The Exhibition

The Art & Activism at the Heart of the Coalfield project centres on an intergenerational celebration of local heritage, protest and creative expression, rooted in the history of South Wales’s coalfield communities.

The exhibition component brought together artworks, archive photos and community-generated pieces that explored themes of protest, solidarity, and collective memory, inspired by the mining legacy of the Upper Swansea Valley.

Part of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales’ Strike! exhibition was displayed alongside work created during the workshops, including banners and visual storytelling inspired by original colliery designs. Together, the exhibition linked local history with contemporary expressions of activism, capturing both the struggles of the past and the voices of younger generations.

Through this display, visitors were invited to engage with the cultural and social narratives that have shaped Ystradgynlais and the broader Valleys region, not as static history but as living stories that continue to inform community identity.

Themes explored included but were not limited to: LGBTQ+ due to the Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners – LGSM connection, Environment – coal connection, Children’s Rights, Animal Welfare, Palestine, Ukraine and other conflicts.