It’s 7am on a dreary, drizzly January morning and here we are, braving the elements whilst loading the van with Kyffin portraits to go on loan to Oriel Kyffin, Llangefni.
As Exhibitions Officer at the Library, I plan and coordinate a mixed programme of internal and external touring exhibitions. I also act as the Library’s only Registrar in the administration and movement of all loans coming in and out of the Library.
Since the new Oriel Kyffin opened in 2008, we have lent many of our paintings and archives from the Kyffin collection to them for exhibition. When you visit an exhibition you probably won’t appreciate the time and effort that has gone into putting a show together. The lending process alone can take around 12 months to organize involving many elements such as administration, conservation, packing, transportation and installation.
I should mention that all the works are carefully packed and crated and – despite the bad weather – are quite snug in our air-ride and environmentally controlled vehicle. That way we can ensure that the nation’s treasures are well looked after when they go on the road.
We arrived at Oriel Kyffin midday to unload, unpack, condition check and install with the staff at the gallery, and left Friday evening for the long journey back to Aberystwyth. As we pulled into the library’s drive later that night – 15 hours on from when we first started – we were all tired but happy that we had brought Kyffin back to his home town.
Jaimie Thomas