Royal Golden Guernsey goat exhibition | Art for Guernsey

ROYAL GOLDEN GUERNSEY GOATS

Art for Guernsey Gallery

4-6 Mansell Street, St Peter Port

Open exhibition Friday 15 May - Saturday 13 June

In October last year, the first Royal Golden Guernsey Goat Symposium was held at Government House, where conservationists, farmers and international breed societies agreed that the survival of the native breed depends on urgent, coordinated action. The royal title was bestowed upon these unique goats in 2024, when King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Guernsey. It is the first time in recent history that the protected title has been granted to a livestock breed, which currently faces a serious threat of extinction due to a critically small gene pool, largely existing on one farm. 

The Royal Golden Guernsey differs from the typical British goat: a smaller, more docile breed, these goats have long or short golden hair, butterscotch-coloured skin, a slightly dished nose, straight ears with a curl at the tips, and no tassels or Swiss markings. These friendly goats create a steady milk yield, and their milk has a high fat and protein content.

Art for Guernsey seeks to apply art to create awareness of the threat to these unique goats, and to raise funds to help towards the conservation of the breed. The charity’s forthcoming show will feature works by a selection of artists, including a number of artworks which were selected following an open call to local and aspiring artists. All artworks will be offered for sale, with a percentage of proceeds going to the Royal Golden Guernsey Goat Foundation which is being established to support the cause.

His Excellency Lieutenant General Sir Richard Cripwell KBE CB, who is fully behind Art for Guernsey’s efforts to help secure more public support for the conservation of the Royal Golden Guernsey goat, will be the charity’s guest of honour at the private view on 14th May. A second symposium is planned to take place at the Art for Guernsey Gallery during the exhibition.

Jock Pettitt, Curation Director of Art for Guernsey, said:

“This exhibition is close to my heart, with a passion for art and agriculture, and a love of the Guernsey goat, which along with the Guernsey cow has unique qualities that beg the question, ‘what is it about the environment here that has seen these wonderful animals develop the qualities they have?’. Learning of the limited gene pool and the potential risk to their future, it was an easy call to apply art to help raise awareness and importantly invite the wider public to contribute. We have been overwhelmed with the volume and quality of the response and very much look forward to sharing these through the exhibition, which we hope will not only raise awareness but also very much needed funds to support the cause.”

Tiffany Gervaise-Brazier, Office Head, Rathbones Guernsey commented;

“We are proud to support the Royal Golden Guernsey Goats exhibition in partnership with Art for Guernsey. This project is a wonderful celebration of Guernsey’s heritage, creativity and community spirit, and we are excited to see how artists bring such an iconic symbol of the island to life. Supporting initiatives that champion local culture and engage the wider community is very much aligned with our values, and we are delighted to be part of an exhibition that does just that.”