New contemporary arts prize to launch in Wales

Plans for a new contemporary arts prize to be launched in Wales have been unveiled.

The prize is being launched by Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery in Merthyr.

Cyfarthfa: Juxtaposed – is being launched as part of Cyfarthfa’s bicentenary celebrations this year and will result in the commission of at least one new artwork.

The prize invites emerging artists working in Wales to engage with and explore the existing collection of 350+ artworks at Cyfarthfa Museum and Art Gallery and ‘juxtapose’ a contemporary response.

A panel of judges has already been convened, with the winning submissions to be announced at a ceremony in the summer.

The work of the three winning pieces will then be displayed at a dedicated exhibition, Juxtaposed, alongside the ‘inspiration’ for their piece. The exhibition will then form the backbone of a wider programme of education and community activities, further encouraging people from all backgrounds to engage with the wider collection of artwork at Cyfarthfa.

Artists will be invited to submit work in one of three categories: paint, photography or print. The winning artist in each category will receive £500 with an overall winner receiving £1,000 towards a 3-month solo show at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery. There will also be three individual prizes of £100 awarded for amateur artists.

The panel of judges will include André Stitt, an award-winning artist from Belfast, Northern Ireland who was professor of fine art at Cardiff School of Art and Design, Cardiff Metropolitan University, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Art; Bronwen Colquhoun, Senior Curator of Photography at Amgueddfa Cymru; and Sarah Hopkins, printmaker, Director at Swansea Print Workshop and member of the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art.

Cyfarthfa: Juxtaposed is part of the museum’s aspirations to collect new contemporary art, with at least one of the winning pieces being acquired into the permanent collection at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery for the benefit of future generations.

The museum has been collecting and exhibiting art since 1910 and hold some of Wales’s most prestigious artists within the collection. Acquisition of new artwork has been made possible thanks to Cultural Transformation Capital funding from Welsh Government in Spring 2023 which facilitated increased storage space for the museum’s extensive collection of over 18,000 items.

Jess Mahoney, CEO of the Cyfarthfa Foundation said: “We are thrilled to be working with the team at Cyfarthfa Museum and Art Gallery to launch Cyfarthfa: Juxtaposed. The Cyfarthfa Foundation is proud to be championing the development and restoration of Cyfarthfa as a place-making cultural and heritage asset. This prize will enhance Cyfarthfa’s existing position as a key destination for contemporary art in Wales, and adds further modern representation to an impressive historic collection.

“The 200th birthday of Cyfarthfa is the perfect time to launch this prize and to highlight the importance of investing now in our future aspirations for Cyfarthfa. I am so excited to see the work of the artists and how they respond to this incredible collection.”

Klara Sroka, Arts and Exhibitions Coordinator at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery added: “My vision and purpose for this exhibition and art prize is to re-position Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery’s reputation as the leading organisation of contemporary Welsh art in the South Wales Valleys.

“There is so much impressive talent across the art scene today that we must take this opportunity to showcase the pounding discourse and spirit that has always existed here in Merthyr Tydfil and the surrounding areas. I was delighted to share this ambition together with the team at The Cyfarthfa Foundation and thank them for their sponsorship for the art prize, in acknowledgement of our bicentennial year celebrations”.

Entry to the Cyfarthfa Arts prize will cost £15, or £10 for students, those in education and over-60s. Entries close on Sunday 28 May (5pm)

To find out more click HERE

Cyfarthfa: Juxtaposed has been made possible thanks to support from the Cyfarthfa Foundation which is the charitable organisation championing the long-term development of Cyfarthfa Castle and Park at Merthyr Tydfil.