Cayman – Island of Women: Life at home during our Maritime Years programme
Throughout Honouring Women Month, the National Gallery’s “Island of Women” programme of events encourages wider conversations around women’s contemporary and historical contributions to society.
The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands unveiled their latest temporary exhibition, Island of Women, on 7 February 2020 through the generous support of lead project partner, Butterfield.
The exhibition examines the vital role women played in Caymanian society from the 1800s to the mid-20th century as seen through the interpretive lens of 26 Cayman-based artists. These artists have taken inspiration from extensive archival research, oral histories, family stories and historical objects to produce work that ranges from traditional craft, to illustrative painting, video and installation work. Coinciding with Honouring Women Month and International Women’s Day in March, the exhibition is open through 28 May.
Supporting the exhibition is a complementary programme of events developed in partnership with community organisations and female leaders. The programme aims to extend the conversation around women’s historical and contemporary contributions to society through a lineup of workshops, panels and lectures, family activities, and educational materials. Programme partners include Lucille Seymour, Anita Ebanks, Mary Lawrence, Arthurlyn Pedley, Karlene Bramwell, Tammy Ebanks, Ministry of Health, Environment, Culture and Housing, Gender Affairs Unit, Cayman Islands National Archive, Cayman Islands National Museum, the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands Seafarers Association, 100 Women in Finance, the Cayman Islands Business and Professional Women’s Club, Gender Equality Cayman, Cayman Enterprise City, and the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association.
“At the National Gallery, our mission is to foster creative learning opportunities for our wider community and to create a platform for dialogue around current issues,” says Maia Muttoo, NGCI Senior Education Coordinator. “Through this programme of events, we are able to support our diverse audience as they interpret Island of Women, engage in meaningful conversations on its themes, and apply these themes to our contemporary context – particularly relevant as we observe Honouring Women Month and International Women’s Day in March.”
The programme of events officially began on 21 February with Educators’ Social, a quarterly event that provides resources and support for local teachers via guided curator tours, art workshops and teaching resources for instructors working with children on art and culture. This was followed by a panel discussion, the first in a series, entitled Married to the Sea: Voices of Seafarers’ Spouses, where Nettie Rivers and Mickey Anderson shared their personal stories of separation and industriousness with moderator Arthurlyn Pedley and a captive audience.
Upcoming events for March include a screening of the documentary Her Story Is Our History: The Women’s
Suffrage Movement in the Cayman Islands (04 March) introduced by Tammy Ebanks, Policy Analyst from the Cabinet Office Policy Coordination Unit and former Senior Policy Officer for Gender Affairs, Cayman Islands Government. This will be followed by a Family Fun Day (14 March), a Gender Equality Cayman Workshop: Confronting Gender Stereotypes (18 March), an EY Seniors Tea Party and Exhibition Tour (20 March), and an Artist Talks lecture (25 March). Events will continue throughout the exhibition’s duration with panel discussions exploring women in business, technology, politics and maritime industries in April and May. Special lectures on Island of Women will also be hosted in Cayman Brac (11 March) and Little Cayman (March date to be confirmed).
The exhibition runs until 28 May and admission to the exhibition and related programmes is free due to the generous support of Butterfield. For a full list of all workshops, lectures and events running throughout the exhibition please visit https://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/whats-on/ and to participate in the related school programme or book a tour, please email Maia Muttoo at [email protected].
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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.
