Inc Space artist Annie Fenton is taking part in the National Museum Wales Youth Heritage programme and it has been proving a hugely valuable experience. ‘For the past few months, I have been working alongside other young people as part of the Youth Heritage programme at the National Museum Wales, to co-curate an exhibition that is running alongside the current Photography Season. We selected images from the Museum’s permanent collection, wrote about them and discussed issues of representation, identity, diversity, migration, disability (and more) that were brought up.’
Through the programme, also had the opportunity to interview photographer Martin Parr whose work features in the newly opened Photography Season at National Museum Cardiff. Annie brought along third year Ceramics student Nathan Barnard to help interview Martin, both finding it a fascinating experience.
Annie explained: ‘I was also lucky enough to meet Martin Parr and interview him with Nathan in Bristol at the Martin Parr Foundation, on behalf of the Museum. It was another amazing experience and was inspiring to meet such a prolific photographer whose work I have admired for a long time.’
‘I want to continue to work with the Wales Youth Heritage Programme as I have learnt so much through it and to curate more exhibitions myself in the New Year. I’m also going to use the experience to enhance the work I’m doing at Shift, the gallery space in Cardiff City Centre. It’s inspired me to think about planning events that will add an extra dimension to exhibition visitors’ experiences.’
Nathan said: ‘It was great to have this interview with Martin as my first experience of talking to an artist about their work as it was really relaxed and has given me the confidence to do it again. For my dissertation I’ll be interviewing artists to understand why they do what they do and what they use will be very important.’
The Wales Youth Heritage programme exhibition runs until 1 March 2020 and the film of Annie and Nathan’s interview with Martin Parr is being shown within the exhibition of his work at National Museum Cardiff until 4 May 2020.
