Glynn Vivian Art Gallery — Attraction in Castle

We embarked upon the long awaited walk around the gallery, and in summary you have achieved the seemingly impossible feat of having considerably less content in the gallery than you had before the extension. Floor zero is turned over to the very poor but expensive cafe experience; the beautiful heart of the building on the first floor now appears to be exclusively occupied by a giant grey slug like shapeless shape, which is totally inaccessible to people with any mobility difficulties (but then when did that matter?) – the installation itself is a load of pretentious rubbish, all the beautiful art work that did occupy this floor is now in the basement I understand – I can arrange to see it but only if I can name the work! The Swansea china was mercifully still on display on the second floor but where’s the glass? There was a video installation adjacent to one of the cabinets presumably for infants approximately 1m high? The Vivian artefacts were eclectic, but nothing of much quality. The Art prize was given a disproportionate amount of space for oceans of mediocrity, including the coveted display of crude jugs and watering cans, realising I’d entered a cultural time warp, I now appreciate that I have joined the Neanderthal league of art lovers – I proudly stand guilty as charged. Getting to the third floor was difficult, but at least when we got there we were rewarded with a sit down on a low level black settee only to find ourselves stuck in front of the enfant terrible, Philip Elgin, now talking to us about his unimaginable award winning clap trap jugs and watering cans. Looking around for a reason to live we found no other new art – not even a tiny video screen for the 1m high people, nothing. So three floors, one giant grey slug, 1 settee, 6 first year pottery class jugs and old watering cans, a small collection of peccadilloes, and some superb china, not many pieces, but the essence of a fine collection, meanwhile somewhere else are outstandingly good pictures which now have to give way to what? Barely nothing. Truly disappointing on so many levels, you have destroyed a thing of beauty, the new extension is a copy cat of what has been delivered in new build galleries, but it doesn’t sit well with the old facade. The original grand entrance to a beautiful space has been replaced with an opportunity to interact with unsurpassed levels of restaurant and gift shop dullness. When I was a child I visited the Vivian gallery every Saturday morning for 11 years, for two hours my poor existence was punctuated by loveliness, I know every one of your paintings intimately they are the reason I now own so many pieces of art myself. I have waited for years for the gallery to be reopened, please do yourself a favour stop being an apologist for loving the beautiful, the new exhibits and use...

Cafe.

Easily able to cater for special diets. In our group's case, several members required dairy free. The menu is simple, fresh & great value for money. I chose a brie & cranberry jacket tattie with salad and slaw for £6. Decent size, fresh salad, lovely large potato, generous portion of cheese, even the slaw was tasty (I'm not a coleslaw fan normally). My sister opted for a filled ciabatta and salad and was similarly impressed. My son chose a sausage bap, and thought both the quantity and quality of the sausage was praiseworthy. Looking at a table close by, their cakes and tea for two looked ideal for treating that special someone.

The café itself was kept immaculately clean, tables well spaced apart enabling our family get together to feel comfortably relaxed, for those wondering about how they are handling covid restrictions. Portions were generous, and ingredients fresh and very good quality. The staff were polite, friendly and very helpful. Our verdict from an extended family group aged four to 84? A hidden gem of a café, that we all intend to visit again independently because everything from the food to the high standard of service was spot on.

Gallery. For a small gallery, this one is great to visit. There is a good variety of arts and crafts on display to suit everyone from the modern art lover to the traditional craft aficionado. Work from individual professional artists past and present as well as contemporary community groups is on display. Ideal for a group such as ours containing a range of ages and preferences as we found something for everyone to enjoy. Note that due to current restrictions, current booking group sizes are limited to 6 max, and that the gallery keeps a close eye on total numbers within the building.

Workshops There is a wide range of arts & craft workshops for all ages offered by the gallery, making it well worth keeping an eye on the website to see what the education team have on offer year round. Most are either totally free, or very low cost which is fabulous for both local community and tourists. My son has thoroughly enjoyed both the YAF group which runs weekly in term time, and the mosaic workshop he's done this summer which was his first venture into their adult offerings. During our visit there was a summer family art workshop taking place which a glance showed participants seemed to...

This absolute Beautiful old building that I remember from when I was a child growing up in Swansea, always had enough there to attract me to visit often. Well after four decades of living away from Swansea, Now returning to live, I could not wait to visit this much larger building with its brand new extension and total redecoration, bringing it up to the 21st century. It is a stunning place to visit, they have art work on display of all kinds, some you can even purchase. Four caught my eye, very reasonably priced considering the work and time spent painting them. A mixture of very different styles and types of painting and materials used. Not only do they display artwork, but some gorgeous ceramics, and sculptures too, some very old with amazing history attached to them. Other's are very modern and extremely clever and time patience testing creations, quite mind boggling and entertaining. The Glyn Vivian Art Gallery has regular displays, also a wide range of different interacting programmes for all ages, over the school holidays and weekends they cater for everyone. The Gallery has a nice little cafe in it, also toilet facilities, Easy access for people with various disabilities. All floors are assessable with a lift inside. The staff are wonderful and very motivated and only too happy to assist or educate all visitors. They go above and beyond their duties. I would recommend this place to everyone out there, definitely visitors and people who reside in Swansea, to visit and check its activities out on a regular basis. I think Swansea has to say a huge Thank You to Mr Glyn Vivian for donating this Truly lovely building to the people of Swansea for them to learn and extend their knowledge of the local area and further afield. To sum this place up, is best described has a true asset and gem of a place, to enjoy the creative side of life, or enjoy a coffee and brunch there. Best of all is the fact that it is totally free to visit has often as possible...