Gwenllian Llwyd

I’m very grateful to the James Pantyfedwen Foundation for their scholarship to support my studies in Fine Art at the Cardiff Metropolitan University. During this time, I decided to work on a project with women who had been imprisoned for their part in the Welsh Language Society campaigns during the 1970s and 1980s, and produced an art exhibition based on this project. This course allowed me to develop ideas which attracted national press and inspired a radio programme on BBC Radio Cymru entitled ‘Carchar dros yr Iaith’ (‘Imprisoned for the Language’). As I did not have the financial worry of fees, I was able to spend more on the final exhibition, renting an old television, building appropriate plinths and printing a manifesto programme.

During my time on the course, I was also given the wonderful opportunity of representing the University and the Arts Council of Wales at the Venice Biennale supervising the work of Sean Edwards.

The experiences and the skills I learnt on the course have helped me as I further develop my art work. Within a month of graduating with Distinction, my work was seen in three different exhibitions in various locations in Wales. I also won the main prize in AGORED19 in Galeri Caernarfon. I’m confident the MFA degree will open many other doors in future.

I would like to thank the James Pantyfedwen Foundation once again for the generous scholarship, as it helped tremendously to ease the financial burden of Masters study.