Work continues for grand gallery opening in 2023

Friday 23 December 2022

Good progress has been made on Art for Guernsey’s new 8,000 square foot art gallery and creative workshop in 2022 – with exciting features set to be enjoyed by the community next year.

The gallery covers two floors in traditional stone buildings at the junction of Mansell Street and Contree Croix Mansell which were leased to Art for Guernsey earlier this year on a non-commercial basis for at least 15 years.

The space will continue to feature international artists in residence, talented local artists, visiting exhibitions and artworks by adults and children on the island. Five street artists took over the space in early 2022 before the major renovations commenced. 

The art charity hopes the project will be a “catalyst for change” in the Old Quarter of St. Peter Port.  

Alongside standard gallery features there will be a café area for meetings, an exhibition space, an art library which can be converted into a hospitality space and a temperature and moisture controlled ‘strong room’ for high value artworks and virtual reality experiences. 

The Guernsey Disability Alliance have also been consulted to ensure the gallery is fully accessible. 

Pictured: Work is underway ahead of a spring 2023 opening. 

A dedicated children’s workshop and gallery will provide opportunities for presentations, meetings, creative projects, and lectures for the island’s young which will also be accessible to schools. 

The charity says it has “identified an education gap between secondary schools’ provision and further education, which it intends to bridge by establishing the AFG Academy, allowing students to make use of art materials and equipment and to acquire skills and confidence of expression, helping them to prepare for art schools or a career in the creative sector”.

There will also be opportunities for students to receive mentorship from professional artists and see their work curated all year long. 

Jock Pettitt, Director at Art for Guernsey, said the prospect of open the doors is becoming exciting.

“To have a home of this scale and versatility leaves us few boundaries in imagining what we might deliver and, given what the team has delivered to date,” he said.

“I cannot wait to work with them, and the new faces that will be joining, to keep pushing at the edges, with passion and creativity. We as a community are very lucky indeed to have this opportunity and I am certain it will have a wide-reaching impact, whilst enhancing creativity and wellbeing throughout the community.” 

Pictured: Hiscox, who are involved with insuring fine art, and Sure are supporting the new strong room.

David Ummels, Founder of Art for Guernsey, thanked the charity teams and construction and design firms - J.W Rihoy, Phase and StudiO – for working “incredibly hard” over the renovation period.

“I can’t wait for this space to open and be a home for local and visiting artists, for the local community and for the multiple workshops and educational opportunities that we will run in it. Finally, I am convinced that the Art for Guernsey gallery will be a key catalyst to help the rejuvenation of the much-loved Old Quarter, and we already have seen signs of that happening,” said Mr Ummels. 

“Over the last seven years we have organised 75 exhibitions and events, on an ad-hoc basis, privately and entrepreneurially funded, delivering fantastic value for our community and this without costing a penny to the taxpayers. Now we have to step up to the challenge of delivering the same standards 365 days of the year, which we are ready for, but need the support of the community. 

“We will start a public fundraising campaign early next year and we hope that businesses and individuals will get behind our exciting goals for the gallery and help us to bring them to fruition. 

“I would like to place on record our utmost gratitude for the private benefactors who helped us to secure the premises and for the corporate and philanthropic organisations who have already seen fit to support the development of our gallery: Hiscox, The Sarah Groves Foundation, Polygon Collective, The Community Foundation, Cazenove Capital, The Social Investment Fund, The Lloyds Foundation and Sure. We could not have started this project without their precious support.” 

Pictured: A bespoke area for children is included in the plans. 

Art for Guernsey have already announced that the first exhibition will open in spring 2023 and feature Victor Hugo artworks, some of which have been produced by its artists in residence. 

Future plans include a return to Pierre Auguste-Renoir in the autumn, with an international exhibition in partnership with the Musée des Impressionnismes de Giverny and Guernsey Museums including a number of international loans.