Small & Managed Projects 2009

Arts Connection manage and administrate a number of projects each year for other organisations. We also work in partnership with public and private organisations on a range of activities, including:

Ffilmic Film Festival

The second Ffilmic Film Festival took place at Theatr Llywn, Llanfyllin at the end of October 2008.

An eclectic range of feature films, shorts and video art from around the globe were screened over two days. One of the highlights was ‘The Cameraman’ a Buster Keaton silent comedy. Paul Shallcross gave a talk prior to the film about early 20th century film making and then played his own composition on the piano to accompany the film non-stop for 70 minutes! Appreciative audience members described it as one of their best cinema experiences to date. Other highlights were the screening of ‘Persepolis’ and the Take 2 Ten Day Film Challenge screenings. Entrants of all ages and abilities were give a prop, line of dialogue and a genre and then ten days to make the film. These were screened to a packed audience who laughed and supported all the film makers. Awards were given by Jennie Castle, Llanfyllin Town Mayor, who praised all entrants for their ingenuity and creativity. The awards were kindly sponsored by Lake Vyrnwy Hotel. Over the weekend talks were given by Pete Telfer about Culture Colony – Y Wldafa Newydd and Richard O’Sullivan, a Wales based video artist, also came to discuss his work. Children and young people had the opportunity to create their own shadow puppet film. They spent the day making shadow puppets and creating a story which they then performed so it could be filmed. The finished piece is available to view online.

Ffilmic was funded by the Film Agency of Wales with support from Lake Vyrnwy Hotel, Valleys Film Society, Spar Llanfyllin and the Estonian Embassy.

For more information visit: www.ffilmic.co.uk

Powys Youth Arts Festival

In August 2009 we co-hosted the Powys Youth Arts Festival with CARAD, an arts and heritage organisation based in Rhayader who we have been working in partnership with for a number of years. Celf o Gwmpas were also in this partnership. We were delighted to receive funding from the Arts Council of Wales to carry out a joint project. The decision was made to partner with Powys Youth Service to implement the Powys Youth Arts Festival at the Pavilion, Llandrindod Wells.

The aim of the Powys wide festival was is to ensure that young people across the county were given access to a creative space where they could experience a variety of art forms in a fun and enjoyable environment. Workshops available on the day were Graffiti, Haiku Twitterings, Circus Skills, Break Dancing, DJing, Willow Weaving, Felt Making and T-shirt printing. Bands and singers from around Powys also had the opportunity to perform on the stage. Prior to the festival youth centres also took part in workshops that supported the creation of anti-bullying posters, recycled fashion costumes and dance routines to enter into competitions on the day. They also took part in VJing, jewellery making and creative writing workshops. The anti-bullying posters supported the launch of the new Powys Anti-Bullying Strategy that happened on the day.

Another exciting part of the festival was the circus skills workshop organised by NoFit State Circus who also ended the day with a finale spectacle!

Bi-lingual Family Arts Events in partnership with Community Focused Schools

Machynlleth workshops on offer were a recycled fashion workshop with Edna Griffiths, colourful t-shirt design and printing with Sue Terrey, Lydia Jones and Ruth Jen Evans.

The Rotary Club fun day in August allowed people to do feltmaking workshops with Edna Griffiths and storytelling workshops with Sharon Calder.

Welsh Language

Welsh language poetry and music events with Meirion MacIntyre, Twm Morys and Siân James. The events were organised by Clwb ‘C’ with partnership funding from Communities First, Bro Dyfi and Arts Connection.

Machynlleth Dyfi Light Festival

We contributed to the Dyfi Light Festival in November 2008 by supplying a lantern making workshop in one of the local Machynlleth schools in support of Articulture.

Merched y Wawr

We were delighted to work in partnership with Merched y Wawr once again to support a speaker for St. Davids Day.

Canolfan Hydggen Bro Dyfi, Machynlleth Commission

We were involved in commissioning two pieces of art work for the new Post 16 Learning Centre in Machynlleth. The first was with Pippa Taylor, a sculptor from Machynlleth who led wood carving workshops with local community groups, the youth club and sixth formers from the High School. All the groups contributed to the wooden mural, which depicts the tree of learning and is on permanent display outside the entrance to the Bro Dyfi Post 16 Training Centre. The project was made possible due to funding from Powys County Council’s Community Focused Schools initiative and was facilitated by us.

The second project was with Stan Jankwowski who carried out workshops with local groups in Machynlleth and created a copper dragon which you can see on the front of Canolfan Hyddgen. The project was made possible due to funding from Powys County Council’s Community Focused Schools initiative and was supported by us.

Maes-y-Dre Commission

From October 2008 – Feb 2009 Ingrid Maugham worked at Ysgol Maes-y-Dre in Welshpool to create a mural for the entrance way. People from the local community and from the schools, Oldford, Ardwyn and Gungrog were all involved in creating the themes and ideas for the mural. The artist worked with the pupils of Maes-y-Dre to create the final piece. This was a partnership project with Community Focused Schools.

Managed Projects

Powys Youth Service

This year we have managed a wide range of projects across the six North Powys Youth Centres – Llanfair Caereinion, Llanfyllin, Llanidloes, Newtown and Welshpool. We have organised workshops in dancing, jewellery enamelling and box making, drama, t-shirt printing, street dance, African drumming, and two films including one made by Newtown Youth Centre about their club. In Welshpool participants documented their activities in the youth club and included parts of their 4 workshops with break dancer Terry Cripps and a digital soundtrack that they made as part of the Powys Youth Music Project. Brian Jones also worked in Llanfyllin High School on collages so students could create their own stamps and envelopes. A keyring and jewellery workshop with Stan Jankowski for Sure Start and the Youth Service in Newtown.

Communities First, Oldford

We have supported a number of events over the year including Keep Well in February aimed at healthy living where we provided workshops in peg loom weaving, dance, making objects from recycled materials, woodwork, cake decorating, flower arranging and jewellery making. In May we supported a day to promote the new Youth Shelter where we provided workshops to support the creation of a path to the shelter with Ingrid Maugham and a woodwork workshop with Andy Dunn to create a bench. In June we continued the path project and also provided a graffiti project. In September we supported the Welshpool Fun Day, which was well attended and a fantastic day. We provided a kite making workshop, woodwork to make bird boxes, pot decorating, jewellery and keyring making a samba and junk percussion workshop. In addition there was a walkabout juggler to promote the Digital Switchover. Mel Jones ran two street dance workshops in August as part of the Welshpool Police & Communities First Summer Programme 2009.

Workhouse Gallery

Some fantastic work was created when we organised a number of workshops over the February half term which included music with Niall Evans, drama with Helen Young and silk painting with Sally Duckers.

Leaving Care Team

Young people from the Leaving Care Team took part in two workshops, one creating shadow puppets and film shot sequences and another creative arts day with Dux and Sally Duckers.

Middletown Panto

Young people from Middletown Youth Centre worked with Moni Gately and Helen Young over a 10 week period to create a panto for Christmas, which they performed twice to a very full and appreciative audience.