In the first place, because the all-encompassing development projects launched by our museum more than ten years ago were preceded by a preliminary consultation with visitors in Cardiff that for us, was more than a mere survey. But beyond that, because the people there are truly curious about their own arts and culture and enjoy visiting exhibitions embedded in an international context; indeed, it was against this backdrop that the National Museum Arts Wing, the St Fagans National History Museum (an institution that in July of this year received the Museum of the Year award —a first for Welsh museums—in recognition of its large-scale investment project completed in 2018), and the deservedly popular Techniquest were constructed. Even their regular local visitors are at times amazed at the variety of themed offerings there are to choose from; in Cardiff, bilingualism is natural, and museum services, guided tours, lecture series, and creative programs are all developed with a view to native language competency objectives. The education centres located in Cardiff’s botanical gardens and parks have been a tremendous success, the city offers top-standard courses, and inter-institutional cooperation and the active presence of local civil organisations add even more to its thriving cultural life.
So it is from Cardiff that you’ll be hearing from us this week, …and it’s not even raining that hard yet…