Sidney Nolan Trust

27/10/2026

Unfortunately, tomorrow's Lunch and Learn session at Bleddfa is cancelled. Please check our website for future dates. Thank you.

27/10/2026

Works from the collection with special guests

Thursday, 29 October, 6 - 7 pm, The Rodd

Join us this Thursday evening for a behind-the-scenes session with two of the world's leading experts on Sir Sidney Nolan, featuring an up-close look at selected artworks from the Sidney Nolan Trust collection.

Virginia Rigney is Senior Curator at Canberra Museum + Gallery, looking after Nolan’s major gift of works to the Australian people and curating regular exhibition and engagement programmes for this collection.

Paula Dredge was painting conservator for over 30 years at the Art Gallery of NSW. Now at the University of Melbourne, she is the author of The Artist’s Materials: Sidney Nolan (2020), published by the Getty Conservation Institute, and conserved Nolan’s studio at The Rodd for the 2017 centenary of his death.

Also joining us is Paula’s current collaborator Dr Richard Mulholland. Richard is a paper conservator and technical art historian specialising in materials used by twentieth-century artists. He spent a decade at the V&A, and previously worked at Tate and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Conservation of Fine Art and Director of University Collections at Northumbria University.

In addition to sharing their insights and responses to some Nolan works they have chosen, they will discuss their ongoing fascination with Australia’s most famous modern artist and their current research, which reveals new dimensions of his life and practice.

16/10/2026

Pop up Bar and Quiz EVENT CANCELLED due to the burst water pipe and Bleddfa Village is without water.

Pop up Bar and Quiz EVENT CANCELLED due to the burst water pipe and Bleddfa Village is without water

09/10/2026

A final reminder of this year's James Roose-Evans Memorial Lecture.

Saturday 10 October, 11.30am, St Mary Magdalene's Church, Bleddfa.

Nicola Cutcher presents ‘One wild and precious life’ – becoming a River Guardian and other stories of care, creativity and connection.

This year, ALL REFRESHMENTS WILL BE FOR SALE, provided by Honeybees Bleddfa Community Cafe, which raises funds to support community activity in Bleddfa and the upkeep of the historic Church.

Book your free ticket at https://www.sidneynolantrust.org/your-visit/whats-on/james-roose-evans-memorial-lecture-nicola-cutcher---one-wild-and-precious-life--becoming-a-river-guardian-and-other-stories-of-care-creativity-and-connection-2026-10-10/

Photo: Eamon Bourk

02/10/2026

We are only a week away from the annual James Roose-Evans Memorial Lecture.

Saturday 10 October, 11.30am, St Mary Magdalene's Church, Bleddfa.

Nicola Cutcher presents ‘One wild and precious life’ – becoming a River Guardian and other stories of care, creativity and connection

Nicola Cutcher is an investigative journalist, writer and documentary producer living near Hay-on-Wye. She has worked for the BBC on programmes, including Newsnight and Panorama, and writes for national newspapers and magazines. A sense of care and responsibility has motivated her work and the stories she has chosen to tell.

She is one of the founders of Friends of the River Wye which was formed by local people coming together in 2020 in response to a major algal bloom, moved by a shared love of their river. Cutcher will share how this has spawned an army of citizen scientists and a burgeoning movement of river guardians, alongside many similar groups emerging across the UK.

Her talk will explore how rivers in particular unite and connect people and will ask how we should face this time of loss of both a stable climate and innumerable species. How can we best be of service to the living world and each other? What are our responsibilities in the places we live and love?

FREE tickets at https://www.sidneynolantrust.org/your-visit/whats-on/james-roose-evans-memorial-lecture-nicola-cutcher---one-wild-and-precious-life--becoming-a-river-guardian-and-other-stories-of-care-creativity-and-connection-2026-10-10/

24/09/2026

Works from the collection with special guests

Thursday, 29 October, 6 - 7 pm, The Rodd

Join us for a behind-the-scenes evening with two of the world's leading experts on Sir Sidney Nolan for an up-close exploration of selected artworks from the Sidney Nolan Trust collection.

Virginia Rigney is Senior Curator at Canberra Museum + Gallery, looking after Nolan’s major gift of works to the Australian people and curating regular exhibition and engagement programmes for this collection.

Paula Dredge was painting conservator for over 30 years at the Art Gallery of NSW. Now at the University of Melbourne, she is the author of The Artist’s Materials: Sidney Nolan (2020), published by the Getty Conservation Institute, and conserved Nolan’s studio at The Rodd for the 2017 centenary of his death.

Also joining us is Paula’s current collaborator Dr Richard Mulholland.
Richard is a paper conservator and technical art historian specialising in twentieth-century artists’ materials. He spent a decade at the V&A, with previous posts at Tate and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Conservation of Fine Art and Director of University Collections at Northumbria University.

As well as sharing their insights and responses to some Nolan works they have chosen, they will discuss their ongoing fascination with Australia’s most famous modern artist and their current research, which is revealing new dimensions of his life and practice.

22/09/2026

If you’ve visited The Rodd recently then you might have noticed that we’ve been pretty busy with works to some of the very special buildings that we care for.

It won’t be a surprise to anyone that looking after a heritage site of this sort is a very real challenge but one we are trying to rise to through a series of planned works to maintain the integrity and functional use of the buildings.

Together these interventions are a small step towards securing the future of The Rodd as we continue to work towards ambitious capital development plans to increase access, participation opportunities and the sustainability of the site.

A big thanks to I.J. Preece & Son ltd for their recent hard work and specialist conservation knowledge, and to our own team for helping to care for the buildings.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund

20/09/2026

A final thank you from me. 🤍

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Sidney Nolan Trust this season, whether you’ve visited, shared a post, liked or commented, tagged us in your own photos and videos, or simply followed along with what we’ve been up to.

As a charity, this kind of support really does make a difference, and it is hugely appreciated.

There’s still time to visit before the season comes to a close on 4 October, with the Sidney Nolan Art Prize and Earth Photo both on view before we close for the winter months.

On a personal note, my role in the season has now come to an end and I’ll be handing the account back to the core team. It’s been lovely getting to know some of you personally, and I’ve particularly enjoyed having the chance to meet and chat with so many of you as part of my weekend visitor welcome role.

The core team will be on hand from here to answer enquiries and keep you up to date with what’s happening at The Rodd.

Thank you, genuinely, for all your support this season. It’s been a pleasure to share the place, the work and everything happening here with you.

09/09/2026

Creative Learning Opportunities...

Our MAKE and Cultivate arts programmes continue to provide special opportunities for young people to connect with ideas and each other. We are also happy to pilot a new project, 'Ideas in Wood', drawing on the skills of local designer-makers Bim Burton and David Colwell. Read on for programme details and dates.

Ideas in Wood is a pilot series of woodworking sessions for young people who want to try something new or get more hands-on with materials. Led by expert designer-makers Bim Burton and David Colwell, who create innovative contemporary furniture, the sessions will help young people build confidence and develop dexterity, creativity, and expression.

The sessions run 22 September - 8 December 8 (Ex. half term Tuesday 27 Oct), 4:15 - 5:45 pm

MAKE is a FREE weekly arts and creative club for young people aged 7-11. Experienced local artists Sophie Ferrier and Olivia Mabey run the club, sharing their knowledge and skills with young people.

The sessions run 7 Sept – 7 Dec (Ex. half term Tuesday 27 Oct), 3.30 pm - 5 pm, Presteigne Youth Centre

Cultivate is a FREE monthly arts programme for 11–18–year–olds. The programme offers a safe social space for young people to develop their creative thinking and making skills through research and experimentation. Over the coming months, young people will conclude their current project on the disused 19th-century racecourse on Hergest Ridge before we partner with Mid Border Arts to offer a series of skills-focused sessions between November and March.

Saturday 17 Sept - Costume
Saturday 19 Oct - Performance
Saturday 21 November - Gamification
Saturday 5 December - Textiles
Saturday 30 January – Sound and Lighting
Saturday 20 February – Woodworking
Saturday 20 March – Filmmaking

To find out more or to join any of our activities for young people, please email [email protected]

03/09/2026

Saturday marked a milestone: 5 years of our young people's arts programme 'Cultivate'!

The programme was inspired by others' fabulous creative youth engagement work, particularly Peir Arts The Pier Arts Centre's Piergroup and Ikon Gallery's youth programme.

There are a lot of people to thank...

Firstly, all the young people who have willingly dragged themselves out of bed on a Saturday morning, have brought so many ideas and so much energy to the table, and are the reason the project continues to be so important. (Not forgetting mums, dads, uncles, aunts and grandparents!)

Secondly, the project's lead artist, Emma Posey, whom I randomly met on a train when the idea started to gain real momentum. All great projects start on trains, right? Emma's care and ambition for Cultivate have led to so many of the brilliant projects we've worked on.

Next, all the artists, cross-disciplinary experts, and organisations we've collaborated with. Too many to mention here, but they are all listed on our website. Working across art forms and with ecologists, archaeologists, scientists, and performers is central to the way we work.

The community we work in which always turns out and shows their support for our projects.

Finally, of course, to the generous funders of the programme. Without their support, none of it would be possible. Herefordshire Community Foundation, Community Foundation Wales, Ashley Family Foundation and Simon Gibson Charitable Trust.

Here's to another 5 years! Thanks