MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION OF THE CARIBBEAN
27th Annual General Meeting and Conference
The Essential Museum – Redefining the role of the cultural and heritage sector for 21st century audiences.
9-12 October 2016
National Gallery of the Cayman Islands

On October 9-12, The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) will welcome guests from across the region for the 27th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Museums Association of the Caribbean (MAC). From Caribbean museum directors and educators to academics and historians from as far afield as the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the event will boast a wide international audience.

Established in 1987, MAC serves as a key forum for the interchange of information and ideas for the cultural sector through meetings, publications and museum exchanges. Member organisations of MAC include a 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.

This will be the first regional conference hosted by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, with support from the Ministry of Health & Culture, in their new purpose-built facility and it is a unique opportunity for local cultural and tourism professionals to engage in the latest sector developments, and

to network with regional colleagues. NGCI Director Natalie Urquart explains, “We were honoured to have been selected to host MAC 2016 and are confident that our organisation and facility, along the Islands’ infrastructure and vibrant cultural community, will ensure an informative, inspiring, and successful event for all participants. Importantly, is an exciting opportunity for the Cayman Islands to connect with our regional cultural partners and to provide a platform for continued inter-regional dialogue.”

The 27th AGM conference theme, The Essential Museum – Redefining the role of the cultural and heritage sector for 21st century audiences, was selected by NGCI to address the evolving role that cultural entities can play within their communities. The informative presentations will explore and question how museums can define and demonstrate public value in the modern age; how institutions can play integral roles in civic engagement, education, research, stewardship, and social change; how they can best serve their diverse audiences; and how the digital realm can help open up access for hard- to-reach communities. A total of twenty presentations are scheduled including a keynote panel discussion with Dr Veerle Poupeye (National Gallery of Jamaica), Amanda Coulson (The National Art Gallery of the Bahamas), and NGCI’s Natalie Urquhart.

Conference delegates will have the opportunity to visit key cultural sites across the Cayman Islands during the conference with visits to notable museums and historical sites including the National Gallery, Mind’s Eye – The Visionary World of Miss Lassie, Pedro St James and others. The schedule will also include a special evening event presented by Cayman Islands National Museum – who hosted the 1995
MAC conference – showcasing the history of the Cayman Islands through the museum’s collection along
with local craft displays and food; and finally a closing reception will be hosted by Her Excellency Governor Kilpatrick at Governor’s House. “This is a wonderful chance to showcase the very best of Caymanian culture to our regional guests and we are grateful to our sister cultural organisations for opening their doors and ensuring access to the full cultural offerings available,” says Mrs Urquhart.

The conference has been made possible via sponsorship from The Ministry of Health & Culture, Susan A. Olde, OBE, International Financial Planning (Cayman) Ltd., Cayman Airways and Kirk Market. Special accommodation rates have been provided by Holiday Inn Resort Grand Cayman and transportation kindly subsidised by Webster Tours.

Registration is open to the public and can be completed online via the MAC website at
www.caribbeanmuseums.com, with subsidized registration fees for students. For details email [email protected].

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.