Artist sought to replace mural on side of museum

A charity is searching for an artist to revamp a 26-year-old mural in need of a "new lease of life".

Jersey Heritage is commissioning a new piece of artwork on the side of the Jersey Museum in St Helier to replace the current mural created by artist Jason Butler in 1999.

It said the large painted artwork, which runs between the Ordnance Yard and Pier Road, had fared well but "time and the weather have taken their toll and the artwork needs to be replaced".

Project organiser Nicola Lucas said the wall was "essentially a huge blank canvas for an artist to work on".

The charity said the chosen artist would be asked to draw inspiration from the museum's flagship exhibition, La Tèrr'rie d'Jèrri – d's histouaithes dé not' Île (Being Jersey – stories of our Island).

It said they would work with community and primary schoolchildren visiting the exhibition to generate ideas.

The move to change the current mural - which showcases the history of the area including the military life of Fort Regent, hotels and homes along Pier Road and trade around the harbour - was supported by the original artist.

The project organiser said: "We are incredibly grateful to Jason Butler for his support as we give this space a new lease of life."

"We are excited to see what ideas they come up with to share the stories of Jersey."

It said the wall would be whitewashed in preparation for it to be painted with a new design, with the project itself expected to take several months over summer.

It said planning approval was needed as the artwork would include wording in the form of the logos of Jersey Heritage and Benest & Syvret, which is sponsoring the work, meaning it is classed as advertising.

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