Curatorial Residency \ Preswylfa Curadurol
David Cleary
Next month we’re excited to be hosting curator and facilitator David Cleary at our Platfform 2 reading room, for a curatorial residency supported by Jerwood Arts.
This residency follows on from Peak’s participation as a host organisation in Jerwood’s Curatorial Accelerator Programme, which supported 11 UK based curators from working class backgrounds to take part in a 12-month curatorial and leadership development programme.
David Cleary is based in North Wales and his curatorial practice seeks to improve access to cultural and natural spaces. Working with artists, he produces socially engaged public programmes and residencies in rural and coastal places. During his residency, David will be undertaking research towards the development of Conveyor - imagined as a nomadic arts initiative and curatorial platform, Conveyor seeks to support artistic collaboration with people and place in North Wales.
David’s research will include conversations with curators to consider entangled practices in relation to queerness, disability and working class cultures. Rooted in Conveyor’s geographical position, the residency will nurture exchange between social ecologies along the North Wales South Wales Service rail line, which distributes energy, resources and culture across Wales.
David Cleary (he/him) is currently Access and Inclusion Officer with Disability Arts Cymru on the Amdani! Conwy project. He previously worked as Curator of Learning and Engagement at Mostyn (2021-3), Llandudno and Learning & Exhibitions Coordinator at Humber Street Gallery (2017-21). Curated public projects include, Eco-Futura Cinema (2023), StudioMade @ The Carriageworks; Resident Echoes (2022-3), Mostyn; cwrdd â mi wrth yr afon (2022), Mostyn; Sense Us (2022), Mostyn & Disability Arts Cymru; Fruit Factory Network (2019-20), Humber Street Gallery.
Fis nesaf rydym yn gyffrous i allu croesawu’r curadur a’r hwylusydd David Cleary i’n stafell ddarllen ar Blatfform 2, ar gyfer preswylfa curadurol wedi ei gefnogi gan Jerwood Arts.
Mae’r breswylfa hon yn dilyn cyfranogiad Peak fel sefydliad arweiniol o fewn Rhaglen Curatorial Accelerator Jerwood Arts, a fu’n cefnogi 11 curadur o’r DU o gefndiroedd dosbarth gweithiol i gymryd rhan mewn rhaglen curadurol a datblygu sgiliau arweinyddiaeth.
Mae David Cleary yn byw yng Ngogledd Cymru, ac wrth wraidd ei ymarfer curadurol y mae dyhead i wella mynediad at ofodau diwylliannol a naturiol. Gan weithio gydag artistiaid, mae’n cynhyrchu rhaglenni cyhoeddus a phreswylfeydd sy’n ymwneud â chymunedau mewn llefydd gwledig ac arfordirol. Yn ystod ei breswylfa, bydd David yn ymgymryd ag ymchwil tuag at ddatblygiad Conveyor – wedi ei ddychmygu fel menter celfyddydol crwydrol a phlatfform curadurol, mae Conveyor yn ceisio cefnogi cydweithio artistig gyda phobl a llefydd yng Ngogledd Cymru.
Bydd ymchwil David yn cynnwys sgyrsiau gyda churaduron er mwyn ystyried arferion plethedig yn ymwneud â bod yn cwiar, anabledd a diwylliannau dosbarth gweithiol. Gyda safle daearyddol Conveyor wrth wraidd y gwaith, bydd y breswylfa yn meithrin cyfnewid rhwng ecolegau cymdeithasol ar hyd Gwasanaeth llinell rheilffordd Gogledd Cymru De Cymru, sy’n dosbarthu ynni, adnoddau a diwylliant ledled Cymru.
Ar hyn o bryd David Cleary (fo/fe) yw Swyddog Mynediad a Chynhwysiant Celfyddydau Anabledd Cymru ar broject Amdani! Conwy. Mae wedi gweithio fel Curadur Dysgu ac Ymgysylltu Mostyn Llandudno (2021-3), a Chydlynydd Dysgu ac Arddangosfeydd Oriel Humber Street (2017-21). Mae ei brojectau curadurol cyhoeddus yn cynnwys, Sinema Eco-Futura (2023), StudioMade @ The Carriageworks; Resident Echoes (2022-3), Mostyn; cwrdd â mi wrth yr afon (2022), Mostyn; Sense Us (2022), Mostyn & Celfyddydau Anabledd Cymru; Fruit Factory Network (2019-20), Oriel Humber Street.
The Future Wales Fellowship artists have been announced!
Dyma gyhoeddi artistiaid Cymrodoriaeth Cymru’r Dyfodol!
We’re delighted to announce that Peak will be supporting the Future Wales Fellowship 2023-24. Working with arts manager Elen Roberts, Peak will develop and host a development programme combining curatorial dialogue, mentoring and support – including three residential visits with guest practitioners based at partner sites.
The Fellowship supports eight Wales-based artists to develop research exploring the complex relationship between humans, living species, place and climate. Each artist will receive a grant of £25,000 to undertake creative research across sixteen months on the theme of connection to nature.
The selected artists are: Manon Awst, Cheryl Beer, Zillah Bowes, Eric Lesdema, Alison Neighbour, Simmy Singh, Julia Thomas and Iestyn Tyne.
Melissa Appleton, Co-Director, Peak Cymru:
‘We're excited to support the fellowship and to enter into dialogue with the fellows and partners. We hope to deepen our organisational learning around concepts of ‘nature’ and ‘climate’ and their interconnectedness with social justice – moving from metaphor to action. We’re curious to understand human activity, not as separate from, but part of, the natural world.’
‘The edge of extinction is not a metaphor; system collapse is not a thriller. Ask any refugee of any species.’ – Donna Haraway.
The Fellowship is part of the Natur Greadigol / Creative Nature Memorandum of Understanding between Natural Resources Wales and Arts Council of Wales. It aims to cultivate the relationship between the arts and the natural environment, as part of a shared commitment to improve the environmental and cultural well-being of Wales. National Trust Cymru and the Elan Valley Trust join as partners for the second iteration of Future Wales Fellowship.
Artists Biographies
Manon Awst is an artist based in Caernarfon, who makes sculptures and site-specific artworks woven with ecological narratives.
Cheryl Beer is an environmental sound artist; Cheryl composes music led by the vibrating biorhythms of the natural world.
Zillah Bowes is a multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker with a practice across film, photography, poetry, installation and sculpture.
Eric Pascal Lesdema is a visual artist and pedagogue whose moving image and photography work has been shown and exhibited widely at festivals and institutions.
Alison Neighbour is an artist & scenographer. Her site responsive practice grows organically from place and community.
Simmy Singh is an Earth Activist violinist and composer from Wales whose mission is to use the power of music to help reconnect people to themselves, each other and the natural world.
Julia Thomas is a director and dramaturg from Llanelli, specialising in new writing, family theatre and artist development.
Iestyn Tyne grew up in Llŷn but now lives and works in Caernarfon. He is a writer, musician, translator and artist.
Rydym wrth ein boddau i gyhoeddi y bydd Peak yn cefnogi Cymrodoriaeth Cymru’r Dyfodol 2023-24. Gan gydweithio gyda’r rheolwr celfyddydol Elen Roberts, bydd Peak yn tyfu ac yn arwain rhaglen ddatblygu fydd yn cyfuno deialog curadurol, mentora a chefnogaeth – gan gynnwys tri ymweliad preswyl i’r safleoedd partner yng nghwmni ymarferwyr gwadd.
Mae’r Gymrodoriaeth yn cefnogi wyth artist sy’n byw yng Nghymru i ddatblygu ymchwil sy’n archwilio’r berthynas gymhleth rhwng bodau dynol, pethau byw, llefydd a’r hinsawdd. Bydd pob artist yn derbyn grant o £25,000 i ymgymryd ag ymchwil creadigol dros gyfnod o un-fis-ar-bymtheg ar y thema cysylltiad â byd natur.
Yr artistiaid dewisedig yw: Manon Awst, Cheryl Beer, Zillah Bowes, Eric Lesdema, Alison Neighbour, Simmy Singh, Julia Thomas a Iestyn Tyne.
Melissa Appleton, Cyd-Gyfarwyddwr, Peak Cymru:
‘Rydym yn gyffrous i allu cefnogi’r gymrodoriaeth ac i ddechrau sgwrs gyda’r cymrodorion a phartneriaid eraill. Gobeithiwn ddyfnhau ein dysgu sefydliadol ynglŷn â chysyniadau’n ymwneud â ‘natur’ a ‘hinsawdd’ a’u cydgysylltiad â chyfiawnder cymdeithasol – gan symud oddi wrth drosiadau tuag at weithredu. Rydym yn chwilfrydig i ddeall gweithgarwch dynol, fel rhan o’r byd naturiol, nid fel endid ar wahân.’
‘The edge of extinction is not a metaphor; system collapse is not a thriller. Ask any refugee of any species.’ – Donna Haraway.
Mae’r Gymrodoriaeth yn rhan o Femorandwm Cyd-ddealltwriaeth rhwng Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru a Chyngor Celfyddydau Cymru. Y bwriad yw meithrin y berthynas rhwng y celfyddydau a’r amgylchedd naturiol, fel rhan o ymrwymiad ar y cyd i wella llesiant amgylcheddol a diwylliannol Cymru. Mae Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol Cymru ac Ymddiriedolaeth Cwm Elan yn ymuno fel partneriaid ar gyfer ail rediad Cymrodoriaeth Cymru’r Dyfodol.
Bywgraffiadau Artistiaid
Artist o Gaernarfon yw Manon Awst, sy’n creu cerfluniau a gweithiau celf safle-benodol wedi’u plethu â naratifau ecolegol.
Artist sain amgylcheddol yw Cheryl Beer; mae Cheryl yn cyfansoddi cerddoriaeth dan arweiniad bio-rhythmau dirgrynnol y byd naturiol.
Artist a ffilm-wneuthurwr aml-ddisgyblaethol yw Zillah Bowes, y mae ei hymarfer yn rhychwantu ffilm, ffotograffiaeth, barddoniaeth, gosodwaith a cherflunio.
Artist gweledol a dysgawdwr yw Eric Pascal Lesdema sydd wedi dangos ei waith ffilm a ffotograffiaeth mewn ystod eang o wyliau a sefydliadau.
Artist a chynllunydd golygfeydd yw Alison Neighbour. Mae’n creu gwaith sy’n tyfu’n organig o leoliadau a chymunedau.
Fiolinydd a chyfansoddwr o Gymru sy’n Ymgyrchu er lles y Ddaear yw Simmy Singh, sydd am ddefnyddio pŵer cerddoriaeth i helpu pobl i ailgysylltu gyda’u hunain, gyda’i gilydd a’r byd naturiol.
Cyfarwyddwr a dramäydd o Lanelli yw Julia Thomas, sy’n arbenigo mewn ysgrifennu newydd, theatr i’r teulu a datblygiad artistiaid.
Magwyd Iestyn Tyne yn Llŷn ond mae bellach yn byw a gweithio yng Nghaernarfon. Mae’n awdur, yn gerddor, yn gyfieithydd ac yn artist.
Sean Edwards, ‘FOR WHAT WE HAVE’, 2023. Courtesy of the artist, The Common Guild and Tanya Leighton Gallery . Photo: Isobel Lutz-Smith.
This Autumn we’re hosting Sean Edwards in residence at our Platfform 2 reading room.
Yr Hydref hwn rydym yn croesawu Sean Edwards i ystafell ddarllen Platfform 2.
Following on from Sean Edwards’ recent exhibition - For What we Have - as part of The Common Guild’s ‘Anywhere in the Universe’, a project centring the public library, we’re delighted to be hosting Sean in residence at our Platfform 2 reading room this Autumn.
Sean Edwards’ work investigates the sculptural and political potential of the everyday. The work intertwines simple sculptural objects, mixed media installations and audio-visual components with personal family and political histories. In For What we Have, Sean made a series of small-scale sculptures designed, like books, to be held in the hand and close to the body, and to sit on the shelves of a library. Considering the library catalogue as a site for sculpture, each work was assigned a unique shelf mark and entered into the library system. Enfolded into the cataloguing mechanisms of the library, the sculptures were locatable in the stacks; supported and contextualised by neighbouring titles.
Sean is interested in the act of browsing books within a library, where books act as portals to other places beyond our everyday realities. Through his residency with Peak, Sean will continue researching the library as a space imbued with a subtle and enduring political consciousness.
On Thursday 7th December, Sean Edwards will be in conversation with writer Jude Rodgers. Read more and book your place here.
Artist Biography
Sean Edwards (b. Cardiff 1980), graduated with an MA from the Slade School of Art in 2005, and is currently Programme Director for Fine Art & Photography at Cardiff School of Art and Design. He represented Wales at the 58th Venice Biennale (2019) and was awarded the Turner Prize Bursary in 2020 for the installation ‘Undo Things Done’. Recent solo exhibitions include 'chased losses', Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin (2022) ‘distant borrowing’, Tanya Leighton, Berlin (2021); ‘Undo Things Done’, Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham, Senedd, National Assembly for Wales and Bluecoat, Liverpool (both 2020). Group shows include ‘British Art Show 9’, Hayward Touring and ‘The World We Live In’, Southbank Art Centre, London (both 2022); ‘Olaph the Oxman’, Copperfield Gallery, London (2019).
Yn dilyn arddangosfa ddiweddar Sean Edwards – For What we Have – fel rhan o broject The Common Guild ‘Anywhere in the Universe’ oedd yn canolbwyntio ar lyfrgelloedd cyhoeddus, rydym wrth ein boddau i fod yn croesawu Sean fel artist preswyl ein stafell ddarllen ar Blatfform 2 yr Hydref hwn.
Mae gwaith celf Sean Edwards yn archwilio potensial cerfluniol a gwleidyddol bywyd beunyddiol. Mae’r gwaith yn cydblethu gwrthrychau cerfluniol syml, gosodiadau cyfrwng cymysg ac elfennau clyweledol gydag hanesion teuluol a gwleidyddol personol. Yn For What we Have, lluniodd Sean gyfres o gerfluniau bychan oedd wedi’u cynllunio, fel llyfrau, i gael eu dal mewn llaw ac yn agos at y corff, ac i eistedd ar silffoedd llyfrgell. Gan ystyried catalog llyfrgell fel safle ar gyfer cerflunio, aseiniwyd marc silff unigryw i bob darn o waith unigol a gosodwyd hwynt o fewn system y llyfrgell. Wedi’u mewnblannu ym mecanweithiau catalogio’r llyfrgell, roedd modd dod o hyd i’r cerfluniau yn y pentyrrau llyfrau; wedi’u cynnal a’u cyd-destunoli gan y llyfrau o’u cwmpas.
Mae gan Sean ddiddordeb yn y weithred o bori drwy lyfrau mewn llyfrgell, lle mae llyfrau yn gweithredu fel pyrth i lefydd eraill tu hwnt i’n realiti beunyddiol. Drwy gyfrwng ei breswyliad gyda Peak, bydd Sean yn parhau i ystyried y llyfrgell fel gofod sydd wedi’i liwio ag ymwybyddiaeth wleidyddol cynnil a pharhaus.
Ar Ddydd Iau 7 Rhagfyr, bydd sgwrs rhwng Sean Edwards a’r sgwennwr Jude Rogers. Darllenwch fwy ac archebwch eich lle fan hyn.
Bywgraffiad Artist
Graddiodd Sean Edwards (g. Caerdydd 1980), gydag MA o Ysgol Gelf y Slade yn 2005, ac ar hyn o bryd fe yw Cyfarwyddwr Rhaglen Celf Gain a Ffotograffiaeth Coleg Celf a Dylunio Caerdydd. Cynrychiolodd Cymru yn 58fed Biennale Fenis (2019), a derbyniodd fwrsariaeth y Turner Prize yn 2020 ar gyfer y gosodiad ‘Undo Things Done’. Mae arddangosfeydd unigol diweddar wedi cynnwys ‘chased losses’, Oriel Temple Bar, Dulyn (2022) ‘distant borrowing’, Tanya Leighton, Berlin (2021); ‘Undo Things Done’, Tŷ Pawb, Wrecsam, Senedd Cymru a Bluecoat, Lerpŵl (ill dau yn 2020). Mae sioeau grŵp yn cynnwys ‘British Art Show 9’, Hayward Touring a ‘The World We Live In’, Canolfan Gelf Southbank, Llundain (ill dau yn 2022); ‘Olaph the Oxman’, Oriel Copperfield, Llundain (2019).
Cyflwyno Re/Introducing Peak Associates
Sophie Mak-Schram, Esyllt Lewis, Owen Griffiths, Dylan Huw
Ar ddechrau 2023 ail-ysgrifennom Gynllun Strategol Peak a gwneud ymrwymiad i ailfframio’r modd yr ydym yn gweithio gydag ymarferwyr llawrydd drwy gyfrwng ein model newydd Cymdeithion Peak.
Rydym eisiau gwrthsefyll modelau gweithio sy’n tynnu oddi ar bobl, gan ymrwymo o’r newydd i gynnal ffyrdd o weithio hirdymor sy’n talu’n dda ar gyfer ymarferwyr llawrydd – gan gydnabod bod ymarfer unigol ein Cymdeithion yn rym hanfodol yng ngwaith Peak.
Mae pob Cydymaith yn gweithio gyda ni am 12 diwrnod dros y flwyddyn, gan siapio gwahanol rannau o raglen Peak mewn ffordd casglebol, a rhannu eu syniadau a’u hymchwil creadigol a beirniadol drwy gyfrwng cynulliadau tymhorol.
Rydym wrth ein boddau i allu cyflwyno Cymdeithion Peak 2023-24
Sophie Mak-Schram, sy’n cefnogi ein rhaglen i Bobl Ifanc, Peak Peers
Esyllt Angharad Lewis, sy’n cyfieithu’n greadigol ac yn cefnogi partneriaethau Pegwn
Owen Griffiths, sy’n cefnogi ein meddwl/ymchwil ynghylch ymarfer cymdeithasol
Dylan Huw, sy’n cydlynu a chyd-guradu ein rhaglenni Pegwn
Rydym yn gyffrous i ehangu’r deialogau tymor hir yr ydym wedi eu rhannu gydag Esyllt Angharad Lewis, Owen Griffiths a Dylan Huw, ac i ddechrau sgwrs newydd gyda Sophie Mak-Schram. Darllenwch ragor ar ein gwefan, dolen yn y ddolen.
Yn ystod Gwanwyn 2024 byddwn yn adolygu blwyddyn gyntaf model Cymdeithion Peak ac yn gwahodd Cymdeithion y dyfodol i ymgeisio drwy alwad agored, edrychwch am ragor o newyddion yn 2024.
At the beginning of 2023 we re-wrote Peak’s Strategic Plan and made a commitment to reframe how we’re working with freelance practitioners via a new model Peak Associates.
We want to actively work against extractive models and make a renewed commitment to longer-term and well-paid ways of working with freelance practitioners – acknowledging Associates’s practices as a vital force in Peak’s work.
Each Associate is working with us for 12 days across the year, collaboratively shaping strands of Peak’s programme and sharing their critical, creative thinking and research through seasonal assemblies.
We’re delighted to introduce our Peak Associates for 2023-24
Sophie Mak-Schram, supporting our evolving Young People’s programme Peak Peers
Esyllt Lewis, holding our creative translation and supporting Pegwn partnerships
Owen Griffiths, supporting our thinking/research around social practice
Dylan Huw, convening and co-curating Pegwn programmes
We’re excited to expand the long term dialogues we’ve shared with Esyllt Lewis, Owen Griffiths and Dylan Huw, and to begin a new conversation with Sophie Mak-Schram.
In Spring 2024 we’ll be reflecting on the first year of Peak’s Associates model and inviting future Associates to apply via call-out, watch out for further news in 2024.
Dysgwch Ragor am Sophie, Owen, Esyllt a Dylan:
Hanesydd celf, cynhyrchydd, addysgwr ac ymarferydd achlysurol yw Sophie Mak-Schram (hi/honno). Mae’n hoffi meddwl-gweithio-creu-bod ynglŷn â sut yr ydym yn (dyfod at) gwybod a pha ffurfiau mae’r gwybodaethau hynny’n eu cymryd. Ymysg pethau eraill, mae Sophie wedi bod yn un hanner Tail Bend Travel (2016-2019), cwmni teithio (lled-ffuglennol) sy’n cynnig ffyrdd newydd o archwilio’r lleol, un rhan o Broject Cera, platfform curadurol ar gyfer celf nad yw’n deillio o’r Gorllewin, ac un rhan o PACTO, casgleb celf rhyngwladol sy’n archwilio ymreolaeth o fewn ymarfer casglebol. Mae hefyd wedi bod yn gweithio gydag addysg profiad a chorffori ers 2016, gan archwilio sut yr ydym yn deall pwy ydym ni a beth allwn ei wneud gyda’r dealltwriaeth hwnnw, ar draws cymunedau yn Nhwrci, Cymru, Tseina, Siapan, Yr Iseldiroedd, India, Lloegr, Yr Eidal a mwy. Mae’n hoff o loetran yn yr ‘ac’ rhwng celf ac addysg.
Sgwennwr a churadur o Lanfihangel Genau’r Glyn yw Dylan Huw (fe/hwnnw), sydd bellach yn byw yng Nghaerdydd. Mae’n sgwennu’n ddwyieithog am gelf gyfoes, gan ganolbwyntio ar waith cwiyr a dogfen, i Artforum, Frieze, O’r Pedwar Gwynt a chyhoeddiadau eraill. Mae hefyd yn datblygu prosiectau ymchwiliol, aml-ieithog, traws-ddisgyblaethol gydag artistiaid, sy’n cymryd ffurfiau digwyddiadau, preswylfeydd a chyhoeddiadau. Mae ganddo MA mewn Theori Celf Gyfoes o Goldsmiths, Prifysgol Llundain, ac mae’n gyn Sgwennwr Preswyl gyda Jerwood a Chymrawd Cymru’r Dyfodol 2022-3. Mae’n cyd-weithio gyda Peak ers 2020, gan arwain prosiect Pegwn.
Artist gweledol a chyfieithydd o Graig-Cefn-Parc yw Esyllt Angharad Lewis (hi/honno). Mae ei hymarfer sy’n cwmpasu perfformio, argraffu, gosodwaith a ffilm yn archwilio blerwyttirhwng, estheteg cam/cyfieithu, a dod â phobl at ei gilydd drwy iaith. Ei sioe unigol cyntaf ‘y sws mewn pinc’ oedd sioe olaf Arcade/Campfa yng Nghanolfan Siopa Queen’s Arcade, Caerdydd. Mae’n gyd-olygydd ar Hi/Hon, blodeugerdd o sgwennu gan fenywod gaiff ei gyhoeddi gan wasg Honno yn 2024. Bydd ei chyfieithiad Cymraeg o ‘A Manifesto For Ultratranslation’, gwaith a ddatblygodd yn ystod preswyliad cyfieithu ym Malta, yn cael ei gyhoeddi eleni. Mae ganddi Mlitt mewn Arlunio o Goleg Celf Glasgow, a bu’n Gydymaith Cyfathrebu gyda Peak rhwng 2021-22.
Artist sy’n gweithio’n gymdeithasol yw Owen Griffiths (fe, hwnnw), gyda systemau bwyd, defnydd tir a phrosesau casglebol yn rhan o’i ymarfer. Mae ei waith yn archwilio posibiliadau celf wrth greu fframweithiau a systemau newydd drwy digwyddiadau wedi’u curadu, defodau, deialogau, gofodau wedi’u cyd-ddylunio, gerddi a gwleddoedd. Mae’n ein gwahodd ni i holi sut all dyfodol cyfiawn edrych mewn cyfnod o argyfwng cynyddol. Graddiodd Griffiths o Ysgol Waliau a Gofodau Yr Academi Danaidd Brenhinol, ac mae’n Gymrawd gyda’r Cyngor Prydeinig, yn aelod o rwydwaith Arte Útil, ac yn Sylfaenydd a Chyfarwyddwr ar Ways of Working, menter cymdeithasol sy’n gweithio gyda chyfiawnder cymdeithasol a hinsawdd yng Nghymru.
Learn More about Sophie, Owen, Esyllt & Dylan:
Sophie Mak-Schram (she/her) is an art historian, producer, educator and occasional practitioner. She likes to think-work-make-be about how we (come to) know and what forms those knowledges take. Amongst other things, Sophie has been one half of Tail Bend Travel (2016-2019), a (sometimes fictional) tour company offering new ways of exploring the local, one part of Cera Project, a curatorial platform for art of the non-West, and one part of PACTO, an international art collective exploring autonomy within collective practice. She has also been working with experiential and embodied education since 2016, exploring how we understand who we are and what we can do with that understanding, across communities in Turkey, Wales, China, Japan, the Netherlands, India, England, Italy and more. She likes to linger in the ‘and’ between art and education.
Dylan Huw (he/him) is a writer and curator from Llanfihangel Genau’r Glyn, currently based in Cardiff. He writes bilingually about contemporary art and visual culture, often with a focus on queer and documentary practices, for publications including Artforum, Frieze and O’r Pedwar Gwynt. He also develops research-led projects with artists working across disciplines and languages, which might take shape as assemblies, residencies or publications. He has an MA in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London, and is a former Jerwood Writer in Residence and Future Wales Fellow. He has been collaborating with Peak since 2020, mostly on Pegwn.
Esyllt Angharad Lewis (she/her) is a visual artist and translator from Craig-Cefn-Parc. Her practice across performance, print, installation and film explores inbetweenness, the aesthetics of (mis)translation, and bringing people together through language. Her first solo show ‘y sws mewn pinc’ was Arcade/Campfa’s final show at Queen’s Arcade Shopping Centre, Cardiff. She is co-editor of Hi/Hon, a forthcoming anthology of welsh language women’s writing, and will soon publish her Welsh translation of ‘A Manifesto For Ultratranslation’, work she developed during her time on residency in Malta with Literature Across Frontiers. She has an Mlitt in Drawing from Glasgow School of Art. She is a former Peak Communications Associate.
Owen Griffiths (he/him) is a social practice artist working with food systems, land use and collaborative processes. His practice explores the possibilities of art to create new frameworks and systems through curated events, rituals, dialogues, codesigned spaces, gardens and feasts. He invites us to ask what an equitable future could look like at a time of increasing crisis. Griffiths is a graduate of the School of Walls & Space at The Royal Danish Academy, a British Council Fellow, member of the Arte Útil network, and Founder and Director of Ways of Working, a social enterprise working with social and climate justice in Wales.
Introducing Ellen Wilson and Polly Hunter, two new Peak colleagues!
Yn cyflwyno Ellen Wilson a Polly Hunter, dwy aelod newydd tîm Peak!
We are delighted to announce that over the next 6 - 8 months we’ll be working with Ellen Wilson and Polly Hunter, as our Peak Peers Curator and Community Coordinator.
Ellen will work with us to curate Peek Peers, a programme for Young People aged 18-30, exploring creative practice, climate, collective action, hope and ways to work together – with contributions from farmers, poets, artists, geologists, activists, technologists and others as part of its creative curriculum.
Ellen Wilson (she/her) has been a youth worker for 13 years, running projects for Young People in London and Bristol. She was recently the Youth Voice Coordinator for the Creative Youth Network in Bristol, where she ran the youth voice programme and supported LGBTQ+ Young People, and alongside working with Peak, Ellen is working as a community youth worker for Newport Council. She has a masters in applied anthropology and youth work, research which significantly shapes how Ellen works with and in local communities.
As Community Coordinator, Polly will work with us to expand the community use of our two sites, Yr Hen Ysgol, Crickhowell and Platfform 2, Y Fenni Train Station, leading on activating our sites as useful and lively spaces for intergenerational communities living and working nearby.
Polly Hunter (she/her) has worked as a baker for the last decade, moving to Abergavenny to establish and co-run The Angel Bakery. Polly has actively sought to make the Angel Bakery part of the local community, including reviving the annual Abergavenny Food Festival Community Feast. Previously, Polly worked at arts and cultural organisations in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and she’s also worked at the Royal College of Art. More recently, she undertook a Regenerative Horticulture qualification with Black Mountains College.
Rydym wrth ein boddau i gyhoeddi y bydd Ellen Wilson a Polly Hunter yn gweithio gyda ni tan ddechrau 2024 fel Curadur Peak Peers a Chydlynydd Cymunedol.
Bydd Ellen yn gweithio gyda ni i guradu Peak Peers, rhaglen i Bobl Ifanc rhwng 18-30 oed fydd yn archwilio ymarfer creadigol, hinsawdd, gweithredu casglebol, gobaith a ffyrdd o weithio gyda’n gilydd – gyda chyfraniadau gan ffermwyr, beirdd, artistiaid, daearegwyr, ymgyrchwyr, technolegwyr ac eraill fel rhan o’r cwricwlwm creadigol.
Mae Ellen Wilson (hi/honno) wedi bod yn weithiwr ieuenctid ers 13 mlynedd, gan redeg projectau ar gyfer Pobl Ifanc yn Llundain a Bryste. Yn ddiweddar hi oedd Cydlynydd Llais Ieuenctid Rhwydwaith Ieuenctid Creadigol Bryste, lle’r oedd hi’n rhedeg rhaglen llais ieuenctid gyda chefnogaeth Pobl Ifanc LHDT+. Ar y cyd â’i gwaith gyda Peak, mae Ellen yn gweithio fel gweithiwr ieuenctid cymunedol ar gyfer Cyngor Casnewydd. Mae ganddi radd meistr mewn anthropoleg cymhwysol a gwaith ieuenctid, ymchwil sydd yn siapio’n sylweddol y modd y mae Ellen yn gweithio ar y cyd â chymunedau lleol.
Fel Cydlynydd Cymunedol, bydd Polly yn gweithio gyda ni i ehangu defnydd cymunedol ein safleoedd, Yr Hen Ysgol, Crug Hywel a Platfform 2, Gorsaf Drenau’r Fenni, gan arwain ar y gwaith o sicrhau fod y ddwy safle yn ofodau defnyddiol a bywiog ar gyfer cymunedau aml-genhedlaeth sy’n byw a gweithio gerllaw.
Mae Polly Hunter (hi/honno) wedi gweithio fel pobydd am y ddegawd diwethaf, gan symud i’r Fenni i sefydlu a chyd-redeg The Angel Bakery. Ers sefydlu’r becws, mae Polly wedi ymrwymo i geisio sicrhau fod yr Angel Bakery yn rhan o’r gymuned leol, gan gynnwys adfywio Gwledd Gymunedol Gŵyl Fwyd y Fenni. Yn flaenorol, gweithiodd Polly ar gyfer sefydliadau celf yn Newcastle ac mae hefyd wedi gweithio yn y Royal College of Art. Yn fwy diweddar, enillodd gymhwyster Garddwriaeth Adfywiol gyda Choleg Y Mynydd Du.
FWF22 group manifesto: © CCC / ACW
Apply now for the
Future Wales Fellowship
Open to 8 Wales based practitioners, the Future Wales Fellowship is a grant of £25,000 to support 16 months of creative research, thinking out from the theme of ‘connection to nature’.
Following an open-call process, Peak are delighted to be co-hosting the development programme for the fellows, working in collaboration with arts manager and cultural producer Elen Roberts.
The development programme will offer each Fellow bi-monthly conversations to support curatorial dialogue and mentoring; collaborative group conversations about ideas, research and work in progress, and 3 in-person, three-day residential visits with guest practitioners. The residentials will introduce fellows to the knowledges and practices of partners, peers and cross-disciplinary practitioners – exploring and expanding on human relationships with nature, anchored in the context of partner organisation sites.
Learn more and apply before 15th September via the Arts Council of Wales.
The Future Wales Fellowship is part of the Creative Nature Programme between the Arts Council of Wales and Natural Resources Wales, and this edition is delivered in partnership with National Trust and Elan Valley Trust.
Ar agor i 8 ymarferydd sy’n byw yng Nghymru, mae Cymrodoriaeth Cymru’r Dyfodol yn cynnig grant o £25,000 i gefnogi 16 mis o ymchwilio’n greadigol i’r thema ‘cysylltiad â byd natur’.
Yn dilyn proses galwad agored, mae Peak wrth ein boddau i fod yn cyd-ofalu am raglen ddatblygu’r Cymrodyr, gan weithio ar y cyd â’r rheolwr celfyddydol a’r cynhyrchydd diwylliannol Elen Roberts.
Bydd y rhaglen ddatblygu’n cynnig sgyrsiau bob dau fis i bob Cymrodor i gefnogi deialog a mentora curadurol; sgyrsiau grŵp cydweithredol ynghylch syniadau, ymchwil a’r gwaith sy’n mynd rhagddo; a thri ymweliad preswyl wyneb-yn-wyneb dros dri diwrnod gydag ymarferwyr gwadd. Bydd yr ymweliadau preswyl yn cyflwyno gwybodaeth ac ymarfer partneriaid, cymheiriaid ac ymarferwyr trawsddisgyblaethol i’r Cymrodyr – gan archwilio ac ehangu ar berthynas pobl â byd natur, wedi’i angori yng nghyd-destun safleoedd y sefydliadau partner.
Dysgwch ragor ac ymgeisiwch cyn 15 Medi drwy Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru.
Mae Cymrodoriaeth Cymru’r Dyfodol yn rhan o’r Rhaglen Natur Greadigol rhwng Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru a Chyfoeth Naturiol Cymru, a’r tro hwn mae’n cael ei gyflwyno mewn partneriaeth â’r Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol ac Ymddiriedolaeth Cwm Elan.
Ymgeisiwch nawr ar gyfer
Cymrodoriaeth Cymru’r Dyfodol
We have news! After 14 years of leading Peak Cymru, our brilliant colleague Justine Wheatley will step down as Peak Executive Director to pursue new adventures at the end of July 2023.
Newyddion! Wedi 14 mlynedd wrth y llyw, mae ein cydweithwraig arbennig Justine Wheatley yn sefyll lawr fel Cyfarwyddwr Gweithredol Peak er mwyn cychwyn ar anturiaethau newydd.
Justine will be hugely missed, but we are excited that her contribution to Peak’s strategic direction and fundraising will continue in a freelance capacity.
Justine began work with Arts Alive in 2003, an organisation founded in the Black Mountains as a creative learning space for Young People, becoming and became the charity’s Director in 2009. During her leadership, Justine and colleagues stewarded Arts Alive’s transformation into Peak Cymru, with an increased focus on supporting contemporary artistic practice in the Black Mountains alongside the organisation’s aim to work with, and for, young people. Her strategic and financial background helped Peak Cymru to develop its impressive fundraising track record and to enter the Arts Council Wales portfolio in 2016. Justine has nurtured long-term partnerships across the region with arts, environmental, health, housing, heritage, wellbeing, and education organisations. She has supported Peak staff and collaborators to develop their careers, leadership skills and follow ambitious pathways beyond Peak.
Peak's leadership will be shared by Melissa Appleton and Louise Hobson as the organisation develops a co-leadership model, which it plans to further expand in the future.
“I’ve learned so much from young people, artists, partners, and cherished colleagues over the best two decades, and I am leaving an organisation that feels dynamic, innovative, and full of potential for the future. Diolch yn fawr to everyone who has supported me, especially to Louise, Melissa, and the trustees.”
Bydd colled mawr ar ei hôl, ond rydym yn gyffrous y bydd ei chyfraniad at drywydd strategol a gwaith codi arian Peak yn parhau drwy gyfrwng gwaith llawrydd.
Dechreuodd Justine weithio gydag Arts Alive yn 2003, sefydliad ddaeth i fodolaeth yn y Mynyddoedd Duon fel gofod dysgu creadigol i Bobl Ifanc, gan ddod yn Gyfarwyddwr ar yr elusen yn 2009. Yn ystod ei harweinyddiaeth, roedd Justine a’i chydweithwyr yn gyfrifol am oruchwylio trawsnewidiad yr elusen o Arts Alive i’w henw newydd, Peak Cymru, gyda golwg fanylach ar gefnogi arfer artistig cyfoes yn y Mynyddoedd Duon, ar y cyd â nod yr elusen o weithio gyda, ac er lles, pobl ifanc. Roedd ei chefndir strategol ac ariannol yn gymorth i Peak Cymru ddatblygu ei gwaith codi arian ac i ddod yn rhan o bortffolio Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru yn 2016. Mae Justine wedi meithrin perthnasau tymor hir gyda sefydliadau celf, amgylchedd, iechyd, tai, treftadaeth, lles ac addysg ar draws y rhanbarth. Mae wedi cefnogi staff a chydweithwyr Peak i ddatblygu eu gyrfaoedd, sgiliau arwain, a dilyn trywyddau difyr y tu hwnt i Peak.
Bydd arweinyddiaeth Peak yn cael ei rannu rhwng Melissa Appleton a Louise Hobson wrth i’r sefydliad ddatblygu model cyd-arwain y mae’n gobeithio ei ehangu yn y dyfodol.
“Justine has been both an inspiration and a rock for everyone Peak has partnered and collaborated with over the years – ensuring a genuine sense of care is at the heart of the work Peak does. She leaves a solid bedrock on which the new leadership team can build and continue to flourish. Thank you Justine for your tireless support and dedication.”
Diolch o galon Justine for empowering the Peak team past and present and for your deep longstanding advocacy with for artists and young people!
We are excited to introduce Peak’s new Trustee Directors – Marva Jackson Lord, Lucy Shipp and Joss Allen – who will work with the team as we continue to reset the future direction, structure and culture of the organisation in collaboration with artists, young people and their communities. They join current board members Stephanie Allen, Catrin Ellis-Jones, Melissa Hinkin, Liz Buckler and Abby Poulson.
Rydym yn gyffrous i gyflwyno Ymddiriedolwyr Gyfarwyddwyr newydd Peak – Marva Jackson Lord, Lucy Shipp a Joss Allen – a fydd yn gweithio gyda’r tîm wrth i ni barhau i ailosod cyfeiriad, strwythur a diwylliant y sefydliad i’r dyfodol, mewn cydweithrediad gydag artistiaid, pobl ifanc a’u cymunedau. Maen nhw’n ymuno â Stephanie Allen, Catrin Ellis-Jones, Melissa Hinkin, Liz Buckler ac Abby Poulson ar y bwrdd.
Announcing Peak’s New Trustee Directors
Cyhoeddi Ymddiriedolwyr Gyfarwyddwyr Newydd Peak
Introducing Peak’s New Trustee Directors
Yn Cyflwyno Aelodau Newydd Bwrdd Ymddiriedolwyr Peak
Marva Jackson Lord
Marva Jackson Lord is a writer and artist who has lived in the Brecon Beacons for almost twenty years. Marva’s work in the arts began with DJ’ing and programming in Canada for community radio station ckln-fm, and she was one of the architects of Canadian Artists Network: Black Artists In Action (CANBAIA). Since moving to Wales, Marva has produced a range of community events in Powys including 2 editions of Black Cultural Fest, poetry readings, music events and theatre productions. Marva’s artist practice encompasses poetry, sound and digital media to explore place, community, autobiography and fantastical narratives. She recently participated in the VAGW Interlude arts mentorship project and Casgleb, the collaborative project hosted by Peak and Transport for Wales.
Marva Jackson Lord: "I am absolutely over the moon to be joining the board of Peak Cymru. Before becoming a trustee, I had the chance to participate in a couple of projects and it was fabulous. Peak provides a much need space for transformative artistic experience, and everyone who becomes involved is inspired to realise their own creativity in a supportive, nurturing space. The work that they do is unique, well considered, and lays important groundwork for evolving a real and dynamic future for the arts in Wales."
Sgwennwr ac artist yw Marva Jackson Lord sydd wedi byw yn ardal Bannau Brycheiniog am bron i ugain mlynedd. Dechreuodd Marva weithio yn y celfyddydau fel DJ a rhaglennydd i orsaf radio gymunedol ckln-fm yng Nghanada, a hi oedd un o benseiri’r Canadian Artists Network: Black Artists In Action (CANBAIA). Ers symud i Gymru, mae Marva wedi cynhyrchu ystod o ddigwyddiadau cymunedol ym Mhowys gan gynnwys 2 ŵyl Black Cultural Fest, darlleniadau barddoniaeth, digwyddiadau cerddorol a chynhyrchiadau theatr. Mae ymarfer artistig Marva yn cynnwys defnyddio barddoniaeth, sain a chyfryngau digidol i archwilio lleoliad, cymuned, hunangofiant a naratifau rhyfeddol. Yn ddiweddar bu’n rhan o broject mentora celf Egwyl VAGW, a Casgleb, rhaglen gelfyddydol wedi’i chynnal ar y cyd gan Peak a Trafnidiaeth Cymru.
Marva Jackson Lord: “Mae’n bleser enfawr cael ymuno â bwrdd Peak Cymru. Cyn dod yn ymddiriedolwr, ges i’r cyfle i fod yn rhan o ambell broject arbennig gyda Peak. Dyma sefydliad sy’n darparu gofod angenrheidiol ar gyfer profiadau celfyddydol trawsnewidiol, ac mae pawb sy’n cymryd rhan yn cael eu hysbrydoli i wneud y mwyaf o’u creadigrwydd personol mewn gofod cefnogol, dyrchafol. Mae’r gwaith mae Peak yn ei wneud yn unigryw, yn ystyrlon, ac yn gosod sylfeini pwysig i ddatblygu dyfodol ystwyth a bywiog ar gyfer celfyddydau Cymru.”
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Lucy Shipp
Lucy Shipp is a creative engagement professional with experience in a range of arts and cultural organisations. Lucy recently began working as Head of Informal Learning and Public Programmes at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, following four years as Education Manager at Wysing Arts Centre. She has also previously held positions at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village, Tate and the V&A. She is an imaginative, strategic and collaborative leader. At the core of her practice is a passion for supporting young people and artists, celebrating the power of creativity to bring positive change.
Lucy Shipp: “I’m delighted to be joining Peak Cymru in my first trustee role. I admire Peak’s ambition to foreground the work of young people and artists through dynamic approaches, embracing the multiplicity of language and experience to nourish creativity and curiosity. With a personal connection to Wales, I’m excited to bring my experience of working in rural arts settings to the Peak Cymru community.”
Ymgysylltu creadigol yw arbenigedd Lucy Shipp, ac mae wedi gweithio gydag ystod o sefydliadau celfyddydol a diwylliannol. Yn ddiweddar, dechreuodd Lucy weithio fel Pennaeth Dysgu Anffurfiol a Rhaglenni Cyhoeddus yn Amgueddfa’r Ashmolean, Rhydychen, wedi pedair blynedd fel Rheolwr Addysg yng Nghanolfan Gelfyddydau Wysing. Yn flaenorol, gweithiodd yn Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village, Tate a’r V&A. Mae’n arweinydd dychmygus, strategol sy’n hoffi cydweithio. Wrth wraidd ei hymarfer y mae angerdd i gefnogi pobl ifanc ac artistiaid, gan ddathlu pŵer creadigrwydd wrth esgor ar newid cadarnhaol.
Lucy Shipp: “Dwi ar ben fy nigon i fod yn ymuno â Peak Cymru yn fy rôl gyntaf fel ymddiriedolwr. Dwi’n edmygu uchelgais Peak i flaenoriaethu gwaith pobl ifanc ac artistiaid drwy ddulliau amgen, gan gofleidio amrywiaeth iaith a phrofiad i feithrin creadigrwydd a chwilfrydedd. Mae fy nghysylltiad personol â Chymru yn fy ngwneud yn gyffrous i allu dod â fy mhrofiad o weithio mewn lleoliadau celfyddydol gwledig i gymuned Peak Cymru.”
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Joss Allen
Joss Allen can be found in the garden, amongst the weeds and compost heaps. He is an artworker and amateur gardener interested in how art influences ecological ways of being and practices of care towards the more-than-human world. Joss's work has been influenced by his time as a support worker for adults with autism, a labourer on an organic farm and a refuse collector, among others. Between 2017 and 2020, they were the project coordinator for the Town is the Garden, a three-year creative community food-growing project run by Deveron Projects. Recently, he was co-artistic director (maternity cover) of ATLAS Arts with Yvonne Billimore. They are currently a PhD candidate at the University of Warwick's Institute for Global Sustainable Development.
Joss Allen: “I am excited and inspired by Peak's artistic programme supporting the work of the future with young people, artists and local communities. We share many values and ambitions of what a rural arts organisation can be, and I'm looking forward to learning more about how they work and their plans for the future. I hope I might play a small role in supporting them over the coming years.”
Yn yr ardd rhwng y chwyn a’r tomenni compost y gellir dod o hyd i Joss Allen. Gweithiwr celfyddydol ac egin-arddwr ydyw, gyda diddordeb yn y modd y mae celf yn dylanwadu ar systemau ecolegol a’n harferion gofal tuag at y byd mwy-na-dynol. Mae gwaith Joss wedi ei ddylanwadu gan ei swyddi blaenorol fel gweithiwr cefnogi ar gyfer oedolion gydag awtistiaeth, labrwr ar fferm organig a chasglwr sbwriel, ymysg pethau eraill. Rhwng 2017 a 2020, nhw oedd cydlynydd project ‘Town is the Garden’, project tyfu bwyd cymunedol creadigol wedi’i gynnal gan Deveron Projects. Yn ddiweddar, fe oedd cyd-gyfarwyddwr artistig (cyfnod mamolaeth) ATLAS Arts gydag Yvonne Billimore. Ar hyn o bryd mae’n ymgeisydd PhD yn Sefydliad Datblygiad Byd-Eang Cynaliadwy Prifysgol Warwick.
Joss Allen: “Rwy’n gyffrous ac wedi fy ysbrydoli gan raglen gelfyddydol Peak, sy’n cefnogi gwaith y dyfodol gyda phobl ifanc, artistiaid a chymunedau lleol. Rydym yn rhannu nifer o werthoedd a dyheadau ynglŷn â’r hyn all sefydliad celfyddydol gwledig ei wneud, ac rwy’n edrych ymlaen i ddysgu mwy am y ffyrdd maen nhw’n gweithio a’u cynlluniau ar gyfer y dyfodol. Rwy’n gobeithio y gallaf chwarae rhan fechan yn eu cefnogi dros y blynyddoedd i ddod.”
Introducing Peak Cymru’s Director of Programme \ Cyflwyno Cyfarwyddwr Rhaglen Peak Cymru
Peak Cymru is delighted to announce the appointment of Melissa Appleton to the new role of Director of Programme, starting January 2023 / Mae Peak Cymru wrth ein boddau i gyhoeddi penodiad Melissa Appleton fel Cyfarwyddwr Rhaglen, swydd newydd fydd yn dechrau ym mis Ionawr 2023.
Peak Cymru is an arts organisation based in the Welsh Black Mountains. We work with artists, young people, and their communities to shape a programme connected to place, identity, language and sustainable futures. The newly created role of Director of Programme will set the framework for Peak’s future programme, collaboratively working with young people and artists across our two sites.
Melissa Appleton grew up near Newport, South Wales and for the last ten years has worked as a curator, spatial designer and producer and has taught at The Ruskin School of Art, the Royal College of Art and The Bartlett (UCL). Melissa has a background in architecture and prior to working with Peak Cymru developed site-responsive programmes where spatial interventions act as mechanisms to access alternative histories, dreams and languages. These include Tonight the World (2019), a collaboration with Daria Martin for Barbican Curve, London & CJM, San Francisco, Quite Suddenly Your Smile is an Architecture (2017), an itinerant exhibition of the publishing projects of poet Jeff Nuttall and Writtle Calling/2 Emma Toc (2012), a radio station in an Essex field.
Melissa returns to Wales from Amsterdam, where she has been spent the past year participating in the 28th edition of de Appel’s Curatorial Programme, an intensive 10-month residency following key principles including ‘alliance with artists’ and ‘poetry as policy.’ The culmination of the residency was super feelings, a public programme in four episodes with artists Jota Mombaça, Paola Siri Renard, Thuy-Han Nguyen-Chi and Kate Cooper.
Melissa previously worked with Peak as a producer, developing programmes such as Hinterlands and Project Skyline in collaboration with artists and young people. Between 2020-21 Melissa was Interim Director at Peak, expanding Peak’s sites to include new spaces at Y Fenni Train Station, its bilingual programming and responded to the pandemic with online programmes such as Storm Kitchen Talks.
Justine Wheatley, Executive Director of Peak: “We’re delighted to welcome Melissa back to Wales and to Peak. During her tenure as interim Creative Director, Melissa worked with agility and imagination to reset the creative vision of the organisation, and it’s been inspiring to see the programmes she’s been co-curating at de Appel. We’re looking forward to collaborating with her to realise her compelling vision for Peak’s future programme, co-created with artists, young people and their communities.”
With thanks to Felix Stevenson-Davies and Charlie Yemm, young people who have taken part in Peak programmes, for their contributions on the selection panel.
For additional information, images or interview requests, please email louise@peak.cymru.
“I’m continually inspired by living and working in Wales – its multilingualism, history of activism and evolving identities. I’m excited to work with the Peak team to nurture creative conditions for young people in the present and to advocate for the necessity of artists, makers and thinkers in our local and global futures. I’m keen to explore long-term structures and ways of working for Peak and to learn from peers in Scotland, Ireland, Europe and internationally.”
Mudiad celfyddydol gwledig yn y Mynyddoedd Duon yw Peak Cymru. Rydym yn gweithio gydag artistiaid, pobl ifanc a’u cymunedau i greu rhaglen artistig sy’n gysylltiedig â lle, hunaniaeth, iaith a dyfodolau cynaliadwy. Bydd rôl newydd y Cyfarwyddwr Rhaglen yn gosod fframwaith ar gyfer rhaglen Peak yn y dyfodol, gan weithio’n gasglebol gyda phobl ifanc ac artistiaid ar draws ein dwy safle.
Magwyd Melissa Appleton ger Casnewydd, De Cymru. Dros y deng mlynedd diwethaf mae wedi gweithio fel curadur, cynllunydd gofodol a chynhyrchydd, ac mae wedi dysgu yng Ngholeg Celf Ruskin, y Coleg Celf Brenhinol a The Bartlett (UCL). Cefndir mewn pensaernïaeth sydd gan Melissa, a chyn gweithio gyda Peak Cymru datblygodd raglenni oedd yn ymateb i safleoedd penodol lle’r oedd ymyriadau gofodol yn gweithredu fel technegau i gael mynediad at hanesion, breuddwydion a ieithoedd amgen. Mae’r rhain yn cynnwys Tonight the World (2019), cywaith gyda Daria Martin ar gyfer Barbican Curve, Llundain a CJM, San Francisco, Quite Suddenly Your Smile is an Architecture (2017), arddangosfa deithiol o brojectau cyhoeddi’r bardd Jeff Nuttall a Writtle Calling/2 Emma Toc (2012), gorsaf radio mewn cae yn Essex.
Mae Melissa’n dychwelyd i Gymru o Amsterdam, lle mae wedi treulio blwyddyn yn cyfranogi yn rhifyn 28 o Raglen Guradurol de Appel, preswyliad 10 mis dwys oedd yn dilyn egwyddorion craidd megis ‘cynghreirio gydag artistiaid’ a ‘barddoniaeth fel polisi’. Penllanw’r preswyliad oedd super feelings, rhaglen gyhoeddus mewn pedair pennod gyda’r artistiaid Jota Mombaça, Paola Siri Renard, Thuy-Han Nguyen-Chi a Kate Cooper.
Mae Melissa wedi gweithio gyda Peak yn y gorffennol fel cynhyrchydd, gan ddatblygu rhaglenni megis Hinterlands a Phroject Skyline mewn cydweithrediad gydag artistiaid a phobl ifanc. Rhwng 2020-21 Melissa oedd Cyfarwyddwr Dros Dro Peak, gan ehangu safleoedd Peak i gynnwys gofodau newydd yng ngorsaf drenau’r Fenni. Yn ogystal, datblygodd raglenni dwyieithog Peak ac ymatebodd i’r pandemig gyda rhaglenni arlein megis Sgyrsiau Cegin y Storm.
Justine Wheatley, Cyfarwyddwyr Gweithredol Peak: “Rydym wrth ein boddau i groesawu Melissa nôl i Gymru a nôl i Peak. Yn ystod ei chyfnod fel Cyfarwyddwr Dros Dro Peak, gweithiodd Melissa mewn ffyrdd ystwyth a dychymygus i ailosod gweledigaeth greadigol y sefydliad, ac mae wedi bod yn ysbrydoliaeth gweld y rhaglenni y mae wedi bod yn eu cyd-guradu yn de Appel. Edrychwn ymlaen i gydweithio â hi er mwyn gwireddu ei gweledigaeth ddisglair ar gyfer rhaglen Peak, sy’n cael ei greu ar y cyd gydag artistiaid, pobl ifanc a’u cymunedau.”
Gyda diolch i Felix Stevenson-Davies a Charlie Yemm, pobl ifanc sydd wedi cymryd rhan yn rhaglenni Peak, am eu cyfraniadau ar y panel dethol.
Am wybodaeth ychwanegol, delweddau neu ymholiadau ar gyfer cyfweliadau, ebostiwch louise@peak.cymru.
“Mae byw a gweithio yng Nghymru yn cynnig ysbrydoliaeth barhaus i mi – ynghanol ei hamlieithrwydd, ei hanes o weithredu a’i hunaniaethau sy’n esblygu. Dwi’n gyffrous i weithio gyda thîm Peak i feithrin amodau creadigol i bobl ifanc yn y presennol ac i eirioli am yr angen ar gyfer artistiaid, gwneuthurwyr a meddylwyr ein dyfodolau lleol a rhyngwladol. Dwi’n awyddus i archwilio strwythurau hirdymor a ffyrdd o weithio y gallwn eu meithrin yn Peak, ac i ddysgu gan gyfoedion yn Yr Alban, Iwerddon, Ewrop ac yn rhyngwladol.”
Notes to editor \ Nodiadau i olygyddion
Peak Cymru is a visual arts organisation based in the Welsh Black Mountains and working with artists, young people and their communities, we create an artistic programme connected to place, identity, language and the work of the future. Peak values creativity as an essential tool in the lives of individuals and communities, and our work responds to our context, encompassing the protected landscape of Brecon Beacons National Park, Vale of Usk and Valleys’ communities in mid and South-east Wales.
We work from Yr Hen Ysgol (The Old School) Crickhowell where our large studio hosts pottery classes and community activities, and Platfform 2 at Abergavenny Train Station, where there is a small artist studio space and a reading room, which hosts research, residencies, workshops, and events.
Mudiad celf weledol yw Peak Cymru wedi’i leoli yn y Mynyddoedd Duon. Wrth weithio gydag artistiaid, pobl ifanc a’u cymunedau, rydym yn creu rhaglen gelfyddydol sy’n gysylltiedig â lle, hunaniaeth, iaith a gwaith y dyfodol. Mae Peak yn gweld creadigrwydd fel offeryn allweddol ym mywydau unigolion a chymunedau, ac mae ein gwaith yn ymateb i’n cyd-destun, gan gwmpasu cymunedau tirlun gwarchodedig Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog, Dyffryn Wysg a Chymoedd canolbarth a De-ddwyrain Cymru.
Rydym yn gweithio o Yr Hen Ysgol, Crug Hywel lle mae ein stiwdio helaeth yn cynnal dosbarthiadau crochenwaith a gweithgareddau cymunedol, a Platfform 2 Gorsaf Drenau’r Fenni, lle mae gofod stiwdio bach i artistiaid a stafell ddarllen yn cynnal ymchwil, preswyliadau, gweithdai a digwyddiadau.