Ambassador James Tyson
Head of Programmes, ArtHouse
James is Head of Programme at ArtHouse Jersey. He joined the organisation in 2022 and oversees the charity’s multi-faceted programmes of commissions, exhibitions, performances, concerts, community and education work working with artists and cultural organisations in Jersey and internationally.
ArtHouse Jersey is a charity that serves the Island community and international audiences by supporting artists from Jersey and across the world to create ambitious work. The art supported by ArtHouse has been shown in galleries, cinemas, online and performance venues all over the world as well as in schools, care-homes and Parish Halls across the Island. The team operate across between our HQ at Grève de Lecq Barracks, with exhibition space in St Helier, ArtHouse Jersey at Capital House and surprising locations around the Island.
The ArtHouse Jersey Education Programme works collaboratively with teachers and young people across the Island. Art House support trained, professional artists to create art experiences that enrich the curriculum as well as providing opportunities to access art outside of school. Gem of the Sea is one initiative which inspires students to connect with Jersey’s unique geology through a series of art resources and guidance that also support the delivery of the science, geography & PSHE curriculum.
Why is it important for Jersey to become a UNESCO Global Geopark?
ArtHouse Jersey is a charity that serves the Island community and international audiences by supporting artists from Jersey and across the world to create ambitious work. The art supported by ArtHouse has been shown in galleries, cinemas, online and performance venues all over the world as well as in schools, care-homes and Parish Halls across the Island. The team operate across between our HQ at Grève de Lecq Barracks, with exhibition space in St Helier, ArtHouse Jersey at Capital House and surprising locations around the Island. I hope the Jersey Island Geopark will create a better understanding of the geological significance of Jersey’s unique landscapes and marine environment and the bigger story across continents and time that this is so uniquely a part of. And how we can all take a role in preserving and maintaining this Island and its living ecosystems.
What role do the arts play in the enhancement and preservation the island’s unique culture?
ArtHouse is dedicated to placing the arts at the heart of the community. The arts play a vital role in preserving and enhancing Jersey’s unique culture by celebrating its rich heritage, storytelling traditions, and distinct identity. Through visual arts, music, performance, and community projects, Art House Jersey provides a platform for local and international artists to express and share the Island’s unique history in contemporary and meaningful ways. By fostering creativity and engagement, we ensure that Jersey’s cultural legacy remains dynamic, relevant, and deeply rooted in the community for future generations.
Where does the inspiration come from?
Each episode of Gem of the Sea uses Jersey as inspiration. From the shoreline of Jersey, biodiversity and climate change. It looks at Jersey’s culture of fishing and farming, safety at sea, as well as topics such as children’s rights, liberty and freedom and emotional health and wellbeing. For example, Guardians of the Sea gives pupils the opportunity to explore changing states of matter through art that observes the physical changes of melting ice. Students explore changing sea levels through photography, painting, drawing and collage.
Where can you find out more?
Gem of the Sea includes six episodes that will be released across the academic year between 2024 and 2025. These can be accessed through the Education Page of our website where these new resources can be easily accessed on the education platform Padlet. The first episode covers drawing and abstracted paintings, paper sculptures and seascape collage.
Le Pinacle
Le Pinacle is just one of so many extraordinary sites where the human, the geological and everything that might exist between them feels present.