Masterpieces from the National Library of Wales promote skills and creativity in Ystradgynlais

13.03.2026

On Thursday 12 March, pupils from Ysgol Maesydderwen, Ystradgynlais, and the community group Welfare Wonder Women had a special opportunity to engage with art from the National Library of Wales. Staff from the Library brought two important works of art from Aberystwyth to The Welfare in Ystradgynlais to create a unique and inspiring experience for everyone involved.

The pupils and community group took part in creative workshops led by artist Elissa V Evans, where they had the opportunity to see Josef Herman's Mother and Child and Claudia Williams' Mothers & Children. 

The sessions explored how different artists have interpreted the theme of mother and child. In the workshops, the pupils and women drew inspiration from Herman and Williams’s paintings to create their own works using the same themes.

This event was part of the Library's long-standing initiatives to take collections out to schools, which is an important part of the Library's new strategy of reaching every school and every town in Wales. The aim this year was to make an impact not only within a school but with the wider community. By building on the strong partnership already established with The Welfare, the Library ensured that these paintings, which have a strong local connection, were accessible and inspiring for multiple generations in the Ystradgynlais area. 

Lloyd Roderick, Education Officer at the National Library of Wales said:
"We have been taking works of art to schools annually for 15 years, highlighting the Library’s commitment to sharing the collections with people and communities and in every part of the country.
Our vision is to ensure that all the people of Wales knows the Library, has opportunities to take part, and recognises its value. Activities like this are an excellent way of achieving that."

Zoe Gealy from The Welfare said:
"Today's been really inspiring.   
You can see that the young people as well as the older members of the community have really engaged and taken on board what has been said by the artist and the National Library team and used that to feed into the work they have been creating which has been super exciting."

** Mae'r datganiad yma hefyd ar gael yn y Gymraeg**
 

--ENDS--
The National Library of Wales Media Contact
Rhodri ap Dyfrig, Head of Communications
rhodri.apdyfrig@llyfrgell.cymru / 01970 632844

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The National Library of Wales Education Service
The National Library of Wales Education Service was established in 2002. The main work is:

• To deliver a programme of educational activities and provisions that align with the requirements of Curriculum for Wales.
• To increase awareness among children and young people of the history, culture and heritage of Wales.
• To facilitate access to information for learners and educators and assist them in making the most of our collections by interpreting information in the national collection.
• To increase the Library's presence, and awareness of the institution and its work, in various parts of Wales.
• To assist the Library in delivering the strategic aims set out in Connecting Wales and the World, the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.
• To produce high quality digital learning resources to be published on Hwb, the digital platform for learning and teaching in Wales

Since 2007 The National Library of Wales Education Service has been taking the Library’s collections to schools and communities throughout Wales as part of its outreach programme. These outreach projects are developed in partnership with local authorities, schools and other organisations and individually tailored to meet the needs of those users, as well as assisting them to deliver the required skills and experiences of Curriculum for Wales.

About the National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales is a library for Wales and the world. Located in Aberystwyth, it is the home of the story of Wales.

Opened in 1907, the Library is the centre of research into the culture and heritage of Wales and the Celtic nations.

The purpose of the Library is to make our culture and heritage accessible for everyone to learn, research and enjoy.

We are a legal deposit library, which means we are entitled to a copy of every print publication in Britain and Ireland, but our collections also include the following:

• 8,000,000 books and periodicals (with around 4000 new items arriving each week through legal deposit and acquisition)
• 7,000,000 feet of film
• 250,000 hours of video
• 150,000 hours of sound
• 40,000 manuscripts
• 1,500,000 maps
• 1,000,000 photographs
• 70,000 works of art
• 1,900 cubic meters of archives
• Over 2.5PB of born digital archival holdings
• Over 6 million digitised objects

You will find further information together with a list of resources on the Library's website.