The Forget-Me-Knots Project was the brainchild of a marvellous woman I have had the pleasure of getting to know at JCG. Jacque Rutter is a one of a kind creative who is not only an artist herself but who can see the artist in all of us, even when we may not believe it ourselves. We both began our roles at JCG during lockdown earlier in the year and became known as ‘Felicity and Jacque, from Zoom’.
In addition to the beautiful installation at the Maritime Museum, Jacque is also running a Saturday Art School for all who wish to partake. Those within it are producing beautiful artworks for various causes such as JAAR(Jersey Action Against Rape). Jacque’s mind is always abuzz with the next project, the next way to engage with pupils and students across the island, and ‘The Map Wonders’ that she is leading with JCP and all other island primaries is just another example of how she brings all establishments together to celebrate education.
I spoke with Jacque when she first started, to understand what drives her to do so much for everyone at JCG:
“I started at JCG on the 18th May as the new Head of Creative and Performance Faculty at JCG. It was such a strange time, walking into an empty school with teachers and students working remotely from home. I realised that the major experiences my new students were currently having were all pandemic based, and this made me sad. My Son is a Paramedic in London and I was seeing the crisis through his eyes which helped me understand the anxieties young people must be feeling. How then could I support them when they return to school?
As we move forward, the ability to be reflective of our feelings and that of others is a big part of making sense of a very difficult and frightening time. With all these issues in mind, I designed the Forget-Me-Knots project, where each student who takes part in the Art Workshops tied a knot into a flower’s stalk to represent a positive memory or emotion they experienced during lock down.
The Forget-Me-Knot is a small blue flower, insignificant at first glance but beautiful because of its rich colour. The name is important and it flowers in the spring and summer, which was the height of the pandemic. For centuries, it has been associated with love and remembrance. The flower itself is poisonous if ingested, but in Medieval times it was used as a poultice to cure respiratory disorders. The knot is also a potent symbol; it joins us together. It has many positive cogitations in Chinese culture. Knots are used in prayer and in some religions used to join couples together in marriage called, ‘hand fasting’.
I had the support of Skipton International, the One Foundation and Arts House Jersey to bring this idea to life and it meant that 2,300 students, pupils and youth groups, including 730 from JCG, across the island saw their knots go on display as part of a 24,000 knotted memories exhibition at the Maritime Museum in St Helier.
One of the reasons I took the position at JCG was the school community. It feels like you belong to a very large family. In preparing students to become citizens of the world, JCG uses that sense of belonging to help their students understand and make sense of their future. The Forget-Me-Knots exhibition was an expression of JCG’s community philosophy. We are all part of a whole, whole family, whole school, whole island, whole world. Each flower in the exhibition represented one person, but collectively it represented all small acts of kindness and expression of love and family of our Island community.”
I’m sure you’ll agree, that when we send our children to school - to be educated and to grow into marvellous young people, we hope that the teachers they have will help drive them forwards whilst celebrating exactly who they are. Having worked with all teachers and support staff at Jersey College for almost a year in some very strange 2020 circumstances, I can confirm that this is the case. And the best part? It is our students and pupils who have told me this is true.
Felicity Stather
Head of Marketing and Communications