Owain Rhys

Owain Rhys leads on community participation and engagement at Amgueddfa Cymru, whose Vision is ‘Inspiring People, Changing Lives’. The work includes developing and nurturing meaningful partnerships with community organisations; embedding community voices in decision making processes; providing opportunities for those who don’t usually engage with museums; overseeing all aspects of volunteering; and aligning strategies and policies with Cultural Rights approaches. Wales is currently leading the way in long term planning for the future through the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, which encourages cultural organisations, health boards, charities and other bodies to work together in a holistic manner, for the benefit of future generations. St Fagans National Museum of History, one of Amgueddfa Cymru’s seven museums, recently won the Art Fund’s UK Museum of the Year award, based on the success of their community engagement and participation work. Owain also leads on an ambitious National Lottery Heritage Fund project, ‘Kick the Dust’, aimed at increasing and diversifying youth engagement with heritage, and leads the museum’s involvement with Fusion, a Welsh Government initiative to tackle poverty through arts, culture and heritage.