Theatr Iolo aims to 'Stir the imagination, Inspire the heart, Challenge the mind.' Nothing too…read moredifficult then! Ha! In their attempts to meet their mission they produce and program live theatre, making it widely accessible to children and young people in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Theatr Iolo works alongside teachers and subject advisors to enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum. Through theatre, they offer ideas and practices that go beyond the curriculum, providing new challenges and experiences. Basically, they make school far less boring, which is always good.

Certainly not a fancy gallery, the building itself is if anything slightly run down; none of that…read morereally matters though, as I was most impressed by the actual exhibitions and the staff, which make this gallery worth a visit. The building is not too large, there are only really three rooms with art on display (one of them is rather minuscule). Whilst this inevitably makes the exhibitions small, I believe the available space is effectively used and the work on display is integrated seamlessly. The gallery generally houses exhibitions with pieces focusing on the topic of pre and post apartheid South Africa. Whilst mainly works of photography, there are one or two sculptures, and there are two installations which feature a projector. I found the present exhibition to be: - fascinating, evocative, odd, thought provoking, and on occasion slightly disturbing; reactions that I'm sure the gallery and the artists featured would desire. I was particularly impressed by the staff, who were both incredibly knowledgeable yet un patronising (they really offered a wealth of information). Unless you're particularly fascinated by art of South African origin, I wouldn't recommend making a trip to Penarth solely to visit this gallery, advice which is not issued in criticism, but due to the small size of the gallery (it would only take you 30mins at the most to explore). Penarth however is a fantastic little area of South Wales, so I recommend that you combine a trip to this gallery with a visit to other local attractions.

I'm a big fan of this gallery…read more Despite living just down the road from it for a number of months, I only really ventured in for the first time last week. I was pleasantly surprised by the modern and professional atmosphere that I suddenly found myself in. I'm not entirely sure what I had been expecting, but it was certainly not the wonderful photographic presentation before me. Although the gallery is small, they do a lot to maximise their space and put their artwork together in a thought provoking and interesting way, rather than just hanging it on the wall. This is a lovely gem not far from the train station, Penarth Pier and lots of cafes. I advise you to make a day of it.

BayArt Gallery, situated as its name suggests in the heart of the Bay area of the city, aims to…read moreshowcase the best of Welsh and international contemporary art. It's a relative newcomer to Cardiff's thriving arts scene, but for Cardiffians interested in art it's one to watch. There are a couple of upcoming exhibitions advertised on its website, alongside exciting educational workshops for both children and adults. The gallery is aiming to put on around six exhibitions a year, with the next, 'Vario' taking place from 25 September until 22 October (including work by 48 artists from Australia, Hawaii in the USA, and V-6 artists, printmakers and publishers from Cardiff), followed by 'Urban Delight', an exhibition of work by painter Robert Soden, who is interested in contemporary city scapes and urban regeneration.

Bay Art is a spacious contemporary ground floor art space in Cardiff Bay exhibiting a programme of…read moreWelsh and international artists. The white-wall gallery measures a sizeable 1,926 square feet with 228 hanging wall space allowing for large pieces whether solo shows of group exhibitons like the touring exhibition for the excellent annual Jerwood Drawing Prize. The building that hosts Bay Art Gallery has been an arty place since the late seventies. From 1979 the space housed artist's studios, and as such it is one of the longest running studio buildings in Wales. By the mid nineties the premises had deteriorated to quite a sorry state. All was feared lost, until in 1997 Butetown Artists came to the rescue, initating a capital project of £1,052,660 to repair and refurbish the building as a public art gallery and 16 artist studios. The project was completed in 2002 thanks to funding from the Arts Council of Wales Lottery Fund, with other substantial contributions from Cardiff City Council, CADW, Foundation for the Sports and Arts and the now disbanded Cardiff Bay Development Corporation.

Hello The PRINTHAUS. Waves. Hello new thing. Hello new and exciting development in Canton. Hello…read moreanother reason for us not to leave the Chapter quarter. Tucked away as you are between Chapter and Llanover Hall. Hello not-for-profit. Hello the place that shall be offering facilities to printmakers and artists in general. Hello cheeky who wants beginners and established fine art printmakers to play together. I know you are still under development, but I am impatient to meet you. So I say Hello. I wait for you to say Hello back and launch your programme of opportunities, workshops and events. Hope that's okay. Perhaps we could have a cuppa. Maybe a biscuit. A nice sit down.

A little while ago I went to this venue to see Aled Jones take on the role of Caractacus Potts in…read more'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', and finally got to see this splendid new building from the inside. Most people who are at all familiar with Cardiff would recognise the armadillo/woodlouse outer shell of the Wales Millennium Centre, and the giant lettering gracing its sides. But, unfortunately, few people seem to have actually ventured inside. The space is modern and clean, without looking barren, as so easily might have happened. The theatre itself has excellent leg-room, comfortable seats and pretty much unrestricted views. I sometimes struggle with low volume when attending musicals, but the acoustics were excellent, and every word clear as a bell. As well as shows and events, there are also food outlets and guided tours available. There are also free performances most days on the Glanfa stage, which are certainly worth checking out.

This is a great place to go watch a show. Very enjoyable experience watching bedknobs and brooms…read moresticks, slight technical problem but still enjoyable. The seats were comfortable and view was great. Staff friendly and helpful. Great experience and thoroughly enjoyed will return to watch another show.

Maggie Andrews has a great studio in a concession within the Old Wool Barn Art & Craft Centre in…read moreVerity's Court, just behind the HIgh Street. You can get there via a handy little alleyway, to the left of Arthur John Hardware. (I had lived in Cowbridge for six months before I discovered this handy little alleyway!) Maggie Andrews is a ceramicist who creates really beautiful, delicate porcelain pieces, mainly for the house and home. As well as being decorative and ornamental, she also makes items that have practical applications, such as lighting and frames for example. Her studio is a fascinating space, containing all of the accoutrements of her trade. It even houses a beautiful big kiln, which I'm sure the other residents are grateful for over the winter! A visit to the Craft Barns is a really inspiring and fun thing to do I highly recommend that you make the time to give it a visit. All of the artisans are happy to talk about what they do, and Maggie is incredibly friendly, and what she has to say is always fascinating.

I think this is a truly amazing idea; a relatively safe space in a bustling city centre used to…read moredisplay artwork of all kinds made by the art department of one of the local universities. A place where artists can be exposed to the often cruel gaze of the public to get their first taste of subjective appraisal outside of the relative safety of the university walls. And what's more, it's free for the public to enter and look about. This is a hugely beneficial experience for the artists in question; not only do they get their work displayed as professional artists, potentially for the first time, they also receive criticism and plaudits from the appreciating public. They get to gauge what pieces of their art touches an audience in a way they have never been able to before this, and it is placed there without the pressure of sales, or of professional criticism; it is a purely artistic endeavour. And apart from the artists, this is a tremendous benefit for the city. To have a small, secluded space to view the work of potential artists is one of those incredible little points of interest that keeps the city unique and prevents Cardiff from drifting into the same high street experience as everywhere else.

Shoving art into high street shopping spaces is no new thing. Sometimes it is done badly (The awful…read moreBlue Dot 'Gallery' upstairs in the Capitol Centre), and sometimes it is done well - think the TactileBosch invasion of performance art into disused shop fronts and commercial units a couple of years back. UWIC 's new gallery outlet in the Capitol centre lands somewhere in the middle of the spectrum what with being a showcase for Freshers and second year undergraduate art and design students from UWIC. Still any way you look at it , it serves a useful learning experience for both artist and Joe Public on showing and experiencing art in the public eye away from your usual white spaces. An interesting experiment.

Guili Guili is a children's clothing store in Penarth. From the outside the shop is fun and bright,…read morewith birds (which, by the way, make cute sounds when you tickle them on the website) and flowers. Inside, there are clothes from ages 0-6, but you'll wish they went into adult sizes. There is a great selection from what I would assume are pretty well known children's brands, such as Dandelion and The Next Big Thing, as well as many others. The clothes are, as might be expected, bright and colourful. Here you can get something that's a little bit different while still being of a good high quality. You can appease a child's need to the bright and poofy, while still feeling like you're not a cruel parent. There is also a good selection of fun toys and gifts. I recommend this shop to any parent. But also to people who need to buys a present for a child without knowing where to begin.

A superb place to kit out your little one, this shop is full of the most desirable childrens ware…read morearound. Lots of high end european designers items and a fabulous range of acessories, toys and gift items too. This shop used to be situated down by the train station but has recently relocated to Herbert Terrace, sharing a site with Vernons. This is now much more conveniently located .The staff are unfailingly polite and helpful and this shop is little gem in the mass market of high street childrens clothes shops. Stck includes No Added Sugar range amongst others and their range of girls tights is smashing! Fair prices for quality of this nature too.