Past Rivington Fund Experiences
Having first heard about Rivington through social media posts Megan Woolsgrove applied for funding to travel to Cancun, Mexico to experience the art and history of the area. Specifically, the Underwater Museum of Art located in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, in the area surrounding Cancun, Isla Mujeres, and Punta Nizuc. She applied to do a short diving training course which would allow her to see the sculptures, specifically ‘The Silent Revolution’ and ‘Anthropocene' close to Isla Mujeres. She also took a snorkelling trip in the waters of Punta Nizuc to see the sculptures ‘The Muse of the Ocean, 'The Gardener of Hope,' ‘Reclamation,' and multiple others.
Of the trip Megan Woolsgrove said “Experiencing the collection of sculptures situated in the Caribbean Sea has been an activity I wanted to do since studying Jason deCaires Taylor around 10 years ago. The museum has a total of 500 sculptures, by a series of international and local sculptors, with three different galleries submerged in the ocean at the Cancun National Marine Park. I am currently a Graphic Design masters student and have previously completed a degree in Fine Art. Experiencing the sculptures gave me inspiration for my university work centred around environment and forms. I have previously designed two photography books based on areas in Jersey. Travelling to Mexico provided me with a new environment and history to base my work around.”
Jax Quenault is a musical theatre performer. Acting and singing are their passion. They spend a lot of time listening to and watching recordings of shows and participating in local theatre and applied for funding to take a trip to London to experience the West End and the VA. They also wanted to provide some respite and an exciting experience for their mother.
Of the trip Jax said "This was my first ever non academic or medical trip off Island, to tick theatre related items off my bucket list. Thanks to the Rivington Fund, I have been able to see my favourite show of all time, Newsies, upon its London premiere and it was everything I could have hoped for, leaving me definitely wanting to go back when I can afford it. The trip has inspired me even more to continue creating a local theatre group focused on putting musicals particularly, that put minority groups centre stage.
As a theatre reviewer and content creator and aspiring performer and director, this trip really was invaluable to me, especially as due multiple cancellations when previously trying to go as I had insufficient funds. I am forever grateful to Rivington for supporting me to see these shows. I also loved going on a theatre tour, eating at the theatre cafe and the theatre diner, which were both filled with memorabilia, a soundtrack of showtunes, and singing waiters."
Amber Hahn is an artist in Jersey with an interdisciplinary practice that spans choreography, sound and sculpture. Research-led, she’s previously worked in collaboration with geologists, composers and chefs. Amber applied to Rivington to take a trip to Marfa, a small desert city in west Texas, which is known as a contemporary arts hub. She visited the The Chinati Foundation, founded by artist Donald Judd, which displays huge indoor and outdoor installations on an old army base. It is the site of the artist’s first large-scale architectural projects.
Of the trip Amber said "The Rivington Fund has allowed me to strengthen my artistic foundation and pursue new material directions and spend time thoroughly developing multiple media and aspects of my work as they manifest in different forms; all the elements being of equal measure with respect to care. I anticipate that this experience will inform the production of new exhibitions, as well as the design and delivery of community projects and workshops that I’m developing as an Artist-educator."
In the summer of 2022 JAAR (Jersey Action Against Rape) used Rivington funding to take a group of their clients off-Island for a two-day pottery workshop at Penrhiw Pottery in Wales. The studio is run by a talented potter with over 25 years of experience and another who has more than ten years experience of working with adults teaching social and emotional skills through the medium of art and drama.
One female survivor said of the trip "I don’t know where to start to say thank you. I wouldn’t have gone away this year if it wasn’t for this trip and nearly didn’t anyway through anxiety. This has been life changing for me, and to be away with such amazing people has helped. We all agreed it was such a support to meet others going through the same as we felt normal and could open up without any expectations. We all love those who support us, but there is a difference to those who truly understand and I can’t thank you enough for giving that to us."
Thanks to Rivington funding Jersey resident Vicky Hinault recently attended the Austin film festival's Screenwriters conference in Texas, USA. During the conference she attended a number of panels held by working screenwriters and filmmakers to learn and further develop her craft. This was the first opportunity since the pandemic she’s had to progress her writing projects.
Of being successful in her application she said, “I'm so unbelievably grateful to The Rivington Fund for this opportunity. Being able to learn, meet with and talk to professional screenwriters about my projects and how I can further develop them is a sure-fire way for me to move forward on a career path that I love."
Clare applied to Rivington to take a family trip with her son to Barcelona exploring arts and architecture. She said "My son and I had such a wonderful week in Barcelona made possible by The Rivington Fund.
We stayed on the edge of the Old Town and spent a lot of time exporing as we walked through some of the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter and around La Rambla, some of which dates back to medieval times.
We sampled some of the fabulous food in a market called La Boqueria, very colourful and lively. We visited the museum of contemporary art (MACBA), the Picasso museum where the collection was housed in 5 adjoining medieval palaces and included his early work from the age of 11, along with later prints and pottery. Of course Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, started in 1882 and still unfinished. To say it is an unconventional church would be an understatement! Amongst the bustling crowds we came across 3 talented street musicians. Two highlights for us were Gaudi’s Casa Batllo, a very eccentric curved house on 6 floors with a loft and roof terrace. Beautiful craftsmanship including wooden panels and tiling.
The other highlight being the Joan Miro Foundation with a panoramic view of the city in the relaxing sculpture garden. Most of the collection has been donated from Miro’s private collection.” - Clare & her son applied for a family application for the their trip.
Mother and son Joanne & Joseph Fry are both passionate about history. They applied for funding to take a trip to Liverpool to visit the Liverpool Tate, the Maritime Museum, World Museum and the Museum of Liverpool which houses the history of Islam, a particular area of interest for them both.
Joanne said of the trip "When I first heard about Rivington I didn’t think it would apply to me.
My son and I adore history, but due to finances we were never able to do any of the things we wanted and they got put off year after year. But the application for Rivington was simple and I had lots of advice and guidance. I was so happy to be accepted and started planning straight away.
I
can’t thank Rivington Fund enough for giving me this opportunity to expand my knowledge and spend quality time with my son doing something we both love. Honestly if you love art / history, apply to the fund. It's a great resource open to everyone and operated by beautiful people."
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Joanne Fry & Joe Fry, family application.
The Rivington awarded funding to Youthful Minds, a group of young people aged between 11-25 who are working on a campaign to tackle and reduce the stigma associated with mental health for young people in Jersey. They applied for funding to take a group of 13 people on an arts tour of Edinburgh. Choosing the Scottish capital for its cultural breadth and density, the group explored mixture of painting, sculpture, music, theatre, literature, architecture.
Youthful Minds said, “We are so grateful for the opportunity. Using art can support good mental health in many ways, particularly for young people. Some of the potential mental health benefits of creativity and art are increased self-confidence, self-esteem, finding a sense of purpose and meaning and a way of coping with difficult and distressing emotions. It’s our hope this trip will help young people reach their potential and empower them to move towards their goals and aspirations for the future.” - Youthful Minds charity.
Jodie Bull is a student at London College of Fashion and is studying Fashion Design Womenswear. She applied for funding to visit New York to view the Costume Institute and the temporary exhibition 'In America: A Lexicon in Fashion’. She also visited the Brooklyn Museum Exhibition to see the Virgil Abloh: 'Figures of Speech' exhibition and the Monet to Morisot Exhibition.
Jodie emailed us and said,
"Thank you so much to the Rivington Fund. I have hardly scratched the surface yet but just knowing the possibilities and history of fashion and in the city is so exciting to me.
It is so full of life here. I am recording my trip each step and will share with you very soon.
So grateful! Off to get some coffee to fuel a day at exhibitions! MoMa is the first exhibition today. I’ll be getting a bagel at Russ & Daughters too!"
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J
odie Bull, fashion student.
“Whilst I was a student studying architecture, the financial support offered by the Rivington was hugely appreciated, it enabled me to make two trips, one to Finland and the other to Japan.
The first trip to Finland allowed me to study the buildings of Finnish modernist architect, Alvar Aalto, as well as traditional timber building techniques. The second trip to Japan offered an opportunity to explore the craft culture of Miyagi Prefecture, visit a collection of buildings in Tokyo and Sendai, and explore Higashimatsushima, the city where my student project for that year was located.
Both were inspiring trips that helped to feed my creative interests and inject fresh energy and enthusiasm into my studies.”- William Le Gresley, Architect
“On two occasions the Rivington enabled me to pursue my research interests in the textile and folk culture of Romania and Japan
In Romania, just after completing an MA in Textile Design, of particular interest were the Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest, and Maramures, a region in the north of the country known as the last countryside of Europe.
In Japan, a few years later, highlights were the Tokyo Folk Craft Museum, visiting craft weavers in Niigata Prefecture, and an indigo farmer and dyer in Kyoto Prefecture.
Through both opportunities I gained a wider understanding of textile cultures in these countries which continue to inform my current work as an artist and craft practitioner.”- Oliver Le Gresley, Artist and Craft Practitioner.
The Rivington Fund enabled me to follow an instinct to delve into the inspiration found in nature that artists, Frances Hodgkins and Dame Eileen Mayo, drew on throughout their careers.
Another factor common to both, was travel, often during times of strife.
I found myself in Aotearoa, otherwise known as New Zealand, ‘the land of the long white cloud,’ at the beginning of a worldwide pandemic. The exhibition of Frances Hodgkins’s work at the Christchurch Art Gallery, Te Puna o Waiwhetū, was breath-taking in its range.
Since my return, I’ve embarked on new projects, digging deep into nature’s sources of pigments for dyeing, paints and inks. Foraging for supplies, hands in the earth literally, gathering materials. Last autumn I travelled again, joining an Erasmus funded project in Cyprus, that included the use of natural materials to make traditional crafts like weaving, and making pigments.
Respecting cultures, and learning from them, is unlocking new ways of perceiving the world, through new eyes.”
— Amanda Bond, Forest Therapy Practitioner and Artist