I have toured the length and breadth of Britain hosting art and literary events designed to bring to life the story of British buildings & heritage. Whilst doing so I've had the pleasure of collaborating extensively with staff and volunteers who share my passion to preserve our places for future generations.

 

In today's climate we are facing economic and social hardship on an enormous scale - how the stories of our past are told, the messages we convey and identifying who exactly our heritage sites are reaching out to is more sensitive than ever. That said, our current climate dominated by technology and austerity inspires our communities and creative individuals to come together work more collaboratively, develop more thought provoking conceptual art. Heritage today welcomes an incredible variety of informative art that visitors can connect to. The biggest challenge is to tell the stories of our past with a modern, fresh approach and identifying narratives we as a society have to contend with today. It's a challenge I absolutely love and enjoy 'getting my teeth into'. ​Art with all its informality, particularly when it's interactive or tactile, engages people with their surroundings and is a vibrant and effective way to crucially relate to and understand our heritage and culture. Communities feel more connected to their surroundings as a result. This is why art and heritage work so brilliantly, hand in hand.

 

There's something comforting walking in the footsteps of our ancestors - if only they'd have lived to tell the tale of the places we visit. Creative programmes are a magical way to interpret a piece of history and celebrate our diverse culture and quirky British traditions. Rich stories are unearthed in places that have evolved sometimes for centuries but even better ones consider how those stories connect to the world we live in today. Heritage sites also have the scale and space to accommodate great contemporary art and provoke thought surrounding politics, social and economic factors, inclusive and technology. When we enjoy and use these spaces together social boundaries diminish and communities are strengthened. 

 

For me nothing is more fun and enlightening than using contemporary art when bringing a story to life. 

With creativity people come together to learn, acquire new skills, engage with their surroundings more and really benefit their wellbeing, improve self-confidence and esteem, personal empowerment and social relationships.

 

I have experienced trauma and from a young age the magic of heritage I found had healing benefits. As a professional my focus in this field has proven to make big changes and create lifelong fulfilment. Nothing brings me more pleasure than engaging people with our heritage but the most joy comes from enriching the lives of those navigating the rollercoaster of life who seek a museum or place to relax and 'escape'. Art and creativity heals. Throughout my creative career I have been rewarded by working with people from all walks of life, the homeless, addicts, alzheimer's sufferers and children. My ambition is to keep bringing people together in a society beset by poverty and social isolation.  

 

 

NATIONAL TRUST

 

From 2015 I was represented by literary agent Ed Victor. Ed believed in my love of British buildings and heritage. His agency nurtured my commercial ideas and drive to showcase our ever-changing heritage industry today. I was brought in by Optomen TV (Jamie Oliver’s naked Chef C4) and Studio Lambert to develop factual-history-reality shows off the back of my guide 'BIG UP THE COUNTRY HOUSE'.

 

'BIG UP The Country House' was born during my 2016 National Trust book tour written and designed to appeal to millennials the book was a modern interpretation of John Benjemen’s iconic twentieth century Shell Guides. My main goal was to reveal the country house today - the art, design and collections but just as important was the people who run the places, the day-to-day runnings of our heritage industry and how it's creative programming and curation is adapting to a modern Britain - in times of challenge and austerity I was keen to reveal this industry wasn't just about bringing to life centuries old aristocrats anymore but instead great contemporary art, events, food and community engagement. I made some wonderful friends creating my guide and I was blown away by the people, many of them volunteers. The most valuable lesson was realising our heritage survives with thanks to incredible people who share in a love for the past yet they are working tirelessly to engage visitors in new and exciting ways.

 

Together with my agent’s right hand man Charlie Brotherstone I worked as a freelance author liaising closely with National Trust house teams. I also spent time behind closed doors with family’s still lucky enough to inhabit their ancestral home. Knole House, Hardwick Hall (more glass than wall), Rudyard Kipling’s Bateman’s, Bodium Castle, Ickworth House and A La Ronde were just some of the UK properties where I spent a good deal of time. Working with the teams was welcoming and warm - researching across many departments from retail, events, art, gardens and occasionally even hospitality I quickly gained a valuable insight and understanding of life in a commercial, visitor-led heritage site today. 

 

I’ll be forever grateful to my colleagues at National Trust, especially to my publisher Katie Bond, countless on-site visitor experience officers and house managers who embraced my creativity. I was lucky to brainstorm my ideas with Tom Freshwater, Head of Programming. The unique insight I was given crucially allowed me to consider the most effective ways in which to tell the stories of our buildings, heritage and communities through creative programming. History and heritage can often be told in a dry, purely factual light which to the visitor isn’t always exciting. The more a visitor can relate to the stories told in heritage via creative solutions the more they will connect with a place and personally benefit from their visit. As a result of my work with National Trust I have a passion to creatively reinterpret places in order to captivate a diverse range of people both locally and nationally.  

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In 2016 my installation'Rainham Hall: Queen of London's Streets' opened in London coinciding with the city's Open House Festival. This vibrant spray painted immersive experience told the story of the forgotten royal blacksmith Jean Tijou (The River Screen, Hampton Court). This masterful craftsman changed the production of wrought iron taking it from its austere and defensive medieval roots to pure opulent style. Tijou was the creator of the wrought iron at Rainham Hall. following extensive research into his design and craftsmanship during his time in England, we gained a better understanding of his fascinating life from Huguenot immigrant to official royal blacksmith. Tijou was a trailblazer in his day. 

 

 

 

​GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL

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In 2018 I worked alongside Helen Jeffrey, Community Engagement Officer to create an interactive and contemporary installation designed to engage visitors with the building's medieval design. This world renowned heritage site has been backdrop to some of Hollywood's biggest movies. 

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Gloucester Cathedral hosted its BIG Cathedral Draw event during October half term with a unique artistic twist. I curated the art event that took stage in the Cathedral’s famous cloisters. 

 

The BIG Cathedral Draw opened with a two-day LIVE Draw where visitors were able to view the creation of my installation Gothic Persuasion in the Cathedral’s slype, with life size ink cartoons of people in history who played a role in the architecture of the Cathedral such as Abbott Serlo, founder of the Cathedral, Henry VIII, and Thomas Cromwell. The artwork was created in response to historical research gathered at the Cathedral’s Medieval Library.

 

Archivist of The Medieval Library, Rebecca Phillips said:

 

“It has been a pleasure to welcome Amy Jane into our historic library to undertake research into the history of our architecture.  As with all historic research the documents can only take us so far, and so we look forward to seeing how Amy Jane will fill the gaps in our story. This is where art and history can really work in partnership to give shape to events and individuals who are now lost to us in the historic records.”

 

I created a 30 meter length mock ‘carpet’ reimagined and printed with a surface design incorporating Gloucester Cathedral's famous fan vaulted ceiling, the earliest example in Britain, and the stained-glass work of influential Arts & Crafts designer Christopher Whall. Over 1500 visitors joined me in painting the 'carpet' until it was complete. 

 

This new interpretation of Gloucester Cathedral aimed to highlight the importance of its design and architectural development, which spans over 1000 years.

 

Gloucester has an impressive history of engagement with contemporary art, including the renowned ‘Crucible’ exhibitions in 2010 and 2014 from Gallery Pangolin that featured works from Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, David Nash and Sarah Lucas.

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Generously supported by Church of England, Heritage Lottery Fund & The Big Draw.

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