NATIONAL MUSEUMS & GALLERIES OF WALES NMGW ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002 Access for all! 2 NMGW ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002 © National Museums & Galleries of Wales, 2002 Editor: Robin Gwyn Translator: Nia Wyn Jones Production: Arwel Hughes, Mari Gordon Design: Andrew Griffiths Printed by: Mid Wales Litho ISBN: 0 7200 0524 8 www.nmgw.ac.uk NMGW ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002 3 ‘Removing the financial barrier to visiting the National Museums and Galleries has opened up the treasures of our Nation and the foundations of our heritage to everyone in Wales no matter what their income or background’ Jenny Randerson, Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language 87.8% increase in total visitor figures 4 NMGW ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002 NMGW’s supporters The President and Council would like to thank the following, and those who wish to remain anonymous, for their generous support of the National Museums & Galleries of Wales in the period from 1st April 2001 to 31st March 2002 Corporate Sponsors The G. C. Gibson Charitable Trust Dafydd Bowen Lewis Arts & Business Cymru Gwendoline and Margaret Davies Gerald & Pat Long Barclays Charity Hefin Looker BG Transco plc Heritage Lottery Fund Howard Moore BT JPMorgan Fleming John & Doreen Morgan Cardiff International Airport Educational Trust Mrs Rosemary Morgan Flight International Lloyds TSB Foundation Malcolm & Monica Porter GE Aircraft Engine Services, Inc. Local Regeneration Fund Mathew & Angela Prichard GMB Mary Homfray Charitable Trust Mrs Michele Proctor Legal & General National Art Collections Fund Dr Colin Richards Lloyds TSB Commercial The Pilgrim Trust John Roberts Phillips Auctioneers S. R. & P. H. Southall Mike & Mary Salter Redrow South Wales Ltd Charitable Trust Alan K. P. Smith Standard Signs The Vale of Glamorgan Dr P. M. Smith Transport & General Workers Union Environmental Partnership Ltd John & Jane Sorotos Unison Wales Tourist Board Jaci Stephen WDA Worshipful Company of Gardeners Roger G. Thomas Westco Group Ltd Worshipful Company of Weavers John Foster Thomas The Western Mail David & Christine Vokes Individual Donors giving in Mrs Meriel Watkins Founder and Corporate excess of £250 Richard Weston Members David & Diana Andrews Dr Hilary Yewlett Barclays Leslie & Marian Beckett 2 Anonymous Patrons GE Engine Services Inc. David & Carole Burnett Golley Slater & Partners Ltd Gerald & Ann Coleman Individual Donors giving in Lloyds TSB Commercial Service Mrs Valerie Courage excess of £1,000 MEM Group Geraint Talfan Davies The Rt Hon. The Earl of Plymouth S. A. Brain & Co. Ltd Walter & Shael Dickie DL, FRSA Redrow Homes David Glan Evans Viscount Windsor Lewis J. Evans R. Paul Russell Tr usts, Foundations and other Marion Evans Dr Margaret Berwyn Jones Major Supporters Mrs Christine Eynon Anonymous Trust Roger Farrance Life Patrons The Atlantic Foundation David Fine Capt. Norman Lloyd Edwards Cardiff County Council Michael Griffith Mrs Enid Child The Clothworkers’ Foundation G. Wyn Howells Christopher Gridley, Esq. Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation David Watson James, OBE Mrs Joan Gridley The Derek Williams Trust Jane Jenkins Mr Wynford & Mrs Sigi Evans Ernest Cook Trust Dr & Mrs T. P. Jones Drs M. & P. C. Elmes The European Union Miss K. P. Kernick R. Paul Russell Friends of NMGW The Rt Hon. Neil Kinnock Dr Margaret Berwyn Jones If you would like to find out about ways in which you or your organisation can support NMGW’s work, then please contact our Development Department on (029) 2057 3483. www.nmgw.ac.uk NMGW ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002 5 The exhibition Flight, which ran at the National CONTENTS Museum & Gallery between June 2001 and February 2002. 6 President’s Foreword Mathew Prichard 10 Director’s Introduction Anna Southall 12 Delivery How NMGW measured against its main performance indicators in 2001-2002 14 Achievements How NMGW delivered the Welsh Assembly Government agenda in 2001-2002 18 Goals How NMGW will support the Plan for Wales in 2002-2003 20 Central Services A dynamic organisation at work 26 Working in Wales and beyond NMGW’s diversity of sites and activities 50 Court of Governors, Council and Management Board www.nmgw.ac.uk 6 NMGW ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002 President’s Foreword Past and future A year of challenges introduction of the policy of providing It is with a mixture of great pride and universal free access to the collections some sadness that I present this, my final that NMGW hold in trust for the nation. overview of a full financial year as The ‘Free For All’ policy, introduced for President of the National Museums & national museums in Wales in April 2001 Galleries of Wales. – a full eight months before its As my term as President ends with the introduction in England – proved to be a presentation of this Report to the Court huge success with the people of Wales of the Museums in October 2002, next and tourists alike. Thanks to additional year’s foreword will be written by Paul funding and support provided by Welsh Loveluck – a new President with new Assembly Government Minister for ideas about the future direction of what I Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language, believe to be Wales’ premier heritage Jenny Randerson, the total number of organisation. I wish Paul well in meeting visits to NMGW’s eight sites across Wales the undoubted challenges that lie ahead. increased by 87% in the first year of The publication of this Report also marks operation. Attracting over 1.4 million ‘The ‘Free For All’ policy, the end of Anna Southall’s sterling service visits in just 12 months dwarfed the total of 765,000 for 2000-2001. introduced for national to the Museums as Director. As she becomes the next Chief Executive of Many of the visitors to the Museums and museums in Wales in April Resource: The Council for Museums, Galleries since April 2001 have either not 2001 – a full eight months Libraries and Archives in England, been to any of our sites before or have Resource’s gain will be very much before its introduction in not visited for many, many years. In Wales’ loss. addition, our traditional visitors are now England – proved to be a I would like also to take this opportunity coming back more frequently, visiting huge success with the to thank all the staff, Council members more of our eight sites and experiencing people of Wales and and other volunteers who have served more of the diversity of what we have to NMGW during my term. The level of offer them. tourists alike’ commitment at all levels has been truly amazing. A year of achievement Another set of milestones can be I have every confidence that the work of clustered around the delivery of transforming NMGW into a 21st – NMGW’s ‘Industrial Strategy’ – examining century institution that has gathered the links between the industrial heritage momentum under Anna and myself will of a particular area and its social and continue under the new leadership. cultural history and present day creative industries. This Strategy embraces three A year of freedom existing museums as well as the There has been plenty of evidence during development of a new industrial and 2001-2002 that some major aspirations maritime museum in Swansea: have already been realised and that others are well on their way to being • following re-development three years delivered. One of the most visible ago, the Welsh Slate Museum at milestones achieved was the re- Llanberis has enjoyed a 600% increase www.nmgw.ac.uk NMGW ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002 7 in visits and won the Wales Tourist by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Welsh Anna Southall and Jenny Randerson AM Board’s Sense of Place Award for the Development Agency, the Wales Tourist celebrate the one millionth visit, October 2001. creation of a distinctively Welsh Board and the Welsh Assembly ambience Government itself. • re-development work totalling £7m has A year of co-operation now begun on site at Big Pit: National Following a series of meetings with artists Mining Museum of Wales in Blaenavon and other interested parties, NMGW’s and is due for completion in autumn Consultation on the Display of Art 2003 culminated in the creation of ‘Views of • the Museum of the Welsh Woollen the Future’. This public consultation Industry in Dre-fach Felindre, document will now ensure that the Carmarthenshire is now closed for a general public can play a vital part in year. It will re-open under a new name redefining NMGW’s approach to the after its £1.7m face-lift in time for the display of the collections of art that it 2003 summer season holds in trust for the nation. • following a grant of nearly £11m from ‘Views of the Future’ is very much about the Heritage Lottery Fund (awarded in taking forward the partnership principles principle in 2001 and confirmed in July behind a scheme that was formulated 2002), NMGW is now well on the way during 2001-2002. Now titled Cyfoeth to realising one of Europe’s most Cymru Gyfan – Sharing the Treasures, exciting new museums on the Swansea the scheme will enable NMGW and the Waterfront Council of Museums in Wales to establish pilot projects at three venues across The combined total capital investment in Wales – Oriel Ynys Môn, Wrexham the Industrial Strategy over the next three Museum and Brecknock Museum – to years is set to be around £40m, with examine diverse ways of increasing access much of the funding due to be provided to national collections. www.nmgw.ac.uk 8 NMGW ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002 President’s Foreword ‘NMGW is a well-governed and well-directed organisation that has recently made fundamental improvements to its arrangements for delivering the strategic objectives of the Assembly’ The Final Report of the Quinquennial Review of NMGW, School of Public Policy, University of Birmingham www.nmgw.ac.uk NMGW ANNUAL REPORT 2001-2002 9 A year of modernisation One development that has not yet got off During the year, an independent review the ground is that of the expansion of the of the governance and performance of Collections Centre at Nantgarw in the NMGW endorsed the work of the south Wales valleys.