We heard the sad news that Sybil Crouch, the former Chair of the Arts Council of Wales, has recently passed away. She served as a Labour councillor in Swansea, and was described by Rob Stewart, leader of Swansea Council, as “a passionate campaigner, a dedicated and active councillor [and] a passionate supporter of the arts in Swansea.”
As Head of Cultural Services at the Taliesin Arts Centre at Swansea University from 1991–2019, Sybil organised Jonah Jones’s last major one-man exhibition in early 2004. ‘Scene and Word’ was the title Jonah chose for the occasion, a name that lives on in memory through our company.
One of Sybil’s last actions before she retired was to ensure that the future of Jonah’s plaque commemorating the opening of Taliesin in 1984 was at the top of the list of tasks for her successor Steve Williams. Scene & Word had contacted her to express concern that the plaque had not been reinstalled following major renovations to the ground floor of the arts centre. As we reported earlier, “We are very grateful to Sybil and Steve for their successful efforts to ensure a long-term future for one of the few pieces of public work by Jonah in the second city of Wales.”