700 children & 15 artists take part in The Skipton School Mural Project

Inspiring young minds through art ...

Throughout the spring and summer term, children across the Island have been taking part in the largest mural project produced so far by ArtHouse Jersey. The Skipton School Mural project, sponsored by Skipton International, has seen fifteen artists – thirteen local and two international – work with around 700 local children to create a collection of unique murals, one at each school involved with the project. 

Local artist Ian Rolls delivers a workshop with children at St. Peter's school, based around theme'The Wild'. Visiting artist ATMA (Matt DuFour) is part of London street art collective Wood Street Walls. His workshop at Grainville school focused on patterns, encouraging students to create designs that reflected their personalities.

According to a study by Arts Council England, there is growing evidence that children and young people’s engagement with the arts and culture has a knock-on impact on their wider social and civic participation. The Skipton School Mural Project has set out to engage a wide cross section of the Island’s young people in a structured arts activity that could have a long-lasting impact on their lives.

Throughout the spring term, artists delivered workshops at schools across the Island. These workshops were designed to get children thinking creatively, encouraging them to express themselves on issues they care about and helping them to cultivate a shared vision about the kind of school community they want to be a part of. The ideas and designs that students generated went on to form the basis of each final mural.Having students collaborate with artists in the creation of these murals has given schools the opportunity to develop, showcase and celebrate the creative talents of their students to the wider community. Students have engaged enthusiastically, developing life-long skills and building confidence in their own abilities.

Year 2 teacher at Grand Vaux, Katy Martin, said:

"It was inspiring to be in the workshop with Lauren [Radley] and great to raise the profile of art. The project has been a massive success and we have been honoured to have taken part."Aaron Walden, Commercial Manager at Skipton International said: “This has been one of the most enjoyable of ArtHouse Jersey’s projects to be involved with, simply because of the broad range of people it has touched and inspired. From teachers to pupils, parents to the artists themselves, I think everyone has come away with a wider understanding of how impactful art can be upon the community and how great it is as an educational tool for young minds.”Each school has held an unveiling ceremony where students, parents and teachers have come together to celebrate the fantastic work of the children and artists. The permanence of the murals serves as a continuing reminder of what’s possible when communities and schools partner for sustainable cultural change. Take a look at some of the completed murals below, along with a round up video of all the pieces completed so far as part of the project.

Trinity School - Lines of Thought (Amy Dorey)

Amy worked with children at Trinity School to create a ‘Mindful Garden’ in their library room. Her workshop focused on the importance of looking after our minds and mental health, and that values (such as respect, curiosity, resilience and concentration) are seeds in our minds that can nurtured.

St. Martin's School - Ben Misson

Ben’s mural adorns a wall in the music room on the theme of ‘music’ in a traditional graffiti style. The students school were taught about graffiti art under Ben’s guidance, focusing on areas like lettering which is synonymous with the style.

Grand Vaux School - Lauren Radley

Lauren’s workshop encouraged children to think about who they are as individuals and what's important to them as a community. Lauren used the children's ideas and illustrations as inspiration for this jigsaw-like mural that reflects the school as a whole, as well as the individual interests and personalities of each child. 

Victoria College Preparatory School - Clare Morvan

Clare’s workshop with the students at Victoria College Preparatory focused on getting the boys to design an underwater landscape. The students worked together, under Clare’s guidance, to design their own coral reef and sea life which Clare used as the basis for a unique coral reef wall mural made entirely out of bespoke glass pieces.   

Jersey College Preparatory School - Eliza Reine

Eliza asked children at JCP to open their eyes wide to appreciate the details of the world around us. Drawing inspiration from the girls’ drawings, she created an idyllic ‘community’ scene which incorporated a collection of unique treehouses and characters reflecting the school’s ethos.

Hautlieu School - Lulu MacDonald

Lulu MacDonald is a Jersey artist, currently living and working in Hamburg, whose clever sculptures exist somewhere between 2D and 3D. Lulu worked with students from Hautlieu School to create still life collages of flower and plant life using paper that they had made themselves using marbling techniques. The designs created by the students adorn two movable displays, which can be relocated around the school and create a stained glass effect.

Springfield School - James Carter

Based around the themes of inclusion, integrity, friendship and relationships, James’ mural incorporated the imaginative character designs created by the children under the heading ‘Stronger Together.’

Le Roquier School - Le Mark McClure

Visiting artist Mark McClure, who has exhibited widely in the UK and Internationally and has created murals for locations including London’s Olympic Stadium Park ran workshops for students reflecting his signature bold, geometric style of art informed by his background in graphic design. Mark encouraged students to explore the use of shapes and colour to create expressive and unique designs from a shared starting point.Skipton International has supported ArtHouse Jersey’s projects and events on the Island for nine consecutive years. Its ongoing sponsorship has been invaluable, enabling us to deliver a range of pioneering, community-focused art projects on the Island.