Monday 27 September 2010

PORFFOR : Exhibition Profile
27th September - 8th October 2010

Photographer: Jay Dyer
Title: The Naked and the Dead


Tuesday 21 September 2010

GLAS Exhibition Profile
Saturday 18th September - Friday 24th September 2010
Performances: Thursday 23rd September 2:00pm, 4:00pm & 6:00pm and Friday 24th September 2:00pm, 4:00pm & 6:00pm

Performance Group: Blink Dance Project

This is an Installation Piece incorporating Movement & Live Visual Art!


Doors Open 2pm, 4pm & 6pm... Free Entry!!!

This is not your ordinary 'boxed theatre piece' audience members are welcome to move around the space freely, viewing the art and performance!
GWYRDD Exhibition Profile
Saturday 4th September - Friday 17th September 2010

Artist Group: 21 Group

21 Group were originally part of a Welsh National Organisation and a platform to promote artistic endeavour. We are now primarily associated with visual arts, and are an idependent multi-disciplinary group based in Wales.

Since 1994, as well as initiating practical events, we have actively promoted contact with Galleries and Art Centres throughout Wales as venues for showing members work.

We are now a thriving, professional group exhibiting all over Wales. We have a dynamic, exuberant energetic approach to art, and our Artistic Director, Mal Charles and Chairperson Patricia Clifford see us approaching the New Year with a strong and hard working core membership with a philosophy that is mutually supportive. They state of 21 Group "It's strength is it's diversity."
OREN Exhibition Profile
Saturday 4th September - Friday 24th September 2010

Artist: Merel Prescott
Title: Inspired

"I was born in Newport in 1961 and spent part of my childhood living in Ethiopia and in Egypt. I was fortunate to have travelled extensively throughout my youth experiencing a wide variety of cultures. I have had an extremely varied working life including time spent in the Merchant Navy, work as a geophysicist, a Public House Manager and a Montessori Directress. Following the breakdown of my marriage I graduated from Cardiff University in 2003 with BSc (Hons) Mathematics and trained as a secondary mathematics teacher with the University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham. After a reasonably long period of supply teaching my teaching career came to an end when I decided to devote my time to home educating my youngest daughter. It is my dearest wish to take my daughter to Ghana in the next year or two in order to do about three months voluntary work for Project Sand (http://www.projectsand.org). I am currently looking into fundraising for this.

Being a mathematician with what I considered to be non-existant artistic talent I don’t think I’d even considered art on my daughter’s curriculum until one day when, on the way to the bus station from the library, my daughter and I called by the Empty Shops and were admiring the beautiful works on display. When we came at last into the shop where Alfonso Marino was working I told him that I wished I could draw or paint. He got us to come in the next day with a canvas each. My daughter started on her painting that day while I sat staring at a blank canvas, too apprehensive to even draw a line on it. However, the following day I picked up a paintbrush and have not since looked back. I now work with oil pastels, acrylics and oil paints and am about to experiment with water colours. I get my daughter to take photographs everywhere we go – we are constantly on the lookout for beauty in our surroundings which until recently we would have ignored.

I would like to thank all those involved with the Empty Shops Project for the life-changing experience it has provided both me and my daughter, and Marino and Jonathan Sherwood for providing us with inspiration, confidence, help and friendship. I hope that during my time in this shop I will be able to help inspire others too."

Wednesday 8 September 2010

MELYN Exhibition Profile
Saturday 4th September - Friday 24th September 2010

Curators: Sian Donovan and Sally Fowler
Title: River of Life Project

Travel back in time to medieval Newport when Melyn formerly the card shop, becomes home to truly innovative and exciting community project – The River of Life Newport Heritage Project.

This unique project, the first of its kind in Wales, has at its heart the desire to bring a community together in a positive and uplifting experience that will form a solid basis on which to build a better future for the people Newport.
 Inspired by the Medieval Mystery plays and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the “River of Life” will be shaped by the community, developing stories drawn largely from the Stow Hill area through drama, dance and music.

 Exploring links from the past to the present and culminating in a series of performances that will travel down the hill from St Woolos Cathedral , performing in fascinating parks to a grand finale in John Frost Square on May 7th 2011.

 Come along and discover the rich and intriguing stories and take part in taster workshops such as dance, drama and arts and crafts. All ages welcome.

Opening times will be posted on the door.

Monday 6 September 2010

GLAS Exhibition Profile
Saturday 4th September - Friday 17th September 2010

Artist: S & M
Opening Times: 10:00am - 4:00pm

As part of the Empty Shops Project www.newportcitycentre.co.uk/emptyshops) in Upper Dock Street, local vintage expert Sara Crerar teams up with artist Marion Webber to give accessories and furniture a new lease of life. Their pop-up shop is destined to ‘not be anything you would find in M&S.’

‘These days, many of us are addicted to fast, cheap, throwaway fashion and I’m not saying that we’re not partial to it – yet by restoring old leather accessories, furniture and textiles we can turn something ready for the tip into something useful whilst at the same time celebrating the unique.
Through this process maybe we can re-think the way we shop and consume the mass-produced.’

Marion Webber graduated from Central St.Martin’s and recently took part in the SuperDragons project. ‘Since leaving college in 1992, I’ve worked in the fashion industry for some well known high street retailers.I used to paint on leather accessories found in charity shops when I lived in a tiny flat.
I made a fledgling business out of it, selling in London and Brighton – then freelance design work took over. It was great to meet Sara unexpectedly again at this years’ Maindee festival, we just talked about creating something different out of vintage – The Empty Shops Project is going to be a great opportunity for us to show what we do.’
Sara, apart from her keen buying skills also employs her talent for felt and dress-making, to create her own clothing range using original vintage dress patterns, customising them to her own specifications into beautiful
woollen capes, lined with original 50s fabrics giving them an unusual and surprising twist.

Workshops in felt-making and painting will run alongside their pop-up shop, so come along and visit for more details. Opening hours are 10am-4pm, 7th-17th September.




www.mleilaniwebber@blogspot.com
Title: Re-invent Vintage