MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION OF THE CARIBBEAN

27th Annual General Meeting and Conference

9-11 October 2016

National Gallery of the Cayman Islands

The Essential Museum – Redefining the role of the cultural and heritage sector for 21st century audiences.

The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) has been invited to host the Museum Association of the Caribbean’s 2016 annual general meeting and conference. “The association serves as a key forum for the interchange of information and ideas through meetings, publications and museum exchanges in our region,” explains NGCI Director, Natalie Urquhart. “We are confident that our organisation and facility along the Islands’ infrastructure and vibrant cultural community, will ensure that the 2016 conference will be an informative, inspiring, and successful event for all participants. Importantly, it will help place the Cayman Islands at the heart of regional museum and cultural dialogue.”

Established in 1987, the Museum Association of the Caribbean (MAC) works to strengthen links among Caribbean museums and develop professional standards of practice. Member organisations include a wide variety of regional cultural organisations including traditional national museums; art museums; heritage facilities; university museums; cultural academics; along with members of the wider global museum community in its many forms.

MAC is currently seeking proposals from museum and heritage sector professionals which address the 27th AGM conference theme The Essential Museum – Redefining the role of the cultural and heritage sector for 21st century audiences, a theme selected by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. “This is an exciting opportunity for the Cayman Islands to connect to our regional cultural partners as a growing leader. It gives us a wonderful chance to take the lead and showcase the very best of our cultural offerings to our regional guests,” adds Ms Urquhart. In addition to a regional call for papers, NGCI/MAC will be proactively seeking session submissions from the local community both from the established cultural entities, CIG, UCCI, ICCI, etc. While NGCI will formally host the conference at their 9,000 sq. ft. facility, participants will have access to the full cultural offerings available in the Cayman Islands through a variety of evening events and field trips.

Conference presentation proposals may be submitted from an individual or a panel. Proposals for papers, workshops, debates, or roundtable discussions may be submitted based on the theme. All proposals must be in English. The deadline for submissions is 15 June 2016. Proposals (max. 300 words) must be submitted to: [email protected]. Abstract guidelines and subthemes can be found on the MAC website http://www.caribbeanmuseums.com.

About MAC

Established in 1987, MAC works to strengthen links among Caribbean museums, their staff and associates, so that they may foster and promote an appreciation and understanding of their common heritage through education and the development of professional standards of practice. The association serves as a forum for the exchange of information and ideas through meetings, publications and museum exchanges. MAC’s main objectives are: to develop common policies relative to the role of museums and duties of curatorial staff, to act as an advisory board for governments and institutions regarding museum development and to develop relationships with international and other regional museum-related organisations. It also supports the cultural policy and programmes of the Regional Cultural Committee of CARICOM (Caribbean Community). Recent past conferences have been held in St Lucia (2015); Jamaica (2014); and Belize (2013).

About the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands

Established in 1996, the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) is the country’s leading visual arts museum and education centre, charged with promoting and encouraging the appreciation and practice of the visual arts in the Cayman Islands. This mission is achieved through exhibitions, education/outreach programmes, school tours, community festivals, and ongoing research projects. Holding up to six exhibitions annually at our central exhibition space, and satellite venues around Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands, the curatorial team strives to create a balance between exhibitions of quality Caymanian artwork with art from further afield. This is achieved by working with a broad cross-section of artists and ranging from site-specific work to more traditional gallery-based projects.

NGCI is at the forefront of visual arts education in the Cayman Islands hosting 25+ education and outreach programmes monthly, across all three islands. These programmes aim to capture every age group in our community from the youngest pre-schoolers to senior citizens, in addition to marginalized members of our community. They combine arts education with enriching creative experiences which foster creativity, help build self-esteem, and provide effective and invaluable explorations of culture, cultural heritage, national identity and community values.

NGCI Site & Facility

The new National Gallery building is a 9,000 sq. ft. facility situated on the western side of the Esterley Tibbetts Bypass, close to Camana Bay town centre and adjacent to the Harquail Theatre. The new development is home to two temporary exhibition areas, an art studio, library, auditorium, sculpture garden, Art Café and Gift Shop, and a permanent gallery for the Cayman Islands National Art Collection.

As part of the National Gallery’s long-term business plan, an auditorium and multi-purpose event space have been incorporated into the design providing flexible venue options for conferences. The main conference sessions will be held in the Dart Auditorium. This room holds up to 80 persons seated comfortably and has full audio/visual equipment and internet access. In addition, the NGCI has an on-site Events Team who are experienced in managing events for up to 400 persons.