Relocate Show 2024

Cultural Keynote
16:00 - 16:30
Art for Guernsey
By David Ummels
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David Ummels is a multicultural
entrepreneur whose background is
in derivatives trading, investment
management, capital markets and
debt restructuring.
David is a passionate art collector and
a big fan of and advocate for Guernsey,
where he settled in 2015 with his family.
As a direct response to the incredible
amount of decency that he found on the
island, he founded Art for Guernsey,
an entrepreneurial and innovative artrelated
charitable initiative. Eight years
later, Art for Guernsey has become a
very significant visual arts organisation
in Guernsey with more than 80
exhibitions and projects under its belt,
including the curating of the only
Renoir exhibition in the world in 2023.
Image © JR Photography
David Ummels
Art for Guernsey
Art for Guernsey is managed by a team
of passionate professionals who share a
belief in the transformative power of art
to bring communities together, provide
educational opportunities, promote
cultural diplomacy and create an artistic
legacy for Guernsey.
In 2023, David was appointed by the
French Ministry of Culture to the rank
of Knight in the Order of the Arts
and Letters. This prestigious Order is
intended to reward people who have
distinguished themselves by their
creations in the artistic or literary field
or by the contribution they have made
to the promotion of the arts and letters
in France or in the world.
Art for Guernsey is a charity that
I founded as a direct response to
the incredible level of decency and
integrity that I found when I moved to
the island, more than eight years ago
now. What Art for Guernsey does goes
way above and beyond art, to the point
that sometimes I don’t even think that
we are an art organisation. Our work
is broadly divided into four pillars:
Exhibitions, Education, Community and
Cultural Diplomacy. We aim to apply art
to bring communities together, provide
educational opportunities, promote
cultural diplomacy and create an artistic
legacy for Guernsey. Our curating line
requires every project to create value
for the island, whether that be social,
societal or educational, with the desire
to enhance our quality of life, support
tourism, schools and the third sector,
promote Guernsey positively abroad,
and help to revitalise the Old Quarter,
the area of St Peter Port in which our
gallery is located.
The Art for Guernsey team has been
together for eight years, during which
time we have grown collectively and
professionally, with partners and
artists consistently feeding back that
we operate to “London professional
standards”, but if there is one thing that
I am sure about it is that the unselfish
passion and sheer will of the team
to serve the community is definitely
matching “Guernsey standards”.
We receive no taxpayers’ money, which
is something we are very proud of, and
which requires entrepreneurial spirit
and outside-the-box thinking. We
create community and brand value for
our partners so that they find the right
narrative and context to support us.
Image © JR Photography
I very much hope you are considering
Guernsey as your next destination, and
that you will fall in love with the island
in the same way I did. Please respect the
hedge veg stalls and the traffic filters,
and embrace the level of courtesy
you will find. I know that many of you
will be relocating with plenty of skills,
stamina and experience, and I hope you
will bring a special energy and create
something for the benefit of us all when
you settle in Guernsey.
David Ummels
Chairman and Founder
Art for Guernsey
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