Last month, an unveiling event was held in the States Assembly building to showcase the high calibre of entries into the ‘My Island’ Art Competition, which was launched in Women’s History Month to celebrate female artists in Jersey. The event took place in one of the two rooms which have now been renamed in honour of two of Jersey’s female political pioneers, Caroline Trachy and Ivy Forster.
The competition had sixty entries, of which thirty pieces were shortlisted across four age categories: 7-11, 12-15, 16-18 and 19+. The shortlisted works were assessed by a panel of judges who selected the winning pieces and runners-up in each category, as well as ten ‘Highly Commended’ pieces from the 19+ category.
The judging panel was comprised of:
• Karen Shenton-Stone, Connétable of St Martin and Chair of the Privileges and Procedures Committee
• Lisa Hart, the Greffier of the States
• Katherine Wood, ArtHouse Jersey
The winning works and runners up were:
• ‘Mont Orgueil’ (Acrylic on canvas) Celina Borfiga, 19+ Category Winner
• ‘Corbiere Lighthouse’ (Paint on canvas) Ella Sangan, 16-18 Category Winner
• ‘My beautiful Jersey island, and I am so lucky to call it home’ (Acrylic on canvas) Daniela Stratford, 12-15 Category Winner
• ‘Jersey Seaside’ (Watercolour) Matilda de Gouveia, 7-11 Category Winner
• ‘Lillian Grandin – Jersey’s First Female Doctor’ (Digital illustration) Abi Overland, 19+ Category Runner Up
• ‘Collection on Blue Formica’ (Photography) Rychèl Thérin, 19+ Category Runner Up
• ‘Flower Cow’ (Watercolour and pen on canvas) Arabella Chester, 12-15 Category Runner Up
• ‘Starry Bay’ (Acrylic on canvas) Liliana Wolanski, 7-11 Category Runner Up
The Highly Commended works were:
• Anita Eastwood, “Birds eye view – Rocco Tower”
• Anita Rive, “The Passage Grave - La Hougue Bie”
• Anna Shipley, “Seeking Spaces”
• Bryony Koester, “Eternal Monument”
• Chantal Venton, “Ode to the Boatman”
• Jools Holt, “Ouaisne towards St Brelade”
• Julie Sabin, “Ma Roze”
• Kelly Eastwood, “Mexican Vibes at Mont Orgueil”
• Stephanie Rondel, “Portlet Bay at Low Tide”
• Tracey Abernethy, “The Reflection”
These artworks will be displayed in States Assembly buildings, including the Caroline Trachy and Ivy Forster rooms, for 12 months. There will be a public display of the competition entries later this year as part of the Democracy Week 2023 programme of events.
Caroline Trachy and Ivy Forster both made history through their political pursuits: in 1922, Trachy was the first woman to try and stand for election (though she was prevented as it was illegal at that time for women to sit in the States), and in 1948, Forster became the first woman to be elected to the States Assembly.
Connétable Karen Shenton-Stone commented: “It has been a real pleasure to see the amazing and varied artwork that has been submitted for this competition. There is a huge amount of artistic talent on our Island, all the way through from the younger years up to adults. I am very proud that we are celebrating and showcasing female artists in this way, not only through the competition itself but by displaying the winning pieces in States Assembly buildings so that they can be appreciated by a wider audience.
“I am also delighted that some of the winning works will be displayed in the Caroline Trachy and Ivy Forster rooms, which have been named after these political pioneers to honour their legacies and to mark the progress still being made towards a more balanced and diverse States Assembly.”
States Assembly Press Notice.