Minutes from the fortieth meeting of the Cross Party Group on Waterways

Conference Room 24 Ty Hywel, Cardiff Bay

Tuesday 12^th May  2015

6.00pm

AMs Present

Russell George AM (Welsh Conservatives, Montgomeryshire)

Antoinette Sandbach AM (Welsh Conservatives, North Wales)

Mike Hedges AM (Welsh Labour, Swansea East)

Present

Andrew Stumpf – Glandŵr Cymru

Laura Lewis – Glandŵr Cymru

Jamie McNamara – The Canal and River Trust

Alan Goulbourne – Artist in residence on the Mon and Brec

Jackie Humphries – Glandŵr Cymru

David Alston

Sarah Pace

Gareth Williams

Gillian Bilsborough – NRW

Laura Murton – Office of Julie James AM

Tracey Simpson – Addo Creative

Lorraine Griffiths – Cadw

Thomas Maloney

Dawn Roberts

Gareth Jones – Urban Regen

Donna Coyle

Rob Frowen

Carole Jacob

The meeting commenced at 6:10pm

Item 1: Presentation from Tracey Simpson, Addo Creative

Using the waterways in Wales to connect communities with Art.

Tracey Simpson gave a background on the ways that communities can connect with water, and how art can be made accessible on the waterways. Founded by Sarah Pace and Tracy Simpson, Addo has over 20 years’ experience of working in the arts in Wales and beyond with a dynamic and established practice and critical knowledge of initiating, commissioning and producing a broad range of contemporary art projects. Working with and on behalf of artists, community groups, voluntary organisations, and private and public sectors partners we have curated, managed and produced: permanent and temporary public artworks and programmes; artist residencies; strategy & framework documents; research, evaluation and feasibility studies; and a variety of exhibitions and events in art and non-art spaces.

Presentation available upon request from enquiries.wales@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Q & A

Jamie McNamara: Do you find that waterways are a good starting point for community art projects?

Tracey Simpson: We have found that people are able to connect with water and find they can connect with pieces that illustrate this.  

Item 2: Presentation by Alan Goulbourne, artist in residence on the Mon and Brec Canal.

Update on the Mon and Brec Artist residency

Alan Goulbourne gave an update on his residency on the Mon and Brec and on his work in general. Alan Goulbourne is an artist based in Cardiff and began the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal residency in February for a four-month period. His current practice involves the creation of sculptural, gallery-based and public realm works. He has recently completed an artist in residency at Aberystwyth Arts Centre and has previously exhibited and made work in Bahrain, and across the UK.

Q & A

Jamie McNamara: What inspired your work?

Alan Goulbourne: My practice relies upon a process of implementing order and chaos, effectively within random sequences, in order to drive a progression from a single moment and mark, to something that is visually riddled with complexity. With this residency I was building work which interacts with the community and environment of the area reflecting the relevant history and future of the canal’

Lorraine Griffiths: What happened to the final sculpture?

Alan Goulbourne: There was nowhere to store the piece so it has been taken apart.

Item 3: Any Other Business

None

Date of Next Meeting: 22^nd September 2015.