Paper Worlds: An exhibition created by Jersey’s schoolchildren

Celebrating the value of art in education

ArtHouse Jersey is delighted to announce Paper Worlds, an exhibition created by Jersey schoolchildren, using paper as their core creative material. Running from Tuesday 25 March to Sunday 30 March 2025 at ArtHouse Jersey at Capital House, this exhibition is the culmination of a shared journey taken by students, artists & educators.

As part of ArtHouse Jersey’s Making Art Partnerships in Schools (MAPS) project, the arts charity commissioned eight professional artists to work alongside eight teachers in partnership with local schools last year. They shared skills, knowledge and a passion for the visual arts in various classrooms across Jersey. 

This exhibition is the result, celebrating the diverse creative artworks made by hundreds of young people.

The project took its inspiration from the work of Layla May Arthur, a Jersey-born paper artist who handcrafts every detail of her intricate sculptures and installations from the simplest and most accessible of materials. On display will be a selection of work including photography, mixed media sculpture, weavings, painting, analogue, animation, printmaking, illustrations and collage, with most pieces having paper at their heart. 

The schools that took part in MAPS and whose students created the artwork are St Peter's School, Helvetia House School, Jersey College Preparatory School, Rouge Bouillon School, Grands Vaux School, D'Augvergne School, St Saviour's School and Highland's College School of Art.

MAPS Making Art Partnerships in Schools (MAPS)
MAPS is an islandwide project that seeks to build partnerships between professional artists and local schools. Between 2024 and 2025, ​eight artist educators have been paired with teachers in eight schools to work together to devise and deliver unique projects that use creativity to explore aspects of the curriculum, directly reaching over 280 students.

Each of the artists brought with them a strong foundation in art & design and a commitment to their own creative practice​, which allowed them to share skills, knowledge and a passion for the visual arts in the classroom.​ During summer ​last year, the artists and teachers were asked to explore paper through a series of workshops, providing an opportunity to experiment with new techniques, explore​ the curriculum and encourage the educators to reflect on the process of learning using simple and accessible materials. In the ​autumn they began to collaborate, research, design and deliver a set of cross curricular workshops for​ students.​ This exhibition, Paper Worlds, celebrates and documents the work created by students in Jersey​ through MAPS. 

The MAPS project has been strengthened by an artist educator exchange program between ArtHouse Jersey and the Académie Malouine d'Arts Plastiques in Saint-Malo which will continue into summer.

MAPS has been supported by the Government of Jersey as part of its commitment to support art, culture and heritage. Through the delivery of this project we are able to nurture the development of young people and make an impact on the value and importance we place on art in society and on developing a happy, healthy and culturally engaged Island community.

Paper Worlds family workshops at ArtHouse Jersey at Capital 

As part of the Paper Worlds exhibition there will be a series of workshops open to family groups, inviting parents, carers or guardians to experience creative learning. These will take place at ArtHouse Jersey at Capital House and the details can be found via Eventbrite. Free entry but booking is required. 

Director of ArtHouse Jersey, Tom Dingle, said. “ArtHouse Jersey believes that the value of art in schools can not be underestimated. Creative learning supports imagination and confidence while encouraging young people to think differently and make their own unique mark in the world. Our education programme nurtures the creative development of young Islanders, placing value and importance on art and creativity in the classroom, helping to contribute to the development of a happy, healthy and culturally engaged society. 

This project crucially trains artists and teachers together meaning that the artists gain a better understanding about the needs of teachers and how to design projects around the curriculum, whilst teachers can grow in confidence to deploy creativity across all subjects, extending the benefit beyond the students who take directly take part, leading to a lasting impact for cohorts to come. This exhibition is a brilliant example of how ArtHouse Jersey, educators and Jersey’s school children can work together to harness the value of arts in the classroom and the benefits of creativity for all.”

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EVENT DETAILS

Collaging Family Workshop, Saturday 22 March, 

Inspired by Kirstie Fulton’s MAPS workshop delivered to Rouge Bullion School, this workshop will focus on creating unique textures using various media, such as watercolours, inks, and oil pastels. Participants will explore the world of beetles through collage, creating unique pieces inspired by their forms and characteristics.

Paper Doves Family Workshop, Sunday 23 March

To mark the Liberation80 anniversary, ArtHouse Jersey is inviting young people to contribute to a sculptural installation that will be displayed in the Capital House gallery in May. This workshop invites families to drop in and create a simple paper dove for the project.

Paper Sculptures Family Workshop, Sunday 23 March

Inspired by Gigi Cooke’s MAPS workshop delivered to Jersey College Prep, this workshop explores Geography, looking at geographical regions and identifying key topographical features. This workshop will consider scale, structure and composition to create hills, mountains, coasts and rivers with paper.

Sensory Drawing Family Workshop, Saturday 29 March

Inspired by Alexander Mourant’s MAPS workshop delivered to d'Auvergne School, this workshop will explore the abstract drawing processes and experimentation on a large collaborative scroll. The workshop is centred upon sensory learning, play, experimentation and collaboration.                                                                                       

Weaving Family Workshop, Sunday 30 March                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Inspired by Nicole Sheppard’s MAPS workshop delivered to Helvetia House School, this workshop will encourage the freedom to be inventive and exploratory, using weaving to create a collection of sculptural representations of animal dens, nests and habitats based on an animal’s seasonal response to the colder weather conditions.

There will also be an Art Master Class for educators on Friday 28 March led by Alex Mourant. He will be giving a talk about his mixed media and photography practice before leading a practical workshop for art educators.