In recent weeks, a row has broken out between the Welsh Government and Amgueddfa Cymru (Museum Wales), as new First Minister Vaughan Gething announced budget cuts to the organisation. In response Gething defended the cuts in a speech on 15th April, as National Museum Cardiff’s chief executive, Jane Richardson, said the budget cuts could result in 90 job losses and even the closure of the branch.
The organisation run seven museums in Wales. These include St Fagan’s National Museum of History and the Big Pit National Coal Museum near Abergavenny. The museum in Cardiff is the largest and the most in need of repairs.
In a comment to Gair Rhydd, a spokesperson for Amgueddfa Cymru said the organisation “currently has no plans to close National Museum Cardiff ”, however, extra funding is needed to fix “the deterioration of the roof of the museum”. Regarding redundancies, the organisation has “not made any at present” but is undertaking “a voluntary severance scheme due to cuts to our funding”. She concluded, “Items on display at National Museum Cardiff are part of the national collection of Wales – they belong to the people of Wales, and Amgueddfa Cymru is the caretaker of these items; we take this responsibility very seriously”.
Gair Rhydd also contacted the Welsh Government for comment. A spokesperson replied, “Wales’ culture, art and sports institutions are an integral part of our society and wellbeing, enriching our communities and inspiring future generations” and repeated Amgueddfa Cymru’s assurance that there are no plans to close the museum. She added that “extremely difficult decisions” have had to be made because “our budget for 2024/25 is worth up to £700 million less in real terms than when it was set out in 2021”.
The news that the museum is not closing is likely to be a relief to students at Cardiff University, some of whom volunteer at the museum and have previously visited. Currently, the museum is exhibiting Van Gough’s famous self-portrait in an exhibition titled “The Art of the Selfie”. The portrait will be on display until 26th January 2025. Other events include a dinosaur-themed museum sleepover on the 4th of May and a silent disco on the 8th of June, which you can fi nd tickets for online at museum.wales.
In a survey conducted by Gair Rhydd, 18 out of 31 participants said they had visited the museum, with another 23 out of 37 saying they would be upset if the museum closed. Lots of respondents said they “love” the museum for various. Some said because “it’s free”, “reminds me of Doctor Who” as they filmed some episodes there and “has beautiful architecture”. One noted that she felt “that people don’t know it’s there”, which was backed up by another comment that a trip to the museum isn’t “a priority when I’m wondering what to do”. Considering the museum is only a five-minute walk from the Students Union building and has some awesome upcoming events, I’d recommend everyone visit in the run-up to leaving Cardiff for the summer holidays.