Celf Aeron Arts was set up in 2023 to provide free access to creative arts and music for children and young people living in Ceredigion.
The inspiration for Celf Aeron Arts came from brother and sister Rory and Natalie Chapman who in their teens were supported by the Ceredigion Youth Justice team, which delivered a vibrant range of outreach activities including arts, music, drama and outdoor play. Natalie and Rory credit these sessions, and the inspirational Social Worker Chris Robinson who ran them, for expanding their horizons and building their confidence so that today Natalie is a nationally recognised artist and Rory a film maker and musical tutor.
Mission
Our mission is to improve mental health and wellbeing, boost confidence, and reduce inequalities among young people.
What we do
We provide organised arts and music activities to develop youngsters’ skills, capacity and capabilities. We operate our free to access services from Aberaeron with a catchment area that includes Aberystwyth, Lampeter and Cardigan.
We deliver and design all our art and music sessions in partnership with our young people. They offer feedback and learning to develop their ‘curriculum’ with the resulting work developed, performed and promoted in both English and Welsh.
We currently offer 2 sessions a week. We have art sessions every Monday which include printmaking, sewing, painting, drawing and costume making. On Fridays there is music tuition where attendees sing, learn to play ensemble music in a group, (playing guitars, bass, keyboards and drums) and write their own songs.
We aim to deliver our mission by:
• Providing a safe, warm, supportive and an inclusive space for young people who want to engage in the arts and music on an informal basis.
• Offering a constant and reliable service to incubate engagement over time, at a comfortable and sustainable pace.
• Developing skills, confidence, personal potential and teamworking which can include public performance or presentation of achievements to the local community.