Visitors to the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd this month can view photographs of the new public artworks installed in Pontypridd and Porth.
The exhibition ‘Creating Landmarks’ features photographs of the landmarks Unity, Chain Link Arches; the bridge lighting in Pontypridd, pictured left, and Confluence in Porth.
Over the past year, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and its regeneration partners have secured investment for the installation of a range of public art across the county borough, including the gateway Unity sculpture in Pontypridd.
The majority of funding for this project has come from the Arts Council of Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government, Visit Wales, Arts and Business, Pontypridd Town Council, Pontypridd Market Company and Macob.
Cllr Paul Cannon, Rhondda Cynon Taf Cabinet Member for Housing and Economic Development, said: “Although it can sometimes divide opinion, public art is another symbol of the investment we have made in our town centres in recent years.
“The association between famous physical features and their respective towns and cities is an important part of promoting the identity of a place, often acting as an enticement for people to come and visit.”
David Alston, Art Director, Arts Council of Wales, said: “We are pleased to be working with all our partners on this exciting initiative. This project is about asserting our national identity, and making it clear that we are Wales. Public art supports Wales’s leading role in placing the arts and culture at the heart of public life.”
‘Creating Landmarks’ can be seen during afternoons in the Circle Gallery at the Muni Arts Centre, Gelliwastad Road, Pontypridd, until Saturday, May 1.
Children from Coed-y-lan, Trehopcyn and Cilfynydd Primary Schools and Pontypridd High took part in workshops to create their own public art and some of their designs are also on show at the Muni. Photographs of the public art commissions for the new Cwm Rhondda Hospital are also included in the exhibition.
