Contest aims to fill female political pioneer States rooms with art

Tuesday 21 March 2023

A competition has been launched with the aim of filling rooms in the States Chamber building which were recently renamed after two trailblazing Jersey political figures with art and colour.

Both marking the renaming and ‘Women’s History Month’, the competition invites female islanders to contribute work based on the theme 'My Island'.

Who are the rooms named after?

The meeting rooms will be named after Caroline Trachy and Ivy Forster, two key women who paved the way for future generations of female politicians in Jersey.

Caroline Trachy

Caroline Trachy broke the mould by being the first Jersey woman to stand for election. Caroline was barred several times from standing due to her being a woman, but through her persistence she eventually got the law changed.

She also founded the ladies' branch of the Jersey Political Association in October 1918 and, as its first President, wrote an open letter which spoke of women's role in WW1: "The women in this war have given their dearest and best, who have been taken with or without their consent, and as husbands, sons and brothers, in the sight of God, (if not of man) belong to their womenfolk, then those women in the future have every right to have a voice in the disposal of their dear ones."

The draft law enabling women over 30 to vote was brought to the States on 10 April 1919 and was debated over several days before being passed on 22 May and came into force that June.

Ivy Forster

Although Caroline was never elected to the States, she laid the path for Jersey’s first female politician, Ivy Forster, who was elected as Deputy for St. Helier in 1948 — 20 years after the campaign to allow women candidates to stand.

This came just years after she was arrested for sheltering a Russian prisoner-of-war in her attic during the Occupation of the island. 

Deputy Forster went onto become the first woman to top the poll when she was re-elected in 1951, but eventually lost her seat in 1954.

How can I get involved in the competition?

The 'My Island' art competition welcomes photography, print, drawings, paintings and collages related to the theme.

The winning artworks will be displayed in States Assembly buildings for 12 months and prizes will be awarded for each of the four age groups (7-11, 12-15, 16-18 and 19+). There will also be a prize for the runners up in each age group category. 

Chair of the Privileges and Procedures Committee, Connétable Karen Shenton Stone spoke about the competition and the importance of recognising women in history.

“We are really excited to launch this competition and highlight female artists in Jersey," she said. "It is important to recognise the women that paved the way for future generations and having female artwork in the Caroline Trachy and Ivy Forster rooms reinforces the progress the Assembly has made with female representation.

"We hope that local female students and artists take up this unique opportunity to share their artwork and be part of women's history in Jersey”. 

The competition winners will be announced at an unveiling event of the meeting rooms in May, which will showcase the winning artwork to islanders and States Members. 

You can find out more about the 'My Island' competition on the States Assembly website. The deadline for entry is at 17:00 on Friday 21 April.