“Throughout the ages works of art in one medium have inspired artists in others” Malcolm Parr
Dylan Thomas’ work is celebrated annually in festivals and symposiums around the world, and the poet continues to be an inspiration for many other artists and writers. This October, the month in which Dylan Thomas was born, we are taking a look back at two of our projects which had their starting points in his legacy.
Dylan Thomas | “especially when the October wind” | 2003
Peter Visscher
The occasion for the first project was to mark the 50th anniversary of Dylan Thomas’ death in 2003. Swansea Print Workshop received funding from the Arts Council of Wales to create a prestigious collector’s item and touring exhibition.
Dylan Thomas’ work is so full of visual imagery, it is particularly fertile ground for artists. 12 artists worked collaboratively with Thomas’ poem, “especially when the October wind” as their chosen focus.
The Dylan Thomas Print project raised the profile of the organisation nationally and internationally as well as contributing to the standing of Swansea in a wider creative context.
With an opening exhibition of the Dylan Thomas Prints at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea, further exhibitions followed throughout Wales, in New York City, and Lahore, Pakistan.
The Dylan Thomas Print project, the prints and boxed set feature on Dylan Thomas, ‘especially when the October wind’ on our dedicated online exhibition website.
Deialogau | Dylan Thomas | Dialogues | 2013 – 2014
ROBERT MACDONALD | DYLAN THOMAS – THE RETURN JOURNEY | ETCHING WITH AQUATINT
Ten years on, Swansea Print Workshop received another significant grant from the Arts Council of Wales for a dedicated project celebrating the centenary of Dylan Thomas’ birth in 1914.
The project provided a platform for dialogue about the creative process between writers and visual artists and between printmakers of different disciplines.
It also established and developed relationships between other creative organisations including the internationally recognized, Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize.
The Dylan Thomas Dialogues project, the prints and boxed set feature on Deialogau | Dylan Thomas | Dialogues on our dedicated online exhibition website
The Artwork
The collector’s items, boxed sets of prints from both projects are in the collections of the 6 UK and Ireland National Libraries: The British Library; The Bodleian Library, Oxford; The University Library, Cambridge; The National Library of Scotland; The Library of Trinity College, Dublin; The National Library of Wales.
In 2013, Dylan Thomas Prints boxed set was added to the Poetry Collection of the University of Buffalo, New York and the boxed set, Deialogau | Dylan Thomas | Dialogues was added to the Swansea University Library collection.
Purchases as boxed sets and individual prints can be made through the Shop.
Both sets are also available as touring exhibitions. For more details and to book, please contact Jackie Ford