CAER Studio to nurture a new generation of artists

People of all ages in the west Cardiff suburbs of Caerau and Ely will learn new artistic skills, thanks to an initiative devised by researchers at Cardiff University and the artist Paul Evans. CAER Studio builds on the award-winning CAER Heritage Project, which is based around one of Cardiff's most important archaeological sites - Caerau Iron Age hillfort. It is being coordinated in partnership with community development organisation Action in Caerau and Ely (ACE) and local secondary school Cardiff West Community High. Thanks to a significant Arts and Humanities Research Council grant, people living in Caerau and Ely will have the chance to get involved in a range of artistic activities, inspired by the knowledge and artefacts gained from archaeological excavations within a stone's throw of their homes. The project is an exciting collaboration of archaeologists, historians, social scientists and community journalists from Cardiff University working with community development workers, teachers and artists. The CAER Collective, a cohort of local artists, will hold workshops where residents can come along and get creative, while learning more about the history of their community. They will get the chance to explore ancient craft skills including pottery and ceramics, working in animal bone, through a series of experimental archaeology workshops run Cardiff University's CAER Heritage and Guerrilla Archaeology teams.