: Cyffredinol

When it came to writing this article, my thought space had been taken to the theme of journeys; the unknown ground between a beginning and an ending. My journey as a young producer for Bloedd’s latest project, an LGBTQIA+ oral histories exhibition, has been a nearly yearlong one. What began as conversation in a shared space containing mutual interests and passions, defined the nucleus of my work here. The beginnings of this time had been an unpacking of what we felt as a collective was important to represent for an upcoming exhibition. We knew from the jump that we wanted to represent voices that may often go unheard; those whose experience may not be recounted upon by the mainstream perception of what it means to live an LGBTQIA+ life. 

Moving away from the typical portrait of queerness being a thrown brick in protest, that while important, we are more than our fight for freedoms; our stories can be found in the everyday, in the places we visit, the jobs we keep, the people we love and share our lives with. The given name of this exhibition, Ours to Tell, came only after we had completed our collection of stories, the self-described journey we undertook over several months of visits and interviews, holding dialogue with well over fifty years of experience. But what is in a name? Ours to Tell is a reclamation. It’s our way of saying “here is a story, told by a firsthand account of the storyteller”. It’s our way of saying “these words are cut from a book hidden away in the attic of my mind. I’ve ventured into the attic, and I’m dusting it off for you.” It’s our way of saying “this is where I come from”. 

While the journey of this project has been underpinned by a great deal of planning and preparation, what you can’t prepare for is what you might uncover in someone else’s story. You commit to the routine of presenting a series of questions, from you to the storyteller, with only a table between you. It comes as a surprise the level of detail, which is excavated by the storyteller, they are like a hoarder being handed a stepladder, invited to dig up their stowed away possessions from the attic. Your questions are prompts: “when did you first see your identity reflected in someone else?”, “what does a safe space look like to you?”, the list goes on. The exciting part is that you don’t know what’s coming next, and you are there, alongside the storyteller, who guides you through a journey which may well bring up a familiarity or nostalgia for the listener. During these times when I’ve had the great pleasure to listen to these stories, I can confidently say that I have felt every kind of emotion in response. I laughed. I have cried. I have been moved. I have been taken on a journey.

Enabling the participants of this project to confidently speak about their experiences has proved an undeniable joy, though I cannot understate how this project has affected those coordinating its launch. Fellow young producer Joss Copeman, like me had been drawn to this exciting opportunity, Copeman’s “personal work is largely centred around queer narratives and themes of identity and the self.” The journey which unfolded from Ours to Tell has been greatly beneficial, as it pertains to young LGBTQIA+ creatives and makers, taking inspiration from unheard voices, now affected and transformed by echoes of their experience. This is a feeling I know will resonate with the audience, and I can only hope it will stir others in future, to share what might be put away, gathering dust in the attic. 

I’d like to conclude with a quote that shook me like a cat in a tree, “Art is not just for oneself, not just a marker of one’s own understanding. It is also a map for those who follow after us.”

Written by Ivy Kelly, Amgueddfa Cymru Producer (Bloedd).

Bloedd is the platform for youth engagement at Amgueddfa Cymru.

Fis Medi diwethaf, wnaethon ni ddathlu Wythnos Addysg Oedolion, ochr yn ochr â darparwyr dysgu eraill ledled Cymru. 
Roedden ni’n llawn cyffro i gynnal gweithgareddau ym mhob un o’r saith amgueddfa yn nheulu Amgueddfa Cymru, gan adeiladu ar ein cynigion cyfredol a threialu sesiynau a gweithgareddau newydd.
Yn Sain Ffagan, datblygon ni raglen lawn o weithgareddau ar gyfer yr wythnos, gan gynnwys sesiynau blasu a gweithdai crefft, teithiau natur meddylgar, a chyfleoedd i ddysgwyr Cymraeg a Saesneg.
Cafodd rhaglen Amgueddfa Cymru ei hyrwyddo trwy’r adran newydd Dysgu Oedolion a Chymunedau ar ein gwefan, gyda gweithgareddau hefyd yn cael eu hysbysebu ar dudalen Digwyddiadau pob safle. Cawson ni gyfle i hyrwyddo ein rhaglen trwy lwyfan Wythnos Addysg Oedolion, a gefnogir gan y Sefydliad Dysgu a Gwaith, a chynhalion ni ymgyrch gynhwysfawr ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol cyn ac yn ystod yr wythnos, ar X (Twitter), Instagram a Facebook. 
Yn rhan o’r gwaith hwn, aethon ni ati hefyd i hyrwyddo ein cyfres o diwtorialau a sesiynau blasu crefft rhithwir a’r adnoddau dysgwyr hunandywys rydyn ni’n eu cynnig. 
Buon ni’n gweithio’n agos gyda phartneriaid gan gynnwys Dysgu Cymraeg Caerdydd, Menter Caerdydd, Addysg Oedolion Cymru a Creative Lives, i gyfoethogi’r rhaglen a sicrhau ei bod wedi’i theilwra i anghenion y dysgwyr roedden ni’n gobeithio eu denu.
Yn ystod yr wythnos, gwelson ni 160 o bobl yn cymryd rhan mewn gweithgareddau dysgu yn Sain Ffagan, a chyfanswm o 331 o bobl ar draws safleoedd Amgueddfa Cymru. Rydyn ni’n falch iawn o ddweud mai dyma oedd yr Wythnos Addysg Oedolion fwyaf erioed i ni yn Amgueddfa Cymru. Gallwch weld rhai o’r uchafbwyntiau yma: https://youtu.be/lgKtmLHr1_Q 
Roedden ni’n awyddus i gasglu adborth gan y dysgwyr i’n helpu ni i ddatblygu a gwella ein darpariaeth addysg i oedolion ledled y sefydliad. 

Dyma sampl o’r adborth a gawson ni:

“Amgylchedd gwych, cadarnhaol, creadigol.” 
“Mae dysgu sgìl newydd yn hwyl ac yn rhoi boddhad.”  
“Profiad cymdeithasol a therapiwtig dros ben.”  
“Roeddwn i wir wedi mwynhau’r gweithdy. Profiad hwyliog a chadarnhaol iawn. Roedd yr hwyluswyr yn wirioneddol gyfeillgar, ac roedd y gweithdy yn therapiwtig a chymdeithasol.”  
“Wedi mwynhau’n fawr – cyfle gwych i ddysgu sgìl newydd. Athro gwych. Rwy’n teimlo wedi ymlacio’n llwyr ‘nawr.” 
“Taith gerdded ddifyr a diddorol iawn – gwelais i bethau nad oeddwn i wedi sylwi arnynt o’r blaen.” 
“Yn agor drws i fyd hudol.”  
“Roeddwn i wir wedi mwynhau’r daith natur feddylgar yn Sain Ffagan. Dysgais i lawer, a byddwn i’n ei hargymell! Roedd yn wych cael rhywun mor wybodus yn arwain y sesiwn.” 
“Amgylchedd cyfeillgar iawn; felly os ydych chi am roi cynnig ar rywbeth newydd, ewch amdani!” (gwehyddu bwydwyr adar helyg) 
“Wedi fy ngrymuso! Ffordd wych o ddysgu sgìl newydd.” 
“Llawer o hwyl! Ewch amdani, byddwch chi’n mwynhau dysgu sgìl newydd!”  
“Dw i’n meddwl bod digwyddiadau yn y Gymraeg yn dda iawn.”  
“Rydw i bob amser wedi eisiau gwneud torch hydref, a rhoddodd y cwrs yr hyder i mi. Roedd yn gwrs ysbrydoledig.” 
"Roedd yr hyfforddiant yn rhagorol. Roedd yna help pan oedd angen, ond rhoddwyd digon o le ac amser i chi roi cynnig arni eich hun.”  
“Wedi gwir fwynhau tynnu lluniau eto ar ôl 20 mlynedd. Rhaid i mi ailgydio ynddi nawr!” 
“Roeddwn i wedi mwynhau’r sesiwn sgetsio yn Sain Ffagan yn fawr iawn, yn ogystal â natur galonogol y grŵp.”  
“Sesiwn ysgogol, gefnogol a chalonogol dan arweiniad rhagorol Marion a Gareth. Diolch i Loveday am drefnu mor wych.” (Gweithdy sgetsio yn Sain Ffagan gyda Creative Lives).  
“Mae’n teimlo mor wych rhoi cynnig ar rywbeth newydd a gweld y canlyniadau mor gyflym.” (Sesiwn flas ar enamlo).  

Rhaglenni gwaddol: 

Diolch i’r cyfleoedd a gawson ni i dreialu gweithgareddau yn ystod Wythnos Addysg Oedolion, rydyn ni bellach wedi lansio tair rhaglen Addysg Oedolion reolaidd newydd yn Sain Ffagan ac yn Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd:
Ein rhaglen Teithiau Disgrifiad Sain fisol (a rennir rhwng y ddwy amgueddfa bob yn ail fis, ac a fydd yn cael ei lansio yn Amgueddfa Lleng Rufeinig Cymru yng Nghaerllion cyn bo hir, gyda’r bwriad o’i hymestyn i safleoedd eraill yn ôl y capasiti). 
Ein Grŵp Sgetsio misol yn Sain Ffagan, mewn partneriaeth â Creative Lives (ac yn adeiladu ar lwyddiant Grŵp Arlunio Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd). Rydyn ni wedi cynnal tair sesiwn hyd yma. Denodd y sesiwn gyntaf 6 unigolyn, yr ail 8 unigolyn, a’r drydedd 24! Bu’r adborth yn gadarnhaol ac mae’r neges yn cael ei lledaenu i bobman. Os hoffech ymuno â ni fis nesaf, mae croeso i chi wneud. Mae’r holl wybodaeth ar gael yn y ddolen uchod. 
Sesiynau Bore i Ddysgwyr Cymraeg tymhorol newydd ar y cyd â Dysgu Cymraeg Caerdydd a Menter Caerdydd. Y tymor diwethaf, bu i ni groesawu 35 o ddysgwyr Cymraeg i’r Amgueddfa i gymryd rhan mewn sesiwn ar draddodiadau’r Nadolig yng Nghymru. Rydyn ni’n edrych ymlaen at groesawu grŵp o siaradwyr a dysgwyr Cymraeg ar 25 Ionawr ar gyfer Dydd Santes Dwynwen, lle byddwn ni’n archwilio’r casgliad o Lwyau Caru, ac yna’n cynnal y Bore i Ddysgwyr Cymraeg nesaf. 
Mae’r chwe addewid sy’n rhan o’n strategaeth ddeng mlynedd Amgueddfa 2030 wedi’u hymgorffori yn ein rhaglen addysg oedolion drwyddi draw, ac yn benodol yr addewid i ysbrydoli creadigrwydd a dysgu am oes. 
Edrychwn ni ymlaen at barhau i dyfu ein darpariaeth addysg oedolion, a gobeithiwn eich croesawu i un o’n hamgueddfeydd yn 2024 i gymryd rhan mewn gweithgaredd neu i fwynhau defnyddio un o’n hadnoddau hunandywys i ddysgwyr. 

If you can believe it, we keep a copy of every museum publication we produce. Yes, every flyer and brochure and after a while it starts to pile up! While in the process of ordering and categorising this mountain of coffee table litter and ephemera into a cohesive collection, it’s been fascinating to see the way that Amgueddfa Cymru’s branding has changed and evolved over the years. The logos and designs tell us not just about how the museum represents itself but also they tell us something about the time they were written in. So, let’s take a look at the museums branding and design over the decades.
In a museum brochure from 1968, the simplicity of the design is striking with its bold text and the solid red graphic of columns and pediment, which is the globally used symbol for museums (but more on that later). Yet for a modern eye it still looks old fashioned; there are no photos or even a colour gradient and it is printed onto plain white paper. The inside contains only small black text of museum department events, in a list, with little formatting. for example:
Zoology: In the Gallery near the Restaurant: Demonstration of Taxidermy of birds and mammals. 10am -12 noon

In 1969 we get a new look for monthly Programmes. This style sticks for the next decade. A bright solid colour fills the background, and the words “Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Cymru National Museum of Wales” are in a large clear bold text. The front of each issue has a large single black and white image that takes up the centre of the cover. This is however the only image the programmes contain, but maybe as a result the images picked usually look dramatic and intriguing. There is something reminiscent of album cover art about them. In the December 1969 issue the cover features a picture of a lunar landing module and the moon from space. Inside are details of a 3-day exhibition where the museum had genuine moon rock on display.

In the 1980’s we get a new look again, which we can see in the museum’s monthly programmes. But if it wasn’t for the date, you might assume it to be older than it is. The writing is in a traditional serif font and each issue has the same image a marble fresco of a woman holding a picture of the Welsh dragon with Ionic columns in the background. It is the Seal of the National Museum of Wales. It is an architectural feature of the Cardiff site that you can see today above the entrance of gallery 1. 

It is an image that is meant to invoke a certain ideal of “The Museum” that it is grand, historic, noble, and “cultured”. The monthly programmes certainly work hard to solidify this visual brand, having the large logo/seal prominent on every issue that leans into the imagery we already associate with museums. As with the earlier 1968 programme both are invoking the image of the Museum as a grand marble Greco-Romanesque styled structure. This seal is then used in slightly different forms on all publications for the next decade and a half.

The icon for museums as a row of pillars with a triangle pediment on top is widely used. It is the image you will see on brown road signs or tourist maps to mark the location of a museum and certainly the National Museum Cardiff and the Roman Legion Museum do have that classic museum look complete with towering columns. It is an image that may well reflect what museums used to be like, opulent buildings that looked at foreign artefacts like Greek statues. But it is an image that now many museums are working hard to move away from.  Ultimately as an icon it doesn’t really capture or express the totality of what Amgueddfa Cymru is all about, a diverse and varied family of museums that celebrate Welsh life.

Then in 1995 there is a major rebrand. We have moved away from the traditional imagery of museums and galleries and instead have a range of icons that highlight the different parts of the museum’s collections including a spinning wheel, anchor, and steam powered machinery to name a few. It excellently highlights the diversity of what we have to offer. The graphics almost look like a website banner with clickable icons displaying the range of choices. The publications go through various changes over the following years with a greater focus on full colour photos, and a variety of graphics and fonts. The publications are exciting and colourful, but is there a downside? Some might see this iteration of publications as overly crowded and busy. Furthermore, there is no signal unifying image for Amgueddfa Cymru as an integrated organisation.

Then in the 2000’s a new rebrand ditched the icons and opted for words. The words “National Museum Wales” and “Amugueddfa Cymu” were placed at an angle to each other in a modern sans serif font for all publications. This echoes the priorities and vision of the museum in this era. Balancing the English and Welsh language at angles so that neither takes priority over the other. It is effective straightforward and unambiguous. However the thirty three characters at 45 degree angles do not work well on a small scale and can become cluttered and difficult to read. As more and more we switched to phones as our primary reading devices there was a greater need to have a clean simple design.

Since last year we have had a brand-new redesign. The Amgueddfa Cymru logo is written in a bold capitalized font, created for the Museum it emulates the look of an industrial brand like that which you would find on metal or bricks to show the maker; it reflects the industrial past of some of our national museums.  For social media, where space is limited, we have a simple “AC” icon on a red background. Clean and simple bold texts work well for online platforms and this process of simplifying graphics has happened across many brands over the past decade as reading from phone screens has become the norm. Amgueddfa Cymru’s new design uses only the Welsh language title, further simplifying the design and highlighting the museum’s commitment to telling the story of Wales, from its earliest times, through its industrial transformation to the modern day. The font highlights the special characters that don’t exist in English, such as the “DD” which is has been linked together in “Amgueddfa” further showing our pride in the Welsh language.

Ultimately there will be pros and cons to any logo or icon. Often it is about what is right for the time, and what is best for the medium the icons will be on. Do you have a favourite?

This year we celebrate our heritage Welsh apples by exhibiting samples of fruits that are sustainably grown in our orchards located in Kennixton farm, Llwyn-yr-eos farm, Llainfadyn and the Castle Orchard. You will find our Apple Exhibition at the Kennixton barn, next to the Kennixton farmhouse in St. Fagans.

Wrth i'r gwanwyn nesáu, mae pob dydd yn adrodd stori newydd yn yr ardd. Mae’r eirlysiau’n diflannu ac yn gwneud lle i’r crocysau, briallu a’r cennin pedr lliwgar. Mae’r hellebores wedi cyrraedd hefyd, gyda’u blodau pert siâp cwpan a’u patrymau petalau manwl. Maen nhw’n darparu byrst o liw ac maen nhw bob amser i’w gweld yn disgleirio hyd yn oed ar ddiwrnodau mwyaf llwyd y gwanwyn.

Fel sy’n arferol yr adeg yma o’r flwyddyn, mae garddwyr Sain Ffagan wedi bod yn gweithio’n galed yn cynllunio borderi newydd ac yn paratoi’r ddaear ar gyfer y tymor newydd. Eleni, fodd bynnag, mae pryderon newid hinsawdd a phrinder dŵr wedi gwthio’r tîm i edrych am ffyrdd newydd o ddylunio gerddi a all arbed dŵr ac fydd yn gwneud cystal mewn hinsawdd sych.

Un ateb creadigol rydyn ni wedi datblygu yw'r "ffin arian," bydd yr ardd hon yn arddangos planhigion gyda dail ariannaidd neu lwyd sydd wedi esblygu i ddioddef amodau sych. Mae lliw golau’r dail yn adlewyrchu golau'r haul ac yn amddiffyn y planhigyn rhag ei effeithiau niweidiol. Mae rhai o'r planhigion hyn hefyd yn cynnwys blew man ar eu dail neu goesynnau, syn cadw lleithder yn feinwe'r planhigyn, sydd yn helpu nhw byw mewn hinsawdd sychach. Bydd y border arian yn ffordd ymarferol o arbed dŵr ac ar yr un pryd yn ychwanegiad unigryw a hardd i'r ardd.

Ardal arall rydym wedi bod yn datblygu yw’r ffin llwyni bywyd gwyllt sydd ar y ffordd i’r Ardd Eidalaidd. Y syniad tu ôl i'r ardal hon oedd I greu cynefin ar gyfer amrywiaeth eang o fywyd gwyllt. Unwaith y bydd wedi'i sefydlu, bydd yr ardal yma yn helpu rhoi cartref i adar, pryfed a mamaliaid. Rydyn ni wedi dewis llwyni, fel Sambucus nigra, Holodiscus discolor a Viburnum opulus sydd â blodau llawn neithdar a fydd yn cynnal peillwyr. Yn ogystal â hyn, wrth i'r llwyni aeddfedu, byddant yn ffynhonnell werthfawr o fwyd i fywyd gwyllt mewn ffurf hadau ac aeron.

Mae’n bosibl y byddwch yn sylwi bod yr ardd Iseldiraidd ger y Castell yn mynd trwy drawsnewidiad sylweddol bob gwanwyn wrth i’r gweiriau addurniadol a’r planhigion lluosflwydd gael eu torri’n ôl yn galed cyn i’r tyfiant newydd ddechrau. Yn ystod tymor y gaeaf, rydym yn dewis gadael y pennau hadau a'r coesynnau yn gyfan gan eu bod yn gynefin gwych i fywyd gwyllt ac mae nhw‘n cynnig elfennau strwythurol i'r ardd gydag amrywiaeth o weadau a lliwiau tymhorol. Rydym wedi bod yn gweithio'n galed i gael gwared ar yr holl hen dyfiant o'r flwyddyn flaenorol, bydd hyn yn annog tyfiant newydd iach o waelod y planhigion. Eleni fe benderfynon ni ailddefnyddio’r toriadau gwair gwastraff fel tomwellt ar y gwely pwmpen, bydd hyn yn helpu i atal y chwyn a chadw lleithder yn y ddaear.

Wrth i ni symud ymlaen, mae’n hollbwysig ystyried sut gallwn ni ymarfer garddio mewn cydweithrediad â natur. Mae garddio yn golygu ymdrechu i sicrhau cydbwysedd rhwng gwneud i lefydd edrych yn hardd ar yr wyneb ond o dan yr wyneb cael dyluniad cynaliadwy.