About Welsh Heroes
In the year 2004, Culturenet Cymru, with the support of the Welsh Assembly Government, published a list of the top 100 Welsh Heroes of all time, as determined by an online poll. The resulting website, available at http://www.100welshheroes.com/ is a virtual Who’s Who of Welsh culture and history.
This exhibition, Welsh Heroes is a collection of digital illustrations of 20 Welsh heroes, mostly but not entirely drawn from the top end of the Culturenet Cymru list. Noticeably absent are several figures that ranked very high on the Culturenet Cymru site, including Owain Glyndwr, the number 2 hero of all time. Conspicuously present are two figures that did not make the CC list. These are personal choices, largely aesthetically rather than culturally motivated. The choice of which individuals to include was made largely on artists or aesthetic grounds, rather than their ranking on the top 100 list.
Like any other “best of” list, these choices are bound to provoke protest and even indignation. It is the hope of the artist that this discussion/argument will serve as a catalyst for a broader appreciation of the depth and breadth of Welsh culture and history. (preferably over a pint in a pub!)
About the Artist
Benjy Davies joined the faculty of the University of Rio Grande in 2004, after teaching at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia and Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He is a graduate of Ohio University and Ohio State University, and currently teaches Graphic Design and Printmaking at the University of Rio Grande, and runs Lucky Man Press in Gallipolis, Ohio.
His work has been included in over 100 exhibitions nationally and internationally, including the McNeese, Bradley, Parkside, Harper, and Northern National Exhibitions, and is represented in numerous public collections including The Amity Art Foundation, The Ohio State University and The City of Vaasa, Finland.
A wide variety of his work may be seen online at www.luckymanpress.com.
About the Madog Center for Welsh Studies
The mission of the Madog Center for Welsh Studies is to foster understanding and appreciation for Welsh heritage and contemporary Welsh culture. Founded in 1996 on the campus of the University of Rio Grande, the Madog Center for Welsh Studies sponsors student exchange, faculty research, and a variety of local and regional events in support of their mission. More information about the Madog Center is available at http://madog.rio.edu/.
This exhibition was sponsored by the Madog Center for Welsh Studies at the University of Rio Grande in Rio Grande Ohio.
The exhibition is available for rent to interested organizations that promote Welsh culture for a nominal fee intended to cover shipping, insurance and presentation costs. For more information, contact the Madog Center at (800) 282-7201 ext 7186 or welsh@rio.edu.