With Russ Fossey stepping down from hisrole as the Head of Arts Development, and away from the organisation which he’s been involved with for over a decade and a half, the search is on for his replacement.
The retiring stalwart of the local arts sector has been a huge supporter of Guernsey’s creative scene, pushing people to get involved and show off what they can do, shining a spotlight on the island’s tremendous amount of talent.
Mr Fossey is under no illusion of just how important the arts and culture is to the Bailiwick’s community and he says that will continue under his successor, whoever that may be.
“It’s really difficult to say what is an individual highlight, but over the years, I think the importance of the role the arts plays in our health, in our well being, obviously in our education, but also in the economy, is starting to come through,” he said.
“I think the arts aren’t looked at as just the pink fluffy stuff around the edges, but actually, how they play a really important role within our society.”
One of the hallmarks of his tenure at the top of Guernsey Arts has been a focussed drive on Community engagement, and collaboration.
During his time as the Head of Arts Development, the Bailiwick has seen a boom in its festival scene in particular, which has been a point of pride for Mr Fossey.
“We collaborate across a number of the charities – the Youth Commission, Action for Children, the Nature Commission, Guernsey Mind, Guernsey language! I think it’s really important,” he said.
“My very first phone call 16 years ago was from the Sark Folk Festival, ‘We’ve got an idea for a festival in Sark’, and it was like, ‘God, that’s gonna be a tough one’…they went on to have 10 years of an amazing festival!”
Mr Fossey said that creative drive has continued throughout his tenure.
“They hadn’t gone for a year, and then the Beltane festival appeared in Sark with another group of people.
“This is what I’m really proud of in our community, there’s always somebody going to pop up and create another amazing event. Celebrating the wider community is something that the Guernsey public should be proud of and should support as much as they can.”
It’s not just festivals that have seen a positive fluctuation under Mr Fossey’s leadership, but also competitions. Under his tenure the organisation has helped establish several annual competitions which have grown from strength to strength.
‘The Bailiwick Wildlife Photography Competition’, which runs in tandem with the local display of the Natural History Museum’s ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition’, has seen a huge boom in numbers since it was established during the first Covid Lockdown.
As has the Guernsey Arts Open, which has grown from showcasing the work of 50 local artists in its first year, to now giving the stage to 132 artists and their creations.
Even with the merits of the Bailiwick’s arts scene laid plain and evident for all to see, there are still challenges awaiting Mr Fossey’s successor.
He describes it as “probably the best job in Guernsey”, but suggests there will need to be more investment into the arts, with a focus on some special celebrations approaching local organisations.
“The challenge always is the investment into the arts, but I would always say that any investment that comes into the arts is paid back tenfold in terms of the vibrancy that’s created in the islands.
“We’ve got some amazing organisations across the island, and a number of them are coming up to big milestones. We had Sarnia Arts and Crafts reach 100 years two years ago, and GADOC are going to celebrate 100 years in the next couple of years.
“These organisations are really important to the island, as are all the festivals, but it’s really important to remember these are voluntary based organisations.
“I’ve got this story in my three legged stool, and it’s really important that we keep the passion from the people on the island, the investment from the private sector and from the public sector, and we’ve got to keep that stool balanced. I actually want that stool to get taller.”
Having dedicated more than 15 years to the arts community, and pushing to propel the arts scene in a healthy and sustainable direction, Mr Fossey places the credit in the laps of those who he’s helped over the years, rather than taking the credit himself.
“I think what people from the creative spaces, and the arts, bring to the island in terms of the vibrancy and the place we live in…you know, Guernsey is a really vibrant place, a lot of that is down to these organisations, the festival organisers, and we should celebrate that.”