprises photographs since 1985 when he attended university and during his extensive travels.

In both series, each photograph attempts to strike a balance of allowing it to be judged on its own merits and as an important contributor to the series in which it belongs. The exhibition provides an insight into the wide range of activities carried out by people of all ages, both at work and at leisure. Uniquely, it has been complied over a relatively long period of time.

Also serving as an historical record, documenting the economic and social changes in the South Wales Valleys, the exhibition allows parallels, similarities and contrasts to be drawn between people’s behaviour all over the world. Earlier photographs were captured using 35mm film and later ones digitally. All the photographs were digitally printed using pigment-based inks for image permanence.

Dr Robert Michael Organ was born in Llanbadoc, near Usk in Gwent on 27 October 1966. He attended West Monmouth Grammar School and Pontypool College. During this time, he gained first prize in the photographic competitions of the Urdd Gobiath Cymru Eisteddfod and the Welsh National Eisteddfod Youth Section. With a first degree in Natural Sciences and a PhD at Emmanuel College in the University of Cambridge, he was also President of the Emmanuel College Photographic Society, and a member of the Cambridge University Photographic Society.

Robert’s professional career started with scientific management positions for the lithographic printing plate manufacturing company Kodak Polychrome Graphics and the packaging company Crown Cork and Seal (formerly Metalbox). He is currently the Deputy Warden (Managing Director) of the London Assay Office, part of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in the City of London but has continued taking photographs throughout his professional career. His projects can be found on his website www.robertorgan.co.uk.  

 

‘Home and Away’ is his first one man exhibition and the humour and optimism captured in many of the photographs will revive many memories for people. Hopefully, they will return to enjoy this superb exhibition many times over.

 

Café Art: May - Robert James 'pen & ink' drawings

 

June 2010

 

Friday 18 th June 3pm – Talk by Dr Robert Organ (of the Goldsmiths Company) on Hallmarking –‘ faking & forging Silverware’. Free admission.

Oriel Barker Gallery:

1st May - 25th July 'Home & Away' by Dr. Robert Organ b/w photographic exhibition

 

Café Art: June - Barbara Morris 'ceramics'

 

July 2010

 

Oriel Barker Gallery:

1st May - 25th July 'Home & Away' by Dr. Robert Organ b/w photographic exhibition

30th July - 31st August Christine Kinsey - Eisteddfod Exhibition

 

Café Art: July - Norma Giles 'watercolours'

Free Family Fun Sessions – ‘Re-Cycle It’ Project – Wed/Thurs 10-12

Summer School Holidays only

 

August 2010

 

Oriel Barker Gallery:

30th July - 31st August Christine Kinsey - Eisteddfod Exhibition

 

Café Art: August - Karen Jones 'Chinese brush work'

 

Free Family Fun Sessions – ‘Re-Cycle It’ Project – Wed/Thurs 10-12

Summer School Holidays only

 

 

THE FOLLY TOWER & THE SHELL GROTTO: -

Opening times: Every week-end and Bank Holiday Monday between 1st May to end of September 2.00 - 5.00pm FREE entry

Permanent Displays include:

The Story of Torfaen – the history of the Torfaen Valley. This new gallery tells the story of Torfaen from earliest times to the present day. The gallery is a colourful display of artefacts, pictures and paintings, together with a new audio/visual display and an accompanying book 'The Story of Torfaen' on sale in the shop £7.50.

The Glyn Edwards Collection of Musical Instruments from around the World.
A stunning display of unique and unusual hand-made instruments, collected by the late Glyn Edwards on his travels over many years.

JAPANWARE GALLERY - following refurbishment of the Japanware Gallery, the Museum now has a new exhibition of Japanware on loan from the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. This important collection highlights the close links between us as a small independent museum and the National Gallery.

Long-term exhibition: 'The Poet & The Politician’ celebrating the lives of Myfanwy Haycock & Leo Abse, two of Torfaen's most famous citizens.

 

Contact Numbers for further information:

tel / ffon: Pontypool Museum 01495-752036

Pontypool Museum, Park Buildings, Park Rd., Pontypool, Torfaen NP4 6JH

email / ebost: pontypoolmuseum@hotmail.com