ArtHouse Jersey, the team behind artistic residencies, exhibitions, and wide-scale public art events, enjoyed a particularly successful year of Skipton Open Studios.
In June and July, Skipton Open Studios completed its ninth year, celebrating the wealth of artistic talent on the Island. Thousands of Islanders and tourists were encouraged to go out and explore pop-up exhibitions and the working studios of over 70 participating Jersey-based artists dotted around the island. The event was the largest ArtHouse Jersey have hosted to date, with over 200 individual artists, groups, galleries and independent businesses taking part.
However this year ArtHouse Jersey wanted to do something a little bit different with Skipton Open Studios, and grew their wider programme of events and projects to provide opportunities for more people to engage with the local arts scene. By collaborating with food and wine experts, they gave a whole new meaning to the culinary arts by blending together the love of food with unique art events, celebrating both Jersey’s culture and cuisine.
This included a Food Styling and Photography Workshop with Holly Smith Photography and the Bean Pot, and also the ‘Re-Wild my Plate’ initiative that considered edible infrastructures and invited the public to create deliciously sustainable menus. A ‘Food as Art’ dinner curated by Ian Rolls, James Lingard, Love Wine and Nourish transformed Greve de Lecq Barracks into a communal dining space that was a feast for all the senses. Last but not least, a ‘Drink & Draw’ co-hosted by Abi Overland took place at Project 52. The event saw over fifty people attend a night of drawing models in costumes designed by Alice Bravery, all while sipping cocktails as they sketched.
The Producer of the Skipton Open Studios, Alice Bravery, said: “We wanted to be adventurous and appeal to a broader audience than those that would typically engage in arts events. Art, food and drink naturally go hand-in-hand as part of cultural experiences, and have much to offer one another. We cannot wait to offer more of these kind of events in the future, and will be announcing future projects such as ‘Drink & Draws’ on our social media channels and via our newsletter”
ArtHouse Jersey also ran several events at its “pop-up hub” for Skipton Open Studios, Picquet House, in the Royal Square. The former police station, which was visited by over a thousand people, became the location of numerous art installations and workshops. This included a sealed-bid auction raising funds to support local Jersey artists and exhibitions, including those by Nicholas Romeril and Gabriella Street, and participatory workshops and projects by Sarah Taylor and The Morning Boat.
Ten new murals now adorn the streets of St Helier, thanks to the continuation of ArtHouse Jersey’s Mural Project III, curated by Ben Roberstson (BOKRA) in locations including the central and fish markets, Rue de Funchal and Parade Gardens. These can all be discovered on self-guided walks thanks to maps available on the Open Studios website, which includes information on the artists behind each of the works.
ArtHouse Jersey nurtures new creative content by providing a supportive environment for artists from around the world to develop new ideas and encourage new collaborations to flourish. To find out more about their work, as well as upcoming opportunities to take part by visiting arthouse.je.
