News

Press Release 14/11/24

Further funding is achieved for Bleddfa Centre to support Artist Residency.

Building on the recent funding success and improvement works at the Bleddfa Centre, Powys, the Sidney Nolan Trust is excited to announce further funding of £10,000, awarded to support an Artist Residency at the Centre in 2025.

The Ashley Family Foundation has awarded the funds which will be used to create a new 9-month Artist Residency opportunity. The residency is part of re-invigorating Bleddfa as a hub for creativity and will include opportunities for increased community use and involvement. Through the grant a Mid-Wales-based artist with an interest in community building and participatory practice will receive a bursary, studio space and the support of the Sidney Nolan Trust to develop their work and enable more activities in the Centre spaces.

Director of the Sidney Nolan Trust Sophie Heath said:

“Over the last 3 years, The Ashley Family Foundation has supported our creative learning work with young people, enabling us to establish the popular MAKE and Cultivate programmes. We are hugely grateful to the Foundation for this new phase of support which enables creativity and opportunities in the heart of the community at the Bleddfa Centre.”

The opportunity will be advertised through an open call early in the new year in anticipation of the residency commencing in March and running through to December 2025.

The Bleddfa Centre was founded in 1974 by James Roose-Evans, theatre director, writer and priest, working closely with the local community to establish a centre for the arts, ideas and social connection. It became a vibrant hub with arts programmes, café, talks and retreats but COVID presented a major challenge to the Centre’s sustainability.

In 2023 the Bleddfa Trust merged with the Sidney Nolan Trust as a local charity also dedicated to enabling creativity and the arts in the rural setting of the Wales Herefordshire borders. Sidney Nolan Trust has been working with the local community and stakeholders to understand the priorities for community use and arts spaces and restart activities and programmes at the Bleddfa Centre.

Press Release 13/09/24

Major funding achieved for Bleddfa Centre through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund - Rebuilding Community Foundations in Powys.

The Sidney Nolan Trust is delighted to announce that the project ‘Restoring Community Use and Sustainability’ at the Bleddfa Centre in Bleddfa, Powys, has received £56,308 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for urgent repairs and maintenance and energy efficiency improvements. The grant has been awarded to this charity-run grassroots community and arts venue from the ‘Rebuilding Community Foundations in Powys’ funding strand, managed by the Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations, PAVO.

These funds will enable a much-needed roof repair on the Old School House building with additional insulation, improvements to site drainage, the introduction of solar panels on the Schoolhouse and the Hall Barn, upgrades to the fire alarm and emergency lighting in both buildings, and the introduction of thermostatic and space heating controls for the School House heating system so it can be operated much more efficiently. Work will start in September and complete by 30 November and is being undertaken by regional contractors.

These buildings provide essential community meeting and activity spaces for the very rural community of Bleddfa and the wider catchment of the surrounding region of Llangunllo between Knighton and Llandrindod Wells. The Bleddfa Centre was founded in 1974 by James Roose-Evans, theatre director, writer and priest, working closely with the local community to establish a centre for the arts, ideas and social connection. It became a vibrant hub with arts programmes, café, talks and retreats but COVID presented a major challenge to the Centre’s sustainability.

In 2023 the Bleddfa Trust merged with the Sidney Nolan Trust as a local charity also dedicated to enabling creativity and the arts in the rural setting of the Wales Herefordshire borders. Sidney Nolan Trust has been working with the local community and stakeholders to understand the priorities for community use and arts spaces and restart activities and programmes at the Bleddfa Centre.

Director of the Sidney Nolan Trust Sophie Heath said:

‘We’re thrilled to have raised this substantial support for these vital community spaces that enable social connection and arts provision in our rural area. These repairs and investment in renewable and energy efficiency measures will make the Bleddfa Centre a more usable, safe and sustainable venue supporting it as a community hub into the future’

Local resident Hilary Domnick sharing feedback from people in the Bleddfa neighbourhood said:

‘Everyone is very pleased to hear about the funding. The Bleddfa Centre is such an integral part of the community, it is wonderful to know the buildings will be restored and improved with this new injection of money.’

Clair Swales, PAVO CEO said

’I would like to congratulate everyone involved in bringing this project forward. It will not only deliver much needed repairs to the building, but will go some way in ensuring this important community space remains viable into the future, enabling a range of vital activities to take place in the heart of rural Powys.’

Project updates will be shared on Sidney Nolan Trust website and social channels. Activities and events will continue at the Bleddfa Centre around the funded works programme as contractor access and safety permits.

ENDS

Contact: For all press enquiries contact Sophie Heath 01544 260 149/ 07940 538 154 sophie@sidneynolantrust.org

Notes to Editors:

1. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus.
2. The Sidney Nolan Trust was founded in 1985 by the famous Australian artist Sir Sidney Nolan (1917 – 1992). He was part of a close circle of artists, writers and thinkers who were pivotal in the advance of Modernism in Australia and he is best known for his iconic paintings of the bushranger-outlaw Ned Kelly. Nolan moved permanently to the UK in 1953 and became an important and successful figure in the British art world from the mid-1950s onwards. For the last 10 years of his life, he came to live and work at The Rodd in rural Herefordshire, close to the England/Wales border.

Today, The Rodd is a vibrant centre for the arts where the Trust, an independent charity, cares for the biggest collection of his art anywhere in the world, along with the artist’s archive, large and important book collection and former studio. Further, the Trust looks after Nolan's former home Rodd Court, a Grade II* listed Jacobean Manor House and around 200 acres of farmland and woodland. Nolan’s legacy acts as the foundation for an annual programme of contemporary exhibitions, events and residencies and creative learning programmes.

In 2023 the Bleddfa Trust merged with the Sidney Nolan Trust on the basis of their shared values of creativity, ideas and arts access. So the Trust now looks after and manages two buildings in the village of Bleddfa in Powys, working with the community to build and define a sustainable future for the Centre where the benefits of social connection and arts provision can be accessed in this rural area.

For more information visit www.sidneynolantrust.org

3. Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations

Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO) provides essential services to support third sector organisations and to improve people's lives. PAVO is part of the Third Sector Support Wales, a network of support organisations for the whole of the third sector in Wales. It consists of the 19 local and regional County Voluntary Councils (PAVO is a County Voluntary Council) and the national support body, Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA).

As Third Sector Support Wales, we work with people, volunteers and third sector groups to identify and address what matters to them. To achieve our shared goals, we collaborate with other key partners across the third sector, the public sector, business, research and funders

In 1974 Powys Rural Council was created from the three independent Rural Community Councils of Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Brecknockshire. Powys Rural Council became PAVO in 1994, changing its name to Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations.

Press Release 09/07/24

Now open: Summer exhibitions 'Hogback Hills' and 'Earth Photo 2024' at The Sidney Nolan Trust

BOTH EXHIBITIONS RUN TO 28 SEPTEMBER 2024

Open Tuesday – Saturday, 11am – 4pm. The Rodd, Presteigne.

HOGBACK HILLS

The picturesque Hogback Hills above Kington are pre-Cambrian volcanoes and the oldest rocks in Wales. This exhibition presents new drawings, paintings, photography and sculpture by over 21 artists from across Britain. Together they reveal and illuminate the extraordinary geological, ecological and human story of Hanter Hill, Worsell Wood and Stanner Rocks.

This exhibition is accompanied by an exciting range of artist-led talks and workshops for all ages including 'The Wonder of Trees' a family-friendly drawing and painting workshop, and an 'Introduction to Astrophotography' workshop.

To find out more and book visit our What's On Page

EARTH PHOTO 2024

This annual photography and moving image competition seeks to illuminate the beauty and fragility of our planet and draws thousands of entries from 60 countries and shares powerful stories about climate change and biodiversity collapse.

A distinguished panel of judges, including renowned environmentalists, photographers, and curators, meticulously selected finalists. Prize-winners were announced at a special ceremony at the prestigious Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London.

The Earth Photo exhibition at The Sidney Nolan Trust presents work by 30 of the shortlisted photographers and prize-winners, as well as films from the moving image category. The photographs are uniquely displayed outdoors at a large scale in the orchard. This much-anticipated exhibition makes an impact with a powerful blend of artistry and environmental advocacy.

Sophie Heath, Director of the Sidney Nolan Trust says “We are delighted to be working with national partners and supporting artists to present these two exhibitions that are important creative responses to our world and locality and focus us on the beauty, preciousness and history of our environment.”

Press Release 03/05/24

New exhibitions by resident artists Daisy Dixon and Kate Green open at The Sidney Nolan Trust

DAISY DIXON: A PRESENCE, A HOME?

KATE GREEN: AT THE WATER’S EDGE

Both exhibitions run from 16 May – 13 July, Tuesday – Saturday, 11am – 4pm. The Rodd, Presteigne.

Local artists Daisy Dixon and Kate Green are set to open tandem exhibitions of new work at The Sidney Nolan Trust, Presteigne. Born from their time as artists in residence, the exhibitions offer a unique insight into their year-long enquiries.

Both artists have drawn inspiration from the Trust’s important Sidney Nolan collection and archive, and the built environment at The Rodd, developing significant new bodies of work that invite viewers to embark on a journey of exploration and discovery.

Dixon’s focus is 17th-century Rodd Court, Sidney and Mary Nolan’s former home. She has responded to the domestic remnants within the space, particularly those left by Mary Nolan, through drawings, photography and print.

Green’s starting point is entirely different, taking her inspiration from a postcard Sidney Nolan sent to his ‘Mother & Pop’ before embarking for Antarctica in 1964. Through her research-driven practice, she has explored local Glacial Lake Wigmore's historical, geological, and social history.

Green’s exhibition includes five exceptional Sidney Nolan Antarctica paintings drawn from the Trust's collection.

The two exhibitions are united by traces - of lives and landscapes - showcasing the fruits of Dixon and Green’s immersion within this creative environment.

Daisy Dixon said “The Resident Artist Programme at the Sidney Nolan Trust has been a profoundly transformative experience, both personally and artistically. It has been a catalyst for exploring new avenues in my creative process, prompting reflection on my artist identity and the next chapter of my practice. Exploring the history of Rodd Court and connecting with Presteigne’s vibrant community has been very special and enriching, leaving me eagerly anticipating the possibilities that lie ahead.”

Kate Green added “The residency has been an extraordinary adventure and through the exhibition, I hope visitors will be able to share my voyage of discovery in landscapes near and far...”

Antony Mottershead, Creative Producer for the Sidney Nolan Trust said “We are really delighted to continue supporting artists in our region and to present new creative responses that explore aspects of our collection and history.”

Both artists will lead a tour and talk about the exhibitions on Saturday 22nd June at 2pm.

Find out more

Press Release 23/04/21

2024 season opens with digital art

The Sidney Nolan Trust opens its 2024 visitor season on Saturday 23 March with Painting With Light, an exhibition of early digital artwork created by Sidney Nolan and his contemporaries. It explores the dawn of digital art including famous names such as David Hockey, Richard Hamilton, Lea Lublin and Larry Rivers.

Launched globally in 1981, the Quantel Paintbox was a revolutionary computer graphics system and the world’s first digital design studio. It brought digital images into every home via news, weather graphics, titles, logos, music videos and television adverts. The Paintbox would heavily influence the look and feel of the following decade and would pave the way for the “Photoshop Era.”

The exhibition showcases the extent of Sidney Nolan’s experiments with the Paintbox through previously unseen artwork from our archives including video and other material.

The exhibition also includes artwork by students from Hereford College of Art’s Digital Futures Programme.

Antony Mottershead, the Sidney Nolan Trust’s Curator and Creative Producer commented;

“The artwork that Nolan created using the Quantel Paintbox is yet another instance of his eagerness to experiment with new tools and technologies – a further voyage of discovery on the cusp of the digital age. The exhibition opens a window onto his early digital forays and demonstrates how artists and designers pioneered a visual language that we often take for granted.”

The exhibition has been organised with Adrian Wilson, a pioneer in the digital manipulation of photographs. Adrian has generously supported the project, lending rare artwork and archive materials for display. He recently curated the touring exhibition How Quantel’s Paintbox changed our world (2023).

Digital Newsletter - 09/11/23

Learning - Our work with Schools

Throughout September and October, we hosted lots of local schools for creative learning visits in tandem with the exhibition Plant Communitas. The visits encouraged pupils to look closely at the artwork in the exhibition and supported them to develop their vocabulary in looking and thinking about contemporary art.

Working with a companion plant for the day, pupils practiced observational drawing skills and developed imaginative writing about their plants.
They combined their drawings and writing to create fantastic banners, further exploring the use of textiles and natural paints. Thanks to all the schools that we've worked with this autumn.

We are in the process of designing a new creative learning experience that will be offered to schools in 2024. If your class or school is interested in working with us please contact us at learning@sidneynolantrust.org

Forest School
Dosbarth Dwynwen, Presteigne Primary School

We had a brilliant day recently delivering our first forest school session for Presteigne Primary School. We welcomed Dosbarth Dwynwen (Year 1) who made beautiful journey sticks, visited the river, and discovered many plants and animals. They had lunch around the fire, produced amazing art using natural pigments, and ended the day with apples rolled in sugar and cinnamon cooked on the fire, washed down with hot chocolate. Next week we look forward to welcoming Dosbarth Gelert (Year 2/3) for more Forest School fun.

Cultivate
Arts programme for young people aged 15 – 25
Sat 18 November, 10am - 2pm
The Rodd

The next session of Cultivate, our arts programme for young people is on Saturday 18 November, 10am – 2pm, The Rodd. The group’s current theme is ‘Artist’s Studio Practice’, and in this session, we will be working with one of the Trust’s Resident Artists, Kate Green.

Cultivate is open to and welcomes all young people 15 – 25 years old who would like to explore their creativity and collaborate with other young people.
Find out more a and sign up here

Abet
Creative programme for adults 25+
Sat 2 December, 10am - 2pm, The Rodd

In October, we piloted a new creative programme for adults 25+. It is designed as a meeting space for people who want to explore different creative ideas and outputs in a collaborative environment. We had a brilliant turnout for the first session and have organised a second session in December to further test the appetite for a regular group. There are only a few spaces left on the December session so book now if you would like to

Digital Newsletter - 26/09/23

Artist Residency - Ingrid Pumayalla

This week we are delighted to be joined by Peruvian artist Ingrid Pumayalla. Ingrid’s practice spans photography, moving image, installation and ritual performance and she is one of the artists exhibiting her work as part of the current Plant Communitas exhibition at The Rodd. Ingrid is staying and working at the Bleddfa Centre, with which the Sidney Nolan Trust merged earlier this year.

“During the residency, I am exploring these new surroundings and responding through a series of images and video performances informed by local stories and memories. The Bleddfa Centre was founded to connect spirituality and arts, at the moment I am currently creating an Icaro (chanting healing song) to narrate a myth of a creature that has been displaced from the Amazon and is currently seeking a home, narrating the story of where she comes from and the memories of the land that she belongs to. I am using wool, knitting, and rituals to incorporate into the performances on the sites. Bleddfa has become the "cartref" (home) for the creature to have shelter until she continues her journey.”

Digital Newsletter 25/08/23

Young artists present work at Presteigne Open Studios

Presteigne Open Studios & Exhibitions
26 - 28 August, 11am - 5pm

This weekend, Presteigne’s artists and makers throw open their studios in an annual celebration of creativity. We are delighted to showcase artwork created by young artists from our MAKE and Cultivate programmes as part of the event.

David Colwell, furniture maker, generously hosts the group’s exhibition at his workshop on Broadaxe Business Park, Presteigne LD8 2UH.

For more information about all the artists and makers exhibiting please visit
https://www.facebook.com/OpenStudiosPresteigne

Press release 25/07/2023

Plant Communitas Exhibition

A fascinating new exhibition opens at The Sidney Nolan Trust this week. Plant Communitas, which runs from 3 August – 30 September, features a community of artists from diverse practices and places. The artists work locally, nationally, and internationally and are united by their interests in human-plant relations.

For centuries Western thinking has backgrounded the plant kingdom. Anthropocentrism (the belief that human beings are the central or most important entity in the universe) became the prevailing philosophical stance. However, multiple indigenous cultures consider vegetal beings part of an animistic world (in which objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence - are animated and alive.) Within these cultures, value is placed on kinship relations between persons, and creatures, and extends seamlessly to plants.

The Plant Communitas exhibition acknowledges that increasingly Western societies are beginning to understand the positive impact of plants on human well-being - the capacity of plants to nourish, nurture, and heal. It includes work by artist Annemiek de Beer, Gemma Costin, Amanda Coppes-Martin, Sigrid Holmwood, Mair Hughes, Madeleine Kelly, Fiona Owen, Cristina Flores Pescorán, Ingrid Pumayalla, Siren Elise Wilhelmsen and Tim Parry-William.

Cristina Flores Pescorán and Ingrid Pumayalla are Peruvian artists with practices spanning textiles, moving image, photography and ritual performance. Pumayalla, "The performances are a 'modern cry' and dialogue informed by the spiritual relationship that indigenous peoples from the Andes and the Amazon develop with their surroundings."

Madeleine Kelly, "Printing with light is at the heart of my work with photosynthesis. The Scientist Lynn Margulis proved the organelle responsible for photosynthesis, the chloroplast, evolved when ancient bacteria merged with eukaryotic cells to become an entirely new symbiotic being. She postulated that we are all walking communities of our bacterial origins”.

The Trust has worked with curator Patricia Brien to tour the exhibition, which was first shown at Museum in the Park, Stroud, last year. As a touring exhibition, it has different iterations and responses to the specific nuances of place and context. This exhibition in the gallery at the Sidney Nolan Trust acknowledges and incorporates the work of Sir Sidney Nolan as an important inspiration and anchor in the curatorial direction.

The exhibition is accompanied by a schedule of events including artists in conversation, performances and workshops details of which can be found at the Trust’s website.

Plan a visit to both this and other exhibitions which include Earth Photo 2023, the beautiful gardens, a great pop-up cafe and the historic manor house - The Rodd.

Press Release 06/03/2023

The Sidney Nolan Trust to Merge with the Bleddfa Trust

The Trustees of the Sidney Nolan Trust are delighted to announce a merger with the Bleddfa Trust, bringing together two well-established arts organisations on the Welsh / English border.

Following detailed discussions, the Trustees of both organisations recognise that there is clear and evident synergy between the objectives of both Trusts and that the merger will ensure a future for both the core values of each and the legacy and buildings of the Bleddfa Trust.

The Chair of the Sidney Nolan Trust, Lucy Trench, welcomed the merger as follows:
‘When he first set up the Sidney Nolan Trust in the early 1980s, Nolan’s vision was to create a place where contemporary art could flourish alongside music, poetry and drama. On behalf of the Board of Trustees I am delighted that the two Trusts have combined forces so that we can continue to build on Nolan’s extraordinary legacy to maintain a vibrant and thriving centre for the arts in both England and Wales.’

In a statement, Matthew Trustman, Chair of the Bleddfa Trust said:
‘The Bleddfa Trust and the legacy of its founder, James Roose-Evans, are very precious and their contribution to the lives of many in the local and not so local community over some 50 years has been significant. However, the rising cost of maintaining the buildings and activities of the Trust now necessitate finding a radical way to secure the work and spirit of the Trust for the future. The Trustees are confident that the merger will enable a continuing, active presence for the arts in Bleddfa and will maintain and grow a valuable community resource. In merging with the Sidney Nolan Trust we are joining an organisation with a proven past track record, an ambitious vision for the future and our shared passion for and belief in the mental, physical and spiritual value of the arts for all to share. The merger with the Sidney Nolan Trust is an exciting development that will continue to nurture and support the creative spirit which has underpinned the work of the Bleddfa Trust over the course of its history.’

From 6 March 2023 the Sidney Nolan Trust will take over the ownership and running of the Bleddfa site and the combined organisation will be called the Sidney Nolan Trust. The importance of the work of the Bleddfa Trust and in particular its significance locally as a community resource in a sparsely populated area are fully recognised. The Sidney Nolan Trust will continue to offer a supportive and engaging facility for both the local and arts communities at Bleddfa and will work to retain the goodwill that the Bleddfa Trust has built up over many years. The merger will also allow the Sidney Nolan Trust to develop its ambitions for its main site at The Rodd, Presteigne, particularly in widening public access, developing artist residencies and in opportunities for lifelong learning across a broad spectrum of the arts.

The boards of both Trusts are excited by the possibilities arising from the merger and look forward to an ambitious, vibrant, artistic future for all at both The Rodd and Bleddfa.

Press enquiries: please contact Anna Brennand, Director at the Sidney Nolan Trust via info@sidneynolantrust.org

Digital Newsletter 24/02/23

2023 Programme

The Sidney Nolan Trust is excited to announce the details of our 2023 programme and we look forward to welcoming friends new and old back to The Rodd from Thursday 30 March.

Images: Philp Hughes, Fire Kangeroo Island, 2020 & Jony Easterby

We are delighted to open this year’s programme with a survey exhibition titled Thirty Years of Landscape by artist Philip Hughes. The exhibition unites landscapes from Scotland, from Ireland’s Atlantic fringe and from the England Wales border, with vast landscapes from Australia and Antarctica. United in this way they reveal the reoccurring themes - geology, ecology and archaeology – that are central to his understanding the land.

In tandem, 2022 resident artist Jony Easterby presents new work alongside Pippa Taylor in a culmination of his year with the Trust. The exhibition celebrates their love of darkness and light with the title for the exhibition In Praise of Shadows borrowed directly from the classic essay on Japanese aesthetics by the Japanese author and novelist Jun'ichirō Tanizaki.

Images: Kate Harvey, Inside Out I, 2022. Rick Greswell, The Buzzer, 2022

Outdoors we present a new semi-permanent installation by Jony Easterby. Dead Standing draws on Australian bushfire narratives, drought resistant planting and the processes of regeneration. Also outdoors, we present sculpture and installations by artists Rick Greswell and Kate Harvey, both recent graduates of the HCA MA Fine Art Programme.

In May we will present an exhibition of work by Dean Cross as the Trust further develops its work with contemporary Australian artists. Cross was born and raised on Ngunnawal / Ngambri Country and a Worimi man through his paternal bloodline. Works will include his recent twin-channel video work, SOMETIMES I MISS THE APPLAUSE, commissioned by Heide Museum of Modern Art in tandem with the Museum’s 2022 exhibition Sidney Nolan: Search for Paradise.

Image: Dean Cross, SOMETIMES I MISS THE APPLAUSE, 2022

This year the Trust is a new partner in the international photography and moving image competition Earth Photo. Prize-winners and shortlisted entries will be presented in beautiful large format outdoors at The Rodd during the summer. Earth Photo is now open for entries.

Finally, we are happy to be working with curator Patricia Brien to tour her exhibition Plant Communitas, which was first shown at Museum in the Park, Stroud, last year. The exhibition features a community of artists from diverse practices, places and different times. Together the artworks in the exhibition highlight the aliveness and presence of the plant kingdom and acknowledges that Western societies are increasingly focusing on the capacity of plants to nourish, nurture, heal and medicate.

For further details, related events and workshops visit our WHAT'S ON page.

News - 10/01/23

Sidney Nolan Trust - Call for Collection and Archive Volunteers

The Sidney Nolan Trust, near Presteigne, is looking to further grow its dedicated team of volunteers who are helping the Trust to organise and care for its extensive Sidney Nolan collection and archive. The Trust holds the world’s biggest collection of artworks by the famous Australian painter, who lived and worked at The Rodd for the last ten years of his life. The Trust also cares for Nolan’s extensive personal archive and collection of books. Over the past 12 months, a small team of volunteers have been focused on Nolan’s personal archive, working alongside staff to accession, photograph and store objects and documents in archival quality materials. A digital database has been created so that the items can be easily searched and recalled which will make it much easier to present items in exhibitions and displays.

Now that Nolan’s personal archive is largely complete, the Trust is seeking additional volunteers as it embarks on a major project to assess, accession, and digitise its collection of paintings and works on paper.

Antony Mottershead, the Trust’s Creative Producer commented: “Our volunteers have made a huge contribution to this project over the last 12 months, largely taking the project as their own. Each time we’ve opened a box it reveals another story or completes part of the Nolan jigsaw. The art collection is an even bigger task, and we are looking to bolster our volunteer numbers to help.”

The project provides a unique opportunity to view, and handle works by one of the 20th centuries most prolific and celebrated modern artists and to develop skills in this area of collections management.

The volunteers usually work together on a Tuesday between 10am – 3pm. For more information, please contact Antony Mottershead, Creative Producer at info@sidneynolantrust.org or 01544260149

Digital Newsletter 10/01/23

Happy New Year from the Sidney Nolan Trust

Over the coming weeks, we will begin to announce the exhibitions, workshops and events taking place at The Rodd during the year ahead.

2023 Resident Artists
First up, we are delighted to reveal the two artists selected for our 2023 Resident Artist Programme. Artists Daisy Dixon and Kate Green will be in residence with The Trust for the next 12 months, with studio space at The Rodd, a small bursary, access to the Trust’s collection and archives, and opportunities to present ideas and artworks to the public.

Untitled (Puppets), 2022, Daisy Dixon

Daisy Dixon
Daisy’s work is currently focussed on drawing from different vistas of experience, revealing a fragmentary view of her journey. She recently undertook a two-week residency in the 15th century village of Agios Ioannis, Crete, where she made drawings of the ‘residue of activity’ found in the deserted houses and structures.

Daisy studied Fine Art at Bath Spa University and is currently undertaking an MA in Art Therapy at Chester University. She is Subject Leader of Photography and Teacher of Fine Art at Hereford Sixth Form College.

Follow her work @daisydixondrawing

Walking the Pipe performance, Bleddfa Centre, Kate Green

Kate Green
Kate’s projects offer an accessible bridge between artistic research and rural communities. Her unique blend of walking, wondering, and gentle humour present creative investigations by following innovative, interesting and entertaining ways.

Works include Mindwalks – a collaboration with Professor Anthony Collier adapting his landscape painting practice to the challenges of living with Motor neuron disease; Walking the Pipe – a community-led programme of walks, events and musical performance lectures sharing stories of the Elan Valley Aqueduct; and Finding a Way – live-streamed walks and outdoor experiences, accompanied by people who live with Dementia, to embrace the art of wandering.

Kate commented.
“I’m looking forward to strengthening my long relationship with The Rodd and excited to explore new landscapes – metaphorically and on foot."

Follow her work @shortladywithdarkhair

2023 is the third year of the Resident Artist Programme which is intended to provide a durational period of focus and support to artists. Previous participating artists include Jony Easterby, Faith Limbrick and Daniel MacCarthy.

Digital Newsletter 19/12/22

Season's greetings and 2022 highlights

The Sidney Nolan Trust wishes everyone a happy festive season and a creative year ahead.

2022 has been a successful and busy year for the Trust and we thought this was a good opportunity to briefly look back at the highlights of the past 12 months.

Our exhibition programme opened with The Peace of Wild Things by Daniel MacCarthy in our main Gallery following his 12-month residency with the Trust in 2021. In the Library of Rodd Court, we presented Nolan’s experiments with polaroid photography drawing from our rich and varied photographic archive, which extends to over 30,000 images of Nolan’s life and work. We also opened the season with new sculpture by Jim Carter, who created Of Black Shires. These significant animal works and soundscape adopt a liminal space and were made using organic material collected during visits to The Rodd and the nearby landscape. These works will travel full cycle this week when they are ritually burnt around the time of the Winter Solstice.

Images: Country Exhibition ©Adam Stevens, Of Black Shires - ©Jim Carter, Drawing in Rodd Wood ©Fiona McIntyre

In May Fiona McIntyre presented a new body of work, Dreaming the Land, in the Library of Rodd Court. This followed a series of mini-residencies at The Rodd where Fiona spent the short winter days drawing at the river or in Rodd Woods, as well as within Rodd Court using the landscape and Nolan’s archive as inspiration.

In the Gallery, we showed Nolan’s Celtic Image series of works, displayed in the UK for the first time. These large spray paintings were created in 1987 shortly after Nolan’s final visit to his ancestral home in the Burren. They highlight Nolan’s lifelong fascination with ancient civilisations and cultures and reveal his return to abstraction during the last 10 years of his life at The Rodd.

We closed our season with the touring Mappa Marches exhibition featuring the work of 6 artists, 2 poets and an aerial filmmaker to celebrate the solace and magic of our Marches landscape, history and culture.

Alongside our exhibition programme, we have held several events and workshops for all ages including a really popular series of art workshops for children and our second successful Community Day in July.

Over the main summer period, we were delighted to welcome Kate Constantine and her family for a month-long residency to coincide with a major exhibition of aboriginal painting in our main Gallery, Country in partnership with Aboriginal Art UK. The exhibition featured work by over 20 indigenous Australian artists, many of whom have been significant in developing contemporary Aboriginal visual culture.

Images: 2022 Community Day ©Jony Easterby

In 2022 we awarded two 12-month residencies to Faith Limbrick and Jony Easterby and our whole team have enjoyed working alongside them. Faith was awarded a large DYCP grant from Arts Council England which has supported her to develop a range of new works and develop lasting relationships with artists and curators. Jony has experimented with plants, form and growth working independently as well as bringing together artist camps over the summer. This has included creating CHIT, 324 baking potatoes strung from a wooden frame, as an exploration into plant growth and the sprouting of seeds in search of light. It has been popular with visitors to The Rodd and continues to transform within the kitchen of Rodd Court.

Our learning programme has continued to develop, and we were pleased to receive further funding for Cultivate our youth programme and launch our new programme, MAKE for 10–14-year-olds. These sessions have enabled young people to explore contemporary arts and culture by meeting and working with professional artists, curators and creative producers. We’ve also developed new relationships with HCA Foundation and Hereford Sixth Form College.

Images: MAKE and Cultivate learning programmes ©Sidney Nolan Trust

It just remains for us to say a huge thank you to all the artists, creative practitioners and partners we have had the pleasure of working with over the last year as well as our communities and audiences. We look forward to working with you again in the future and welcoming you back to The Rodd.

Please do stay in touch and keep an eye on our 2023 programme when it’s announced in the New Year.

Best Wishes
Sidney Nolan Trust

Press Release 31/08/22

MAKE

Sidney Nolan Trust launches a second strand of creativity and making work for young people.

From Monday 19 September, a new weekly arts and creative club for 10 – 14 year olds, MAKE, will run weekly at The Old School Building (Youth Centre), Hereford Street, Presteigne. Young people will be able to get hands-on with a wide range of art making from painting and drawing to animation, photography and sculpture. The club is FREE to attend thanks to generous support from The Ashley Family Foundation. Set up by The Sidney Nolan Trust, MAKE extends the charity's work with young people.

Antony Mottershead, the Sidney Nolan Trust’s Creative Producer commented;

“Since developing our Cultivate programme for 15 – 25 year olds, we wanted to increase our work with young people locally and provide something for the younger ages. We are really looking forward to starting the club, and as with Cultivate, the club will emphasise lots of experimental and fun making.
Whilst most of the Trust’s activities takes place at The Rodd, we realise that our rural location can be a barrier, particularly for young people, so we wanted to address this by running creative projects in the town of Presteigne.”

This Autumn and Winter, MAKE participants will work with creative themes including scale and illumination and take inspiration from contemporary artists' work.

MAKE
Every Monday from 19 September 2022 onwards
Arrive from 3.30pm (drinks and snacks available)
Make from 4.00 to 5.00pm
The Old School (Youth Centre) Hereford Street, Presteigne, LD8 2AT

To find out more and to sign up please email antony@sidneynolantrust.org
Please visit www.sidneynolantrust.org/learning/make for full details.
Email: info@sidneynolantrust.org
Tel: 01544 260149

15 - 25 years old? Why not join us at Cultivate www.sidneynolantrust.org/learning/cultivate

Press Release 20/07/22

Ngawiya. Ngubadi (To Give With Love)

A major exhibition opening in Herefordshire provides a rare opportunity to enjoy and purchase artworks by some of the Aboriginal art movement’s pioneering artists.

A major exhibition of original Aboriginal artworks is set to open to the public next week at the Sidney Nolan Trust, located nr. Presteigne. The exhibition will feature work by over twenty indigenous Australian artists, many significant in the development of contemporary Aboriginal visual culture.
Works by pioneering artists including Barbara Weir, Evelyn Pultara, Tuppy Goodwin and Morris Gibson Tjapaltjarri are on show, alongside new work by two emerging Aboriginal painters, Bristol-based Wiradjuri-British Jasmine Coe, and Gadigal artist Kate Constantine.

Antony Mottershead, the Sidney Nolan Trust’s Creative Producer commented;

“I am so pleased that we are able to show such a fantastic exhibition of Aboriginal paintings here at The Rodd. Visitors from Herefordshire, the Marches and further afield will be able to see some of the finest examples of indigenous Australian art. Throughout Sidney Nolan’s own career he was fascinated by Aboriginal culture. He made several important artworks and series that celebrate indigenous knowledge and also responded to the mistreatment and inequality perpetrated by white colonial settlers.”

Kate Constantine will be artist-in-residence at the Trust for a four-week period during the exhibition, exploring the Trust’s collection and Sidney Nolan's archive to develop a new body of work, as well as running workshops.

The exhibition is organised in partnership with Aboriginal Art UK, who specialise in the ethical purchase of artworks direct from aboriginal artists and artist communities. All of the artwork in the exhibition is available for purchase.

Sir Sidney Nolan, one of Australia’s most famous modern artists, founded the Trust in 1985. Today the Trust cares for his former home and estate at The Rodd, a large collection of his artwork, photography and personal archive. The Trust hosts an exciting programme of exhibitions, events, learning activities, workshops and residencies.

Visitors to The Rodd can explore 17th century Rodd Court, the gardens and historic farm buildings, as well as Nolan’s studio. A pop-up café serves tea, coffee and cake.

Exhibition Dates 21 July – 1 October 2022
Opening times, 11.00 – 16.00, Thursday – Saturday

Press Release 12/05/22

New exhibitions open 26 May

The former Herefordshire home of the famous Australian artist Sir Sidney Nolan opens its
two latest exhibitions on Thursday 26 May.

In Dreaming The Land, Fiona McIntyre expresses an imaged landscape inspired by a synergy
of objects and place. Through a series of successive mini-residencies, the painter,
draftsperson and printmaker has conjured a substantial and extraordinary body of new
artwork which is presented in the Library of 17th century Rodd Court.

McIntyre’s art is underpinned by drawing. The artist spent short winter days engaged with
the immediate location and flora of The Rodd, drawing at the river or in Rodd Woods. If the
weather was too unkind, she retreated indoors to focus on strange and fantastical artefacts
such as an Elephant skull from Nolan’s personal archive.

New paintings are infused with the dynamics of the weather and light in this border
hinterland and also with Nolan’s unique vision - strange perspectives are at play. Alongside
drawings and paintings, the exhibition includes new etchings and wonderful examples of the
artist’s sketchbooks which are an important part of McIntyre’s making process.

In tandem with Dreaming The Land, a series of Sidney Nolan’s late spray paintings known
collectively as the Celtic Image are shown in the main gallery. The large monochrome
canvases were created in 1987 following the artist’s final visit to his ancestral home in the
Burren, County Cork, Ireland. A forth-generation Australian of Irish descent, Nolan wore his
‘Irishness’ as a badge of honour and used it to help shape an anti-establishment persona.

It is the first time the complete Celtic Image has ever been shown in the UK and the
exhibition investigates Nolan’s lifelong fascination with ancient civilisations and cultures whilst
revealing his return to abstraction during the last ten years of his life at The Rodd.

Fiona McIntyre: Dreaming The Land, 26 May – 1 October 2022
Sidney Nolan: The Celtic Image, 26 May – 16 July 2022

Visitors to The Rodd can explore 17th century Rodd Court, the gardens and historic
farm buildings as well as Nolan’s studio. A pop-up café serves tea, coffee and cake.

Opening times, 11.00 – 16.00, Thursday – Saturday.

Press Release 31/01/22

Sidney Nolan Trust to host internationally acclaimed artist Heather Morison for free arts programme.

Sidney Nolan Trust have today announced the next date for their CULTIVATE arts programme,
where they’ll welcome internationally acclaimed and Herefordshire-based artist Heather Morison of Studio Morison on Saturday 12th February at the Sidney Nolan Trust, Presteigne.

A free programme for young people aged 15 to 25, CULTIVATE is a new way for people interested
in art to meet other young creatives, generate new work and be led by highly acclaimed,
professional artists.

Morison, who now lives in Weobley, Herefordshire with her partner and co-creator Ivan Morison,
creates 'situationist' installations including their ‘happening’ in Bristol ‘I lost her near Fantasy Island. Life will not be the same…’ which depicted a jack-knifed lorry shed its load of 25,000 flowers
across Bristol City Centre. The Morison’s were also part of the SK8 Skatepark, Weobley's new
skate park, which attracts skaters from far and wide who are enjoying the chance to experience the free design of the ‘street plaza’.

On February 12th, Heather will present her practice and work with the Cultivate group on its recent
creative theme 'Illuminate’, exploring bespoke 'architectural' structures as place-makers, ‘holding
spaces’ for people and how to draw humans into a space for congregation.

Dr Emma Posey, Artist Lead, Cultivate said,
“Cultivate offers young people in this predominantly rural region the opportunity to explore
contemporary culture by meeting and working with professional artists, curators and creative
producers. The group explores making and sharing art, utilising the natural surroundings and
facilities at Sidney Nolan Trust’s wonderful ‘home’.

Posey added,
“This opportunity is for any young person with creative curiosity, no previous experience or want to
become a professional artist is necessary. The cultural sector is made up of a wide range of
creatives with a myriad of skills. Cultivate is highly social and provides a unique forum for young
people to meet other like-minded people their own age. ”

Learn more about CULTIVATE

Press Release 02/10/21

State of Alarm – Mark Anderson & Jony Easterby

Following a two-week residency at The Sidney Nolan Trust, Presteigne, artists Mark Anderson and Jony Easterby will present State of Alarm, new outdoor artworks of sound, sculpture, video, light and fire in the gardens of The Rodd during the evenings of the 15 & 16 October 2021.

The artists will create work which responds to the ‘state of alarm’ ecologically, socially, and politically in the world today. Through the work they aim to tease out threads from this 'state', to pose questions, evoke emotions and to explore the contrast between beauty, hope and despair.

The residency will lead to the creation of new work and pick up on past streams of thought and investigation. The Rodd will become a place to experiment, collaborate and play, away from the artists’ studio environment, and a space for the presentation of this new work.

The performance of State of Alarm will take place in the gardens of Rodd Court, the Garde II* listed 17th-century Jacobean manor house, formerly the home of Australian modernist artist, Sir Sidney Nolan and his wife Lady Mary Nolan.

Mark Anderson is a visual sound artist, working almost exclusively outside. Drawing inspiration from the meeting point between the natural, industrial, and technological world, his work uses light sound and fire, to explore ideas and materials to create work with an almost childlike playfulness. https://mark-anderson.uk

Jony Easterby’s artworks are informed by an empathy for the natural world and its sense of place within culture and social context. His wide range of artistic skills have found him developing projects as varied as the construction of intricate sound sculptures, audio visual installations and architectural constructions. https://www.jonyeasterby.co.uk

Mark and Jony both live and work in West Wales and will be joined by long-term collaborating artists Mathew Olden, Pippa Taylor, and Liam Walsh. These masters of reinvention have previously worked on spectacular world-touring outdoor arts productions, including Furious Folly, For the Birds, Powerplant and Tree and Wood.

The performance will run from 6.30pm on the evenings of Friday 15 & Saturday 16 October 2021. Entry is Free and refreshments will be available to purchase. Please wear clothing and footwear suitable for an outdoor performance.

Antony Mottershead, Creative Producer at The Sidney Nolan Trust said
“Mark and Jony’s residency and collaboration exemplifies Nolan’s vision for The Rodd, as a place where artists can come together to explore questions and ideas that are pertinent to the world today. The artists’ diverse practice is also a reminder of Nolan’s own interests in a wide variety of artistic outputs, material and technologies”

Press Release 01/05/21

Sidney Nolan - Polaroids

Informality and Sidney Nolan Trust are excited to announce the first-ever exhibition of Sidney Nolan’s polaroid photography at Informality, Henley on Thames. Nolan’s polaroid’s which have never been in the eye of the public will show alongside a selection of paintings by the artist on loan from the Trust and private collections.

Sir Sidney Robert Nolan was one of Australia’s leading artists of the 20th century and is most known for his iconic paintings depicting Australian bushranger and outlaw, Ned Kelly and his armour.

During the 1970s and 80s the polaroid became Nolan’s favoured format. The polaroid was a new, instant way of recording time which provided Nolan a useful mechanism to objectively record and critique his painting whilst also becoming a playful medium through which he began to construct candid yet intricate compositions.

Nolan, a fabled storyteller, explored more than just the recording of an image, instead he used the medium as a way of artistic expression, creating scenarios and exploring multiple exposure techniques.

A fine example in the exhibition, shot in (year), is an image of Picasso’s Guernica superimposed with one of Nolan’s earlier images from the 1940s, a staged photograph of a rider mounting an animal carcass that Nolan encountered in the Australian desert during a drought. Enter right, a child’s toy figure crosses the image on a miniature easy rider motorcycle. Other examples hint to the gentle nature of the man, of quiet observation. The artist's hand, full-frame, holding a beautiful small bird, either stunned or dead.

Where Nolan turns the camera on himself, something which dominates his polaroid photographs from the mid-seventies when his second wife Cynthia committed suicide, the results are much more disturbing. These flash-fuelled self-portraits render Nolan as a ghostly, transparent figure. In some, his face appears searching, in others, the crazed expressions look more like the camera has been handed to a sinister fictional character.

The exhibition comes at an important time, as The Sidney Nolan Trust recently began the task of sorting, listing, and conserving some of the 25,000 plus photographs believed to exist in the Trust’s archive. The photographs consisting of prints, negatives, transparencies, slides, and film reel, trace the artist's extensive travelling career, from early photographs of Heide and the Reeds, through some of his most ambitious exhibitions, to private family moments. It is hoped that in the future his photographic archive will be made available to the public and to inform research.

Find out more