The collection of art and artifacts is being displayed to show the history of Cardiff Bay through the people who lived here
AN exhibit on the people’s history of Butetown has opened at the Norwegian Church Arts Centre.
It features art, photography and artifacts that tell stories from the area.
“The aim is to show the history of the Bay from the people who lived here,” said Kate Ceohene, who is curating the exhibit.
Paintings by Jack Sullivan, a Butetown police officer who served in the 1940s and 1950s, show the Bay’s nightlife from a contemporary cop’s perspective.
“There was lots of crime and arrests as it’s a port city which is reflected in the paintings, but there are pieces with different tones,” explains Ms Ceohene.
A collection of artifacts from Danny Rhys, whose family has been in Butetown for generations, tells the “fantastic” stories of his ancestors from the area.
One is a love story: a Nigerian footballer who came to Cardiff in the 1950s fell in love with one of Danny’s aunts. They couldn’t be together because of racial discrimination, but she visited him twice in Nigeria in the decade following.
Photos focusing on the black and mixed heritage communities in the 1910s have been supplied by the Glamorgan Archives. Taken by Fred Petersen, they show how long Butetown has been a hub for diversity.
One photo is signed: “From May, to Etta, with love”. Despite numerous appeals the archive has made, there is no information about the people in the photographs.
The exhibit is facing a delay as the information sheets haven’t been delivered, but is expected to open on the afternoon of the 28th and remain open on St David’s Day, May 1.
Ms Ceohene is a historical outreach assistant at the Norwegian Church. Though born in Bridgend, the 26-year-old has a keen interest in the bay’s history.
As a part of her masters project with Swansea University, she installed audio guides so the visually impaired can enjoy the church and its displays.
The church was originally built by Scandinavian sailors in 1866 and has since served as a symbol of diversity in Cardiff.
- The full archive of photos is available here.
- The Norwegian Church’s website is here.
