Meet the team of committee members who run the Icon Cymru Group
Chair | Cadeirydd, Icon Cymru
Gwenllian Thomas studied Care of Collections at Cardiff University before working for the National Trust in London for 10 years in collections care. She moved onto a role as Collections Care Conservator for the Science Museum, before moving to Scotland in 2017. There she worked as the sole conservator for City of Edinburgh Council's Museums and Galleries, alongside volunteering her time as secretary and later chair of the Icon Scotland group. In 2024, she moved back home to South Wales to join Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales as Senior Preventive Conservator.
Astudiodd Gwenllian Thomas Gofal Casgliadau ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd, cyn symud i Lundain i weithio i'r Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol am 10 mlynedd mewn swyddi gofal casgliadau. Aeth ymlaen i weithio i'r Amgueddfa Wyddoniaeth fel Cadwraethydd Gofal Casgliadau, cyn symud i'r Alban yn 2017. Yno, hi oedd yr unig cadwraethydd yn gweithio ar draws Amgueddfeydd ag Orielau Cyngor Dinas Caeredin; yn ogystal, gwirfolodd Gwenllian fel ysgrifennydd ac yn hwyrach cadeirydd grwp Icon yr Alban. Yn 2024 symudodd nôl i Dde Cymru i fod yn Uwch Gadwraethydd Ataliol gydag Amgueddfa Cymru.
Treasurer | Trysorydd, Icon Cymru
Originally from Hamburg in Germany, Kim Thüsing gained an MA in History of Art and English Literature from the University of Edinburgh. She then studied at the Textile Conservation Centre, graduating in the year 2000. She has worked at the National Trust Textile Conservation Studio, followed by a contract working for the Clíodna Devitt private textile conservation studio in Dublin. Following this, she worked on a project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation at the British Museum, conserving Chinese textiles belonging to the Stein collection. Since 2005 she is Senior Conservator Textiles at Amgueddfa Cymru: National Museum Wales in Cardiff.
Yn wreiddiol o Hamburg yn yr Almaen, cyflawnodd Kim Thüsing MA mewn Hanes Celf a Llenyddiaeth Saesneg ym Mhrifysgol Caeredin. Aeth ymlaen i astudio yn y Canolfan Cadwraeth Tecstiliau, yn graddio yn 2000. Mae Kim wedi gweithio yn Stiwdio Cadwraeth Tecstiliau yr Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol, stiwdio preifat Clíodna Devitt yn Nulyn, ac yn yr Amgueddfa Prydeinig ar prosiect wedi'i ariannu gan Sefydliad Andrew W. Mellon i drin tecstiliau Tseineaidd o'r casgliad Stein. Ers 2005, mae Kim wedi gweithio yn Amgueddfa Cymru yng Nghaerdydd fel Uwch Gadwraethydd Tecstiliau.
Secretary | Ysgrifennydd, Icon Cymru
Rhian Thoms holds a BA in Ceramics from Cardiff school of art and design and an MSc in Care of Collections from Cardiff University. Rhian is currently working for Tiger Bay and the World heritage charity in Cardiff. This is her first committee position and she is looking forward to networking with other conservators in Wales. Rhian is also a practicing artist, her latest work being in stained glass.
Mae gan Rhian BA Cerameg o Ysgol Celf a Dylunio Caerdydd ag MSc Gofal Casgliadau o Brifysgol Caerdydd. Ar hyn o bryd mae'n gweithio i'r elusen treftadaeth Tiger Bay and the World yng Nghaerdydd. Hwn yw ei rol pwyllgor cyntaf ac mae'n edrych ymlaen i adeiladu rhwydwaith gyda cadwraethwyr eraill yng Nghymru. Mae Rhian hefyd yn gweithio fel artist, yn ddiweddar gyda gwydr lliw.
Social Media Officer | Swyddog Cyfryngau Cymdeithasol, Icon Cymru
Sue Renault ACR graduated from Cardiff with a BSc Hons in Archaeological Conservation in 1989. She volunteered for a short period at St Fagans before undertaking a short contract at Newport Museum & Art Gallery. A two year contract working for Amgueddfa Cymru as a social history conservator followed, again based at St Fagans National Museum of History. After being made permanent, Sue continued to carry out treatments on objects whilst also gradually increasing her management responsibility. By the time Sue took early retirement in March 2024, she was responsible for practical social history and applied art conservation, Amgueddfa Cymru COSHH Officer and managed the conservation at St Fagans, along with the conservation of the Industry and Archaeology collections. Within Icon, Sue has volunteered as both an Accreditation Mentor and Assessor. She has also served in different roles on the Icon Metals Committee since 2013.
Graddiodd Sue o Brifysgol Caerdydd ym 1989 gyda BA yng Nghadwraeth Archaeolegol. Gwirfoddolodd yn Sain Ffagan am cyfnod, cyn derbyn swydd dros dro yn Amgueddfa ac Oriel Casnewydd. Nesaf ddaeth swydd dros dro am dwy flynedd yn Sain Ffagan fel Cadwraethwr Hanes Cymdeithasol. Ar ol i'r swydd ddod yn barhaol, cynyddodd cyfrifoldebau reolaeth Sue. Erbyn iddi hi ymddeol yn gynnar ym mis Mawrth 2024, Prif Gadwraethwr dros casgliadau hanes, diwydiant, celf cymhwysol ac archaeoleg Amgueddfa Cymru oedd Sue, gyda cyfrifoldeb dros COSHH. Mae Sue wedi gwirfoddoli i ICON yn y gorfennol fel Cynghorwr ac Aseswr Achrediad, yn ogystal a sawl rol ar Bwyllgor Metel ICON ers 2013.
Student and Emerging Conservator Officer | Swyddog Myfyrwyr a Chadwraethwyr Gyrfa Cynnar, Icon Cymru
Susan is a 2nd-year MSc Conservation Practice student at Cardiff University. Her academic background is in Anthropology and she has previously worked in the publishing, literary, and non-profit sectors before discovering her passion for conservation.
Mae Susan yn ail flwyddyn ei MSc yng Nghadwraeth Ymarferol ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd. Gyda cefndir academaidd yn Anthropoleg, gweithiodd yn y sectorau cyhoeddi, llenyddiaeth a ddielw cyn iddi hi ddarganfod ei brwdfrydedd am cadwraeth.
Events Assistant | Cynorthwy-ydd Digwyddiadau, Icon Cymru
Melangell started her conservation life as a textile conservator with a MA from the Textile Conservation Centre (University of Southampton). She has had experience working as a conservator in museums, nationally and internationally and is also freelance. She has worked as an educator in museums, secondary education and on the Textiles Conservation Masters programme she studied on. She currently works as a National Trust Regional Conservator in Wales and Project Conservator for Kedleston Hall Museum (South Asian Collection) Project.
In all her work she aims to encourage collaborative and culturally sensitive collections conservation and care. She is researching and exploring practice in open and collaborative dialogues around approaches to ethics of care and conservation in collections today.
She has only recently returned to work in Wales, where she was born and grew up in a small family textiles and clothing business, and is excited to be here at this juncture, when ICON Wales is at its inception. She wants to play her part in developing the group and bringing people together; to support the wellbeing of members in Wales and to help create a supportive space for sharing of practice. Diolch pawb!
Mae gan Melangell MA Cadwraeth Tecstiliau o'r Ganolfan Cadwraeth Tecstiliau. Aeth ymlaen i ddatblygu ei gyrfa fel cadwraethwr mewn amgueddfeydd ym Mhrydain a thramor, yn ogystal a gweithio ar ei liwt ei hun. Mae hefyd wedi gweithio fel addysgwr mewn amgueddfeydd, ysgolion a'i chyn-brifysgol. Ar hyn o bryd mae Melangell yn gweithio fel Cadwraethwr Rhanbarthol dros Gymru i'r Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol a fel Cadwraethwr Prosiect yn Neuadd Kedleston (Prosiect Casgliad De Asia).
Fel rhan o'i phroffesiwn, mae Melangell yn hybu gwaith cadwraethol a gofal casgliadau sy'n gydweithrediadol gyda sensitifrwydd diwyllianol. Mae'n ymchwilo ymarfer cadwraethol sy'n agored a chydweithrediadol o gwmpas moeseg cyfoes yng ngofal casgliadau.
Magwyd Melangell yng Nghymru mewn teulu gyda busnes tecstiliau a dillad; mae wedi dychwelyd yn ddiweddar ac yn gyffrous i ymuno gyda Icon Cymru o'r cychwyn. Mae'n mynnu chwarae rôl mewn datblygiad y pwyllgor; dod â phobol gyda'u gilydd; cynorthwyo llês aelodau yng Nghymru; ac i helpu greu lle cynorthwyol i rhannu ymarfer proffesiynnol. Diolch pawb!