£42k grant enables collection to stay in Guernsey

Friday 08 September 2023

A grant of £42,000 from the UK charity Art Fund has allowed Guernsey Museums & Galleries to buy an entire collection of photographs, produced locally last year.

Sîan Davey was artist in residence for 2022 when she captured the contemporary images depicting farm life in Guernsey.

Ms Davey’s photograph collection was created as part of the island’s Artist in Residence Programme, which has been developed over the last 11 years between the Guernsey Photography Festival and Guernsey Museums.

The aim is to create a collection of contemporary photography by world famous artists about the Bailiwick. In exchange for their commission, each artist donates a minimum of 10 images to the Guernsey Museums.

Artists are chosen according to the type of work they have been developing over the years and how well they can respond to a specific aspect of the island and its community. In 2019, British photographer Sîan Davey was invited to investigate the farming community in Guernsey. A project she accepted with great enthusiasm as she came from a family for farmers herself.

Following the disruption of the pandemic, the exhibition 'For the Love of the Land', was shown at Guernsey Museum in the autumn of 2022.

Guernsey Museums and the Guernsey Photography Festival made the joint grant application to Art Fund - the national fundraising charity for art in the UK - to enable Guernsey Museums & Galleries to buy the collection. 

Helen Glencross, Head of Heritage Services is very pleased they succeeded. 

“The Museum is hugely grateful for this generous grant from the Art Fund, which enables us to acquire additional works from Sîan Davey," she said.

"Through the Artist in Residence Programme, the Museum is building up an important collection of contemporary photography by leading international names.”

Guernsey Photography Festival, Artistic Director Jean-Christophe Godet said the photographs will add to the growing collection of locally captured portraits.

“I am delighted that this application was successful and am extremely grateful to the Art Fund for their generous financial support. We are working for this growing collection to become a permanent display that local residents, schools and visitors to the islands can enjoy long into the future. We are also developing touring exhibitions in Europe that will help raise Guernsey’s international profile.

"I would also like to thank, once again, Helen Glencross and her team at Guernsey Museums for their support and trust for all those years which enables us to bring such incredible talents to the island.”

Alongside Ms Davey, the Artist in Residence Programme has also welcomed: Martin Parr (UK), Klavdij Sluban (Slovenia), Michelle Sank (South Africa), Jason Wilde (UK), Mark Power (UK), Gregoire Eloy (France) and Cristina De Middel (Spain/ Mexico).

Simon Roberts was the latest artist in residence in Guernsey. His exhibition, “Between Tides” was presented at the Brian White Gallery and finished on 28th August 2023.