WE ARE READY TO OPEN

James Qualtrough | June 21, 2012 | 0 Comments

Skipton Open Studios 2012, a seven-day celebration of local art for everyone organised by the Jersey Arts Trust, kicks off this weekend.

Now in its fifth year Skipton Open Studios features galleries, hands-on workshops and demonstrations, free photographic portraiture, stonemasonry, print making, needle turning and photography in ten converted shipping containers at Weighbridge Place from 23 to 28 June. It opens at 10 am Saturday and there will be music and live entertainment over the weekend. In addition, over this weekend and next, 46 Island artists will be opening their studios to the public or working in unusual and historic locations including Morel Farm and St Thomas’ Church.

Project manager Sasha Gibb said Skipton Open Studios promised to be the best yet as much of the collaborative work would be exhibited or taking place in unusual locations rarely open to the public.

‘We are delighted to have the support of Skipton International for the next three years and look forward to working with them to deliver a fantastic community event to showcase local artistic talent,’ she said. ‘We invite Islanders of all ages, especially families, and visitors to visit the open studios and also to join us at the Weighbridge taster exhibition, demos and workshops, then pick up a directory to choose the open studios they most want to visit But above all we want to promote the depth of talent among Jersey’s artistic community.’

The Managing Director at Skipton International, Jim Coupe, said it was a pleasure to support the Jersey Arts Trust in taking art into the public domain in such innovative and engaging ways.

‘We are really excited to be involved in such a great community endeavour which promises to appeal to Islanders of all ages and visitors to Jersey by bringing the arts to the people and in such a public location as Weighbridge Place. There is a rich pool of diverse artistic talent in the Island – as shown by the 46 artists taking part in the Skipton Open Studios. We hope that our support over the next three years will help to develop their skills and also enable Islanders and visitors to learn more about their work,’ he said.

Skipton International, a subsidiary of the UK’s fourth largest building society, is a bank and one of the leading mortgage provider in the Channel Islands. They sponsor the Skipton Swimarathon in Guernsey among other charity and community organisations and initiatives in the islands.