At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a creative music project that connects communities through sound and storytelling.
- Company: Amgueddfa Cymru, transforming the National Slate Museum into an inclusive cultural hub.
- Benefits: £3,000 funding for your project, plus travel expenses covered.
- Other info: Flexible project timeline with opportunities for collaboration and creativity until early 2027.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by co-creating music that reflects local history and community stories.
- Qualifications: Experience in sound art, community engagement, and bilingual facilitation in Welsh and English.
This is an exciting opportunity to play a role in the transformation of one of Amgueddfa Cymru's most popular museums. The National Slate Museum Redevelopment Project will protect, enhance and interpret the Museum’s unique site, while creating a UNESCO World Heritage Centre that supports traditional skills, learning and wellbeing. The project will engage and inspire communities and visitors, connecting people with the remarkable story of the slate industry and the internationally significant landscape it has shaped.
Amgueddfa Cymru is committed to creating new and inclusive spaces where people can see themselves reflected and feel a sense of belonging. The project will work with local communities and voices to create inspiring spaces and experiences that offer a unique perspective on the history of the quarrying communities that shaped this area of Wales.
The project will:
- Improve public enjoyment, access and wellbeing through the visitor experience by enhancing facilities for everyone at Gilfach Ddu, and creating opportunities to discover the museum digitally.
- Protect and restore the Grade I listed buildings and significant collections at Gilfach Ddu, and safeguard and share the intangible cultural heritage by preserving and developing the traditional skills associated with the slate industry.
- Increase understanding among communities and visitors of the UNESCO World Heritage status of the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales through innovative, high-quality, community-focused interpretation of the slate industry's internationally significant history.
- Enable more people from all backgrounds to engage in lifelong learning, develop skills and express creativity through inspiring opportunities, resources and spaces for traditional craft skills, learning, volunteering, employment, wellbeing and creativity.
- Place environmental sustainability at the heart of the museum by enabling sustainable improvements and decarbonisation of the museum buildings, surroundings, infrastructure and operations, while reflecting the site's innovative historical approach to sustainability in its interpretation.
- Better connect people and communities with Amgueddfa Cymru’s diverse collections, ensuring everyone is represented.
- Support sustainable economic, social and cultural development for communities across northwest Wales.
The museum currently attracts around 150,000 free visitors each year. As a predominantly outdoor industrial heritage attraction, visitor numbers are highly seasonal, averaging 944 visitors per day in August compared with 115 per day in January. One of the main objectives of the project is to create a model of sustainability that provides support to communities across north-west Wales, economically, socially, and culturally.
What? Are you a musician, artist, sound engineer, or someone working in a creative field? We are looking for freelancers to help deliver an exciting music project as part of the redevelopment of the National Slate Museum. You will lead a project that brings people together to work with sound and music in ways that reflect the history, landscape and living stories of the local community. This is an opportunity to collaborate, experiment and create new work that will become part of the Museum’s redevelopment.
You will be expected to work with target groups from the slate communities or the museum’s local area, with a focus on one or more of the following groups: Local communities, people from socio‑economically disadvantaged areas, global majority communities, older people, including those affected by dementia, young people.
Output: New musical works co‑created with local target communities, to be used within the new interpretation of the National Slate Museum. Please note that Amgueddfa Cymru will retain copyright and ownership of all outputs. Assist in coordinating and contributing to a special event celebrating the work at the end of the project, such as a concert or festival.
You will be responsible for:
- Recruiting and working with communities
- Developing creative ideas that respond to the Museum and its history
- Leading a collaborative, inclusive and engaging process to create the final outputs
When? The project will begin as soon as possible. While there is some flexibility, we hope this creative project will conclude towards the end of 2026. Final elements may be delivered in early 2027, but no later than the end of March 2027.
Who? Sound artists and collaborative practitioners, Producers and sound engineers, Creative practitioners with experience of working with communities.
If you are interested in co‑creation, storytelling through sound, and working directly with people, we would love to receive your expression of interest. It is essential that people can participate in both Welsh and English. Therefore, all facilitation and community engagement activities must be delivered bilingually. Preference will be given to expressions of interest from Welsh speakers or those who demonstrate an understanding of this requirement.
You must be able to comply with Amgueddfa Cymru’s Welsh Language Standards. There are three separate funds of £3,000 available, covering three different elements of the project. When preparing a budget or outline proposal, please note that the £3,000 must cover all fees, travel, subsistence and any materials. A separate budget is available to cover translation services and accessibility‑related costs. Amgueddfa Cymru reimburses freelance travel expenses at 25p per mile.
Expression of Interest: We welcome written proposals of no more than two A4 pages, or a short video/voice recording of under five minutes. We are happy to discuss alternative ways of applying for this opportunity. Your submission should include:
- Relevant experience demonstrating how you have creatively engaged with communities.
- Information about your creative practice and your ideas for the project, including what you would aim to achieve and who you would work with.
- An outline of your costs, including your daily fee.
Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and all applicants will be contacted no later than one week after the closing date.
Sbragio - Looking for musicians, artists and creative freelancers employer: Arts Company
As an employer, we are committed to fostering a vibrant and inclusive work culture that celebrates diversity and creativity. Our location in Cardiff allows for rich collaboration with local communities and artists, providing unique opportunities for professional growth and engagement in meaningful projects like the Dream Inheritances exhibition. We prioritise employee development through partnerships with emerging artists and community initiatives, ensuring that every team member can contribute to and learn from impactful cultural dialogues.
