Press Release
20th October 2015
Stuffed, Pickled & Pinned
New exhibition at Powysland Museum marks the beginning of
Welsh Museums Festival
Today (20 October 2015) a new exhibition, ‘Stuffed, Pickled & Pinned - 50 Wonders of
Nature’ was launched at Powysland Museum, kick starting a week-long series of events and
exhibitions at museums across the country to celebrate and promote Wales’ outstanding
cultural offer.
During the second ever Welsh Museums Festival (24 October – 1 November), museums
across Wales will host over 100 events and exhibitions for the whole family from sleepovers,
talks, walks, hunts and handling sessions to archaeologist digs, re-enactments, dressing up,
tea parties and Halloween themed activities.
One of the Festival highlights this year is ‘Stuffed, Pickled & Pinned – 50 Wonders of Nature
in Welsh Museums’ which will showcase some of the amazing natural history treasures in
museums across Wales from a mounted fox’s head and a platypus from Australia to a rare
aurochs bone from the Severn estuary and a collection of British birds’ eggs.
Curated through the Linking Natural Science Collections project, the exhibition is the
culmination of three years’ work researching behind the scenes at 18 local museums across
Wales to find rare, beautiful and often unexpected natural history objects, some of which
have never been seen before.
Visitors to Powysland Museum will be able to enjoy minerals, taxidermy, fossils and insects to name a few – which have been examined and identified by experts from Amgueddfa
Cymru – National Museum Wales who worked with local curators.
Supporting the exhibition and Festival is TV Presenter and Wildlife Expert Iolo Williams –
“I am delighted to be supporting the Welsh Museums Festival. As a four-year-old child, I
remember staring in awe at the skeleton of a woolly mammoth and even now, I am amazed
by the wealth of items held by our museums. With almost a hundred Accredited museums all
over the country caring for around 5.5 million items, no matter what your interests, there are
treasures waiting to be discovered by the whole family.
The Powysland Museum is one of mid-Wales' hidden gems and as a naturalist, I am so
pleased that the exhibition ‘Stuffed, Pickled & Pinned’ is being launched here as part of the
Welsh Museums Festival. Hopefully, it will help inspire the next generation of naturalists and
who knows, a future David Attenborough may soon be walking through the museum's
doors.”
This year’s Welsh Museums Festival programme will also give visitors an opportunity to
experience culture and heritage in a totally unexpected way – at night! Rosie Clarke,
Museums at Night says:
“We aim to inspire new visitors to discover the fascinating arts and heritage highlights on
their doorstep by creating exciting after-hour experiences. We’re delighted to join forces with
the Welsh Museums Festival to work together to reach even more visitors. Wherever you
are, there’s sure to be something interesting going on in a museum near you – so check out
the event listings and get exploring!”
The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates, commented,
“We have some fantastic museums across Wales, filled with fascinating items that help tell
the story of our past. They are a valuable resource in helping us to learn about and
understand important historical events in a way that books alone cannot. The Welsh
Museums Festival will give visitors more opportunities to discover and be inspired by the
unique collections, and I am pleased to see a range of events being held both in and around
Communities First areas, ensuring there are opportunities for all to participate in a range of
exciting experiences.”
Rachel Silverson, President of The Federation of Museums and Art Galleries of Wales
added:
“We are thrilled to be involved in the Festival once again as it offers an opportunity for our
members to promote their museums and to be proud of the work that they do. At a time
when museums need support from their communities, we hope that more people will be
amazed by all that Welsh museums have to offer. ”
Find out what events and exhibitions are taking place in your local area by visiting
www.museums.wales.
Ends
For further information, interviews and images please contact:
Nicola Williams
nicola.williams@wrexham.gov.uk
01978 722988 / @welshmuseums / #welshmuseumsfest
A selection of images can be viewed here - Click here to view Museum Pics 2015
For more information about the exhibition and about the Linking Collections project, please
contact sarah.daly@museumwales.ac.uk / #50Wonders. More photographs are available.
To find out more about the exhibition in Powysland Museum, please contact Eva Bredsdorff
eva.bredsdorff@powys.gov.uk
Editor’s Notes
1. Launch
The Welsh Museums Festival and exhibition – ‘Stuffed, Pickled and Pinned-50
Wonders of Nature in Welsh Museums’ will be launched on 20th October, 11am12.30pm at Powysland Museum, Welshpool. There will be an activity with local
school children during the morning (from 10am).
Press photo’s / interviews welcome.
Wrexham County Borough Council has been selected by Museums, Archives, and
Libraries Division, Welsh Government to receive a grant to deliver the Audience
Development strand for 2015-16.
The Festival is supported by the Federation of Museums and Art Galleries of Wales
and Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales.
2. Did you know?

4.27 million visits to Welsh museums in 2013

98 Accredited museums in Wales

96% of people were satisfied with the museum they visited (National Survey for
Wales 2014-15)

84% visitors believe Welsh museums are friendly and welcoming places (Wales
Visitor Survey 2013)

Local community groups use museum services 4843 times a year

2118 volunteers in Welsh museums

Swansea Museum and Cardiff Story won a UK-wide contemporary art
competition in 2014

8 out of 10 tourists that visit a Welsh museum would recommend it to a friend or
relative (Wales Visitor Survey 2013)

Museums in Wales care for approximately 5,500,000 items

Tywyn Narrow Gauge Railway Museum won ‘The National Railway Heritage
Award 2013’

Judge’s Lodging won ‘Hidden Gem’ Award in Hudson’s Heritage Awards 2014

Half the museums in Wales provide free entry

Narberth Museum was shortlisted for Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year
2013

Winding House were awarded a ‘Special Commendation for Outstanding
Contribution to their Local Community’ in the Kids in Museums’ Family Friendly
Museum Award 2015

Swansea Museum is the oldest museum in Wales – founded in 1841

St Fagans is the most visited museum in Wales with 564,195 visitors last year
3. Linking Science Collections Project
18 Welsh museums have been involved in the project which is led by the Federation
of Museums and Art Galleries of Wales in partnership with Amgueddfa CymruNational Museum Wales. It received £100,000 in funding from the Museums
Association’s Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund. Partners also include People’s
Collection Wales, who will make the exhibition available online, the Welsh
Government’s Museums, Archives and Libraries Division and Cardiff University.
The exhibition will travel to:
Powysland Museum (Powys CC) October 2015 to December 2016
Abergavenny Museum (Monmouthshire CC) January to April 2016
Tenby Museum & Art Gallery May 2016
Carmarthenshire County Museum (Carmarthenshire CC) June to September 2016
Swansea Museum (Swansea CC) October to December 2016
Ceredigion Museum (Ceredigion CC) February to April 2017
Scolton Manor Museum (Pembrokeshire CC) May to June 2017
Rhayader Museum & Gallery July to August 2017
Oriel Ynys Môn (Isle of Anglesey CC) September to December 2017
Wrexham County Borough Museum and Archive (Wrexham CBC) January to March
2018
Chepstow Museum (Monmouthshire CC) May to July 2018
Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery (Merthyr CBC) August to September 2018
Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery (Powys CC) Dates to be confirmed
Llandudno Museum Dates to be confirmed