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‘Meet the Collections’ returns for 2023 with events being held across a number of heritage sites and a host of opportunities to take a tour behind-the-scenes to see where historical objects are kept
The series of monthly events, which begins this weekend, offers people the chance to see some of the unique, beautiful, unusual and sometimes commonplace objects, artworks, archives, textiles and archaeological material cared for by Jersey Heritage and not currently on public display. Each event is free and has a different theme, ranging from entertainment, food and rural life, to medicine, archaeology and Liberation.
‘Meet the Collections’ starts this Saturday (4th) at Jersey Archive at 10am when the focus will be on objects connected to famous Islanders, such as Gerald Durrell, Claude Cahun and Lillie Langtry. There will also be the chance to take an exclusive tour of the art collection, which is securely stored at the Archive after being moved there last year from the Sir Francis Cook Gallery.
Helena Kergozou, Senior Registrar at Jersey Heritage, said: “Our ‘Meet the Collections’ events provide a fantastic opportunity for people to get up close with items from our collections that are not on display at our visitor sites. We care for hundreds of thousands of pieces and there isn’t enough space to have everything used in our exhibitions and displays. But each piece we care for has become part of our collection because it plays a part in telling Jersey’s story and we love to pick some of our favourites, take them out of storage and share them with the public.
“This year, as well as events at Jersey Archive and Sir Francis Cook Gallery, we’ll also be heading out to Hamptonne Country Life Museum and La Hougue Bie to connect with families, holidaymakers and visitors. On the days that we’re based at the Sir Francis Cook Gallery, we’ll be offering behind-the-scenes tours of the Object Store, which will provide even more opportunities to see our collections.”