Llantarnam Grange is marking its 60th anniversary as an arts centre in Cwmbran with a special Art Party this week, packed full of free creative activities, talks and, of course, birthday cake.
The celebration takes place on Saturday 2 May from 10am to 4pm. It forms part of ‘Llantarnam Grange 60’, a year‑long programme celebrating six decades of creativity in the town.
Louise Jones‑Williams, director of the Grange, said: “For this show, for the birthday show, we’ve got a visitors’ book full of the loveliest comments. We also ask people to write on postcards and stick them on the wall about why the Grange is important, or memories of the Grange or anything they like.
“It’s a full day of events. We’ve got drop-in workshops for families and adults. I’m giving a talk (at 12.30pm) on the history of this building.
“There’s been something on this site since the 12th century, when it was a farm for Llantarnam Abbey, right up to it as a private house and into an arts centre from 1966.”
Alongside the open exhibition Llantarnam Grange: 60 mlynedd | years – which features work from 145 artists – visitors can explore an exhibition telling the history of the Grange, Gelli Las (the original name for the building), and take part in a range of drop‑in activities throughout the day.
Families can get stuck into paper fold gallery‑making in Gallery 1 from 10am to 11.30am, or help create birthday bunting in Gallery 2 between 10am and 1pm. Both activities are suitable for children aged five and over, with all materials provided.
Artist Gary Yeung will lead an Urban Sketching workshop from 10am to 1pm, giving adults and young people aged 16+ the chance to learn sketching techniques before heading out into Cwmbran to draw scenes around the town. The workshop costs £5 plus a booking fee.
At 12pm, visitors are invited to join staff for a birthday toast and a slice of cake made by the Grange’s in‑house café.
From 1pm to 3pm, Artist Naseem Syed will be creating pom poms. Visitors can add their own message to the creations.
From 2pm to 3.30pm, Artists Adéọlá Dewis, Becky Adams, Laura Thomas, and Billy Adams will look back at their past exhibitions, projects, and work.
Llantarnam Grange opened to the public on 30 April 1966.