Minerva Arts Centre

About the museum

The Minerva Arts Centre in Llanidloes is the home of the Quilt Association, a charity set up in 1996 to promote patchwork, quilting and textile art. Its roots go back to 1985, when quilts from a private collection were shown in the town, and to 1995, when friends organised the first major summer exhibition of antique Welsh quilts in a rented former garage called the Minerva Garage. Summer quilt exhibitions have been held every year since.

In 1998 the association bought the garage with funds from the European Union, Powys County Council, Llanidloes Town Council and private donors, and renamed it the Minerva Arts Centre. The building was reroofed and given a new front in 2000, and later gained heating, an accessible toilet and a small shop. It has two galleries and a workroom.

The association cares for a nationally important collection of more than 200 antique quilts and textiles, many of them made in Llanidloes and mid Wales. They range from early nineteenth-century Welsh flannel patchworks and wholecloth quilts to cotton patchworks of the 1970s. Volunteers catalogue and research the items, and the collection can be studied by appointment. The highlight of the year is the summer exhibition, which combines pieces from the collection with contemporary work. When the galleries are not used for quilting, they are hired out for exhibitions, fairs, talks and workshops, and the centre hosts events such as the Wool and Willow Festival and a Christmas craft fair.

Highlights

• Collection of more than 200 antique Welsh quilts and textiles
• Annual summer quilt exhibition
• Two galleries and a workroom in a converted garage
• Quilting and textile workshops, including for children
• Shop and events such as the Wool and Willow Festival

Founded

1998

Operated by

The Quilt Association

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry to the 2026 summer exhibition was free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The centre has two toilets, one of which is accessible.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Workshops for children aged 7 to 13 are held in the school holidays, for example appliqué, fabric painting and embroidery.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The centre has a shop at the entrance to the first gallery, and a small kitchen for hire events.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties

Gallery 1 (about 200 square metres), Gallery 2 (about 100) and a workroom (about 100) can be hired together or separately for exhibitions, meetings, talks, fairs, workshops, rehearsals and performances (with the right licences). Tables and chairs are included in the fee.

Plan your visit