Friends of Tenby Museum & Art Gallery Cyfeillion Amgueddfa ac Oriel Gelf Dinbych-y-Pysgod

NEWSLETTER Year-end 2020

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HELLO AGAIN!

No,wehaven’tgoneaway! Likesomanyothercultural institutionsaroundthecountry,themuseumhasbeensilentandemptyformostofthisyear,andcannotyetsaywithconfidencewhenitwillbeabletore-open. Butithascertainlynotgone out of business,whichmeans the Friends’ committee also continue to bebusy,preparingforareturntolifeasweusedtoknowit,wheneverthathappens.Inthe followingpageswe lookatsomeof themanythingsthathavebeendoneduring the closure, both by Curator Mark Lewis and museum assistant EloiseChapman, who have continued to work from their homes, and by the Friends’committee.MarkandEloisethemselvesdescribewhatlifehasbeenlikeforthemduring the closure and how they have adapted to home-working. And, whileplanshavetobeprovisionalaslongasCoviduncertaintylasts,welookaheadtotheactivitiesthathavebeenpenciledinforthecomingyear.Thehopeisthatitwillbefeasibleforthemuseumtore-openinMay,intimefortheholidayseason.Meanwhile, greetings for 2021 from the Committee, alongwith copious thanksforyourpatienceandcontinuingsupport.Wehopetomeetagainverysoon!

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Covidcrisisspurscreativity

Even a cloud as baleful as the Covid-19 pandemic can have a silver lining. During themuseum’sclosureithaspromptedanoutburstofcreativitylinkedtothecrisiswhichwillresultinalocalrecordofthismajoreventandenrichthemuseum’sowndisplays.

WhenlockdowncameinthespringMarkLewislaunchedaprojectthroughthemuseum’sFacebooksitecalledMuseumofMemories.Theideawastoinvitepeopletomaketheirownpersonalrecordofthepandemicforposterity.

“Theperiodwehavebeenlivingthroughisbeingrecordedbythemediaandonsocialplatformsbutoftenthepersonalstoryisoverlooked,”hesays.“Thismayindeedbeatimewewouldprefertoforget,butwearewitnessinghistoryinthemaking,andasalocalmuseumwehavetheopportunitytorecordthisasseenthroughtheeyesoflocalpeople.

“Thisisnotjustalearningprojectforchildren,it’sforeveryone.Naturallywewantedpeopletostaysafe,sowedidn’taskthemtogobeyondtheirgardens,butwithintheseconfineswesuggestedtheymight,say,writealettertotheirfutureselves,lookforarticlesinpapersoronline,drawpictures,takephotographs,keepadiary–justcreatesomethingthatshowshowtheyhavefeltabouttheirsituation.Whenwere-openwehopetohaveenoughmaterialforasmalldisplayintheStoryofTenbygallery.”

OneitememailedtoMarkisthispapiermachéimageofanexhaustedemergencyworkerbyCardiff-basedartistDebbieCourt.

Closely aligned with this project is one being run by a Tenby-based organisation called ArtisanAvenue, whichwas set up by two artists, AnnaWaters and Tom Sloan. It is a non-profit venturewhoseaimistoencourageartisticactivityasawayofpromotingwell-being.

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DuringlockdownArtisanAvenuehasbeenworkingonaprojectcalledTenbyShares,whichinvolvesputtingonlineworksofartthathavebeencreatedfromwithinthecommunity. AttheinvitationofMarkLewis itwasoriginally intendedforshowingat themuseumin January, thenre-scheduled forMarch, but having been overtaken by the lockdown it has now been moved to the hoped-for re-openinginMay.GiventheCovidbackdroptotheprojectitwillbeshownintandemwiththeMuseumofMemoriesexhibition.

Thesubject-matterwillnotbeconfined to thepandemic,however. Amongthecontributorswillbeasylum-seekerslodgedatthearmycampinPenally,whohavebeenencouragedbyArtisanAvenuetousedrawings to tell their stories.Thesehavealreadybeenputoutby themuseumonFacebook, inaddition towhichMarkmade a video showing theArtisanAvenueworkshops and interviewswithsome of the participants. This can be found on the Museum’s and Artisan Avenue’s Facebook pages.Herearetwodrawingsbyasylum-seekers:

Besides exercising his video-making skills, Mark has produced a number of podcasts during theclosure. In collaboration with PLANED, the Narberth-based organisation that supports localcommunitiesinPembrokeshire,hehasmadepodcastsaboutAugustusJohnandDylanThomas,whichareavailableonthewebsitesofbothPLANEDandthemuseum.ItissaidtheAugustusJohnpodcastwaslistenedtoasfarafieldasRussia.

InMayMarkwasinterviewedbyPLANEDforahalf-hourpodcastaboutthemuseumandhowitwascopingwiththepandemic.

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Under lockdown 1: Mark

My little conservatoryhasbeenmyoffice for thepast fewmonths, the table there in thesamestateoforganisedchaosasmydeskinthemuseuminanattempttokeeptheworklife separate from the home life – perhaps the hardest part of working regularly fromhome.Afurtherchallengeisthat,withanunderlyinghealthissue,Ihavehadtoshieldandavoidanyformofsocialising.So,liketheOlympicflame,Ihaven’treallybeenoutthisyear.

Yet inastrangeway ithasbeen invigorating,as Ihavehadtofind new ways of working, with the result that this year,perhaps more so than others, I feel I have managed toovercomeobstaclesandcomeoutsmiling, ifmorethana littleexhausted. It is odd how the “new normal” has become sonormal–gettingupearly,workingallhours,notknowingwhatdayitis.

Perhaps there is some comfort and freedom in a situationwhere clock-watching has become less important. But suchuncertain times also bring a sense of instability. Promisedexhibitions have had to be cancelled or postponed, to thefrustrationofboththemuseumandtheartists,andplanshavebeenputonholdoradapted.Of course, with no money coming in, the main challenge hasbeentoenablethemuseumtobesustainable fora futurethatremains fluid. So I set about looking for funding wherever itmightbefoundandhavemostlysucceededinhelpingtoensureacomfortingdegreeofcertaintyinaveryuncertainworld.

Ithasbeenatimeoflearning,mostlyonthehoof.Therehavebeenprofessionalonlinecourses,Zoommeetings, email discussions and conversations. There has been a sharing of experience across thesector,newwaysofworking,newopportunities,newadventureshavearisen.Andapartfromre-runsofTheSweeneytherehavenotbeentoomanydistractions(fewer,infact,thanwhenIamintheoffice),which has allowed for a long and mostly productive working day. There has been continuingengagementbothwithourcommunityandwiththosefurtherafield,with250FacebookpostsaspartoftheMuseumofMemoriesproject, filmmakingandpodcasts. Wehavetriedtokeepintouchwithourall-importantvolunteersthroughemailsandnewsletters.

Theaimthroughouthasbeentokeepthemuseumrelevant,toproclaimthatwehavenotgoneawayandtocontinuebringingitinsomewaytothosewhothisyearhavebeenunabletovisitinperson.

Under lockdown 2: Eloise SincereturningfromfurloughinJulyI’vebeenworkingatleasttwodaysfromhomewhileI’vetriedtogetintothemuseumonceaweektokeepaneyeonthecollection.Mypriorityhasbeentotransfertheinformation from the museum’s catalogue cards (records of every object in the collection) to theModesdigitaldatabase,alongwithanyextracontextualinformationIcanfind.Soonaworkingday,afterwalking thedog, Imakemyselfacupof teaandget tomydesk foraround9am.Thespeedatwhich I get through the cards depends on how interesting the object is and how complete theinformationisonthecard.Ihaveendedupdownalotofdeep,darkresearchholesonsubjectslikecolonialcoins,NeolithichandaxesandPrincessNess.

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Cataloguing has been interspersed with answering enquiries, helping Mark out with his Facebookpostsandgrantapplicationsandworkingonplanstoreorganisethemuseumstores.Thefirstcoupleofmonths the computerwason anoldwoodworkingbench in the living roombeforemyhusbandknockedupadeskforthespareroomfrombitsofwoodandanoldkitchenworktop.

It’sbeenafantasticopportunitytoconcentrateondevelopingthemuseumdatabase,ajobthatoftenslidesdowntheprioritylist.I’velovedtheopportunitytogettoknowthecollectionandcreatereallygoodqualityrecordsthatwillhelpusmassivelyinthefuture.

But I’ve reallymissedworkingwith themuseumstaff andvolunteers.WhileMark is only an emailaway,it’snotthesameasbeingabletoswingmychairaroundanddiscussideasorlethimknowI’vejust found something amazing in the collection.And Imiss especiallymy teabreakgossip sessionswiththevolunteers!

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£100,000 raised during closure

AsMarksays,hehasspentmuchoftheyearlookingforfundstocoverthemuseum’scostsandmakeupforthelackofvisitorincome.Some£100,000hasbeenfound,themainitemsbeing:

• £52,068fromtheCulturalRecoveryFundsetupbytheWelshgovernmenttohelpsustaintheculturalsectorduringtheCovidcrisis.ThisisforrunningcostsbetweenApril2020andMarch2021,andincludesagrantfor

analreadyplannedreviewofthemuseum’scollections.• £25,000fromtheWelshgovernment’sEmergencyFund,alsosetuptohelporganisationsforcedtoclose.• £11,278fromtheFederationofMuseumsandGalleriesofWales(acharitywhichhasprovidedsupportgrants

duringthecrisis)forstaffsalaries,remoteCCTVandhome-workingequipment.• £5,000fromthecountycouncil’sFirebreakfund,whichprovidedreliefduringtheautumnlockdown.• £5,000securedbyEloisefromtheAssociationofIndependentMuseumsforconservation.

Inaddition,thefollowingsumswereraised:

• Just over £9,000 obtained by trustee Kathy Talbot from the Heritage Emergency Fund to prepare for re-opening,togetherwithafilmoftheinteriorofthemuseumshowingwhatisinplaceforthatevent.

• £998indonationsresultingfromMark’s#MuseumFromHomeFacebookpostssinceApril.

… and looking ahead

Duringthesummerthetrusteesappointedafirmofconsultants,PSC,tobrainstormideasaboutensuringasustainablelong-termfutureforthemuseum.

The brief for this “options appraisal” was to considerthe museum's governance, its strategic andfinancialplans,andthescopeforfindingnewrevenuestreams.Itwouldalsoassessthepotentialforthebuildingitoccupies.RichardLiningtonandKevinBrownfromPSCsoughtviewsfromallthemuseum’s“stakeholders”: local people and businesses, staff, trustees, volunteers and – naturally – Friends. TheCovidclosurehasdelayedtheprocess,butworkhasgoneon.

“Wehavemountainsofpaperwork,buildingplans,trusteeprofiles,forwardplansandfinancialsandsoon”, says trustee Kathy Talbot, “The management group have regular Zoommeetings and telephoneconversations,thoughnoactualvisitshavebeenpossible,soMarkmadeafilmtohelpthemunderstandthelocationandinteriorlayout.RichardandKevinhavekepttotheirtimetableandweexpectaninitialreporttowardstheendofJanuary.”

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Quizmaster and social historian

Ifyouever furrowedyourbrowoverateaser inoneof theFriends’annual fund-raisingquizzes,or just enjoyed the camaraderieof theoccasion,thepersonchieflytothankwasIanNicholls. ForyearsheorganisedquizzesbothfortheFriends,ofwhichhewasacommittee-member for some years, and for the Saundersfoot Rotary Club,earning thousands of pounds for them, aswell as becoming a localsocial historianandan entertaining speaker about thepast. Sadly,IandiedinAugust,aged91.At theageof14,whileatGreenhillschool,he left to followhis fatherbygoing to work in the postal service, first in Tenby and then inSaundersfoot.Hislackofqualificationsdidnotholdhimback,andinbothplaceshewasaprominentfigureinthecommunity.

IanwasafoundermemberoftheSaundersfootRotaryClub,towhichhebelongedforover40years,including three terms as president, and in June, shortly before his death, he received an award foroutstanding service. As a keen sportsman, he at various times played both soccer and rugby forTenby, was three times president of the Tenby Golf Club, and in his later years he became anenthusiasticmemberof theSaundersfootBowlingClub. Alsoaskilledmusician,at theageof14hebeganplaying theorganat thePresbyterianchapel inFrogStreet,wherehisgrandfatherpreached,andlaterthepianowithasmallbandattheBelgraveHotel.With the death of his parents, Ian inherited a large collection of photographs of deceased Tenbypeople,manyunnamed,andsobeganhisretirementhobbyasasocialhistorian.Hisresearchintothelives of these people formed the basis of a regular feature called Remembered Faces which hecontributed for15years to themonthlyTenbyTimes. Healso recordedconversationswithelderlylocalpeoplewhicharenowarchivedatthemuseum.

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AGM 2020

One victim of the pandemic, of course, was the Friends’ Annual General Meeting for 2020,whichwouldhavebeenheldinJune.Accordingly,MartinWhiteremainsChair,andtherestofthe committee continue, for a further year. The accounts for 2019,whichwould have beenpresentedattheAGM,havebeenpostedonthe‘SupportUs’sectionofthemuseum'swebsite. The Friends started 2020 with about £15,800 in the bank, and this grew to over £18,000 by the end the year. With all planned fund-raising activities cancelled because of Covid restrictions, the Friends’ income came from subscriptions, 100 Club membership and one-off donations. Outgoings, however, were small – largely postage costs relating to membership subscriptions and the 100 Club. The Friends have meanwhile undertaken to support the cost of re-organising the stores (£2,118) and expecttobeaskedforhelpwithrefurbishmentandredecorationfollowingrepairstotheroof(seebelow).

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Yessir, we got the roof fixed!

AsUSpoliticiansare fondof saying,youshould fix theroofwhen thesun’s shining. Well, evenduring thebleakyear justpast thesunshoneenough for themuseum’sroof toundergo large-scaleandbadly-neededrepairs.Indeed,ironically,thework(inprogressabove)washelpedbythefact that thebuildingwasnotoccupiedor inuse.Thecost–about£120,000–wasmetby thePembrokeshireCountyCouncil,whichownstheGradeII-listedbuilding. “Thiswasamonumental job,”sayscuratorMarkLewis.“Theoldroofhadasbestos-linedslates,andtheremovaloftheserequiredfullclosure.Lockdownpresentedtheperfectopportunity.Theroofwasindireneedofrepair–frequentlyafterourtraditionalwetPembrokeshirewinterswewouldbefacedwith puddles on the floor and damppatches that got steadilyworse. The humiditywas difficult tocontrolwith such fluctuations inmoisture and temperatures and so the collectionwas also at riskfrommouldandcracking.WeareverygratefultoPembrokeshireCountyCouncilforthiswork.”

ART EXHIBITIONS 2021

(provisionallist,subjecttopandemicregulations)

15May–27JuneEdenEvans

3July–7August

TheoCrutchleyMack

13August–18SeptemberTomSloan

21September–2October

ArtAuction

9October–20NovemberMeirionandJoannaJones

25November–22December

SarahReasonJones,MarionDaviesAnnRees,LindaCarr

8THE ARTISTS

EdenEvansEdenEvans’searlyartisticskillwasnurturedatPembrokeSchooland,inoneofhisfirstjobs,atManorHouseWildlifePark,hedrewandpaintedthebirdsofprey inhiscare, includinghisownkestrel.DuringthenextfewyearsEdenmovedseveraltimesbeforereturningtoPembrokeshireandsettlinginPenally.HebecameamemberofthePembrokeArtsCluband,whileworkingpart-timeintheambulanceservice,exhibitedatvariouslocalvenues;apaintingofrustingtrawlersatPembrokeDock–asubjecthereturnsto–wonfirstprizeattheThreeCountiesArtsFestival.AfterjoiningtheSocietyforAllArtists,Edenwonnumerousawardsinitsinternationalcompetitionsandwasgivenalifetime fellowship. His work has been shown by the Royal Society of Marine Artists, the RoyalInstituteofOilPainters,theRoyalSocietyofPaintersinWatercolourandtheNewEnglishArtClub.Edenbelievesthatpaintingisallaboutlearningto“see”andthatonewaytoachievethisistoworkoutdoors,drawingfromlifeandnotfromphotographs.Edensaysdrawingishisfirstandmainloveandheismoreinterestedinachievingaccuratetonalqualitythaninbeingacolourist.TheoCrutchley-Mack Theowasborn inBristol in1994andhas lived in variousparts of theUK,includingYorkshire,CornwallandPembrokeshire.Hislong-standingloveofdrawingwasboostedattheageof16,whenhebecamethefirstteenagertodesignacoinfortheRoyalMintforreleaseintogeneralcirculation.Hewent on to take a degree in drawing at Falmouth University, in an areawhose historical sitespromptedanenduringinterestinruinsandabandonedlocations.Theospendsmanyhoursstudyingtheseplaces,drawingandpaintinginallvarietiesofweatherandlightanddevelopingtheresultsinhisstudio.“RuinshaveaprofoundeffectontheatmosphereofalandscapeanditisthiswhichItrytocapturewithinmydrawing,”hesays.Tom Sloan Now living in Tenby, Tom Sloan comes from Newport, Gwent. He uses a variety ofmediums, includingspraypaint,acrylicsandinks.Famousfaces,music,popularculture, landscapes,townscapes and architecture are among his subjects, though hiswork is easily recognisable by itsdistinctivestyle,itsuseofbrightcolouranditsloosemark-making.Heisafounder,alongwithfellow-artistAnnaWaters,ofArtisanAvenue(seepp2–3above).MeirionandJoannaJonesSonofartistAneurinJones,MeirionJoneswasborninCardigan,wherehe and his wife Joanna live, and attended the Dyfed (now Carmarthen) College of Art and theUniversityofWales.Afterteachingforadecadehedecidedtoconcentrateonhisartfulltimein2002.Much of Meirion’s work, for which his preferred medium is acrylic on board, is inspired by thecoastlineandinlandsceneryofWestWales,withsomeLatinAmericaninfluencethrownintothemix.ThisishisthirdshowatTenbyMuseum.Originally fromSwansea, Joanna studied art in Swansea andCardiff andwas a teacher for over 12years.LikeMeirion,shemostlyworksinacryliconboard,andshetooisinspiredbythepatternsandshapesofthelandscapeofWestWales.SarahReason-Jones,LindaCarr,MarionDavies,AnnReesTheworkofthesePembrokeshire-basedartistscoversawiderangeofmedia,includingembroideryandfabricandinvolvingtheuseofunconventionalmaterialssuchasmetalandplastic.ThesourcesoftheirinspirationvaryfromthePembrokeshirecoastlinetothecrafttraditionsofPunjabinIndia.

FRIENDS! Comments and suggestions are always welcome, whether about the museum, the Friendsthemselvesorthisnewsletter.Pleaseemailthemtofriendsoftenby@btinternet.com.Andkeepup-to-datebyvisitingthemuseum’swebsite,www.tenbymuseum.org.uk,orourFacebookpage.

TenbyMuseumandArtGallery,CastleHill,TENBYSA707BP.Tel:01834842809