Islanders will once again be able to enjoy seeing rarely-seen objects and documents with the return of Jersey Heritage’s popular ‘Meet the Collections’ series.

‘Meet the Collections’ was on hold for the past two years because of the pandemic. However, it has been able to resume now that restrictions have eased and in-person events are once again possible.

The monthly events will showcase pieces from the collections not currently on display, including works of art, textiles, parchments and archaeological material. Each has been carefully chosen by the Collections team from the hundreds of thousands of pieces in Jersey’s Heritage’s care, dating from the Ice Age to the present day. Staff will be on hand at each event to share details about the objects and reveal more about the stories behind them.

The themes of this year’s ‘Meet the Collections’ include the monarchy, sports, archaeology, childhood and education, maritime and military. The events are all being held on a Saturday between 10am-2pm at either Jersey Archive or the Sir Francis Cook Gallery in Trinity. Entry is free.

The first event is on Saturday, 23 April at the Archive and is being held in partnership with the BBC as part of their ‘Art That Made Us’ festival, which runs across the UK throughout the month. The art on display will include works by Edmund Blampied, Claude Cahun and Philip Ouless.

Helena Kergozou, Jersey Heritage’s Museum Registrar, said: “Our ‘Meet the Collections’ events will include pieces that have been carefully chosen by the Collections team. They might be unique, beautiful, unusual or commonplace but what they will all have in common is that they each represent a different aspect of the Island’s rich history and are not currently on display. As we don’t usually have an opportunity to share these pieces with Islanders, ‘Meet the Collections’ is a fantastic opportunity for people to come see them up close and find out a little more about their stories behind them.”

Meet the Collections 2022

All ‘Meet the Collections’ events are from 10am-2pm and entry is free.

The Art That Made Us

Saturday, 23 April

Jersey Archive

As part of the BBC’s ‘Art That Made Us’ festival, come and see artworks from the collection by artists such as Edmund Blampied, Claude Cahun and Philip Ouless that are not normally on display at our visitor sites.

Occupation and Liberation

Saturday, 14 May

Jersey Archive

 

See a wide variety of objects and documents from this momentous period in our Island’s history, including homemade toys, household items and crystal radio sets.

The Royal Family/ The Queen

Saturday, 11 June

Jersey Archive

To coincide with the Platinum Jubilee, we will be showcasing an assortment of items from the collections associated with the Queen, previous monarchs and past Royal Visits.

Archaeology

Saturday, 23 July

Sir Francis Cook Gallery

As part of the CBA Festival of Archaeology, come and see some of the archaeological treasures in the collection, with our Curator of Archaeology and Finds Officer on hand to talk about the different items.

Sports

Saturday, 13 August

Sir Francis Cook Gallery

With the Commonwealth Games taking place this summer, we will be showing a range of sporting goods from our collection, from medals and equipment, to records of sports events.

Childhood and Education

Saturday, 3 September

Sir Francis Cook Gallery

This month’s event will feature a range of items from the Victorian period to the late 20th century, including toys, children’s books, school equipment and records.

Maritime

Saturday, 1 October

Sir Francis Cook Gallery

All things maritime will be on display, from marine salvage and archaeology, to model ships and shipping charts.

Military

Saturday, 5 November

Sir Francis Cook Gallery

We will be telling the story of the Island’s proud military history with items ranging from the 17th century through to the 20th century.

Shops and Shopping

Saturday, 3 December

Sir Francis Cook Gallery

For the final event of the year, there will be images and artefacts on display, from shop signs to paper bags. Come along to reminisce and share your stories of shopping in times gone by.

For more information, go to www.jerseyheritage.org/explore/whats-on/meet-the-collections/