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The People’s Collection, the latest exhibition to open at the National Gallery, tells the history of the institution through the artworks from its permanent collection. With works spanning the early years of the Gallery’s founding in 1997 right up to its most recent acquisitions, the exhibition highlights the importance of the National Collection and its evolution over time.

Featuring over sixty acquisitions that range from historical artifacts to popular favourites and award-winning artworks, the exhibition’s curators have showcased the creative ways NGCI has sought to ensure its collection is accessible via exhibitions, publications, and community engagement programmes. The presentation is laid out chronologically, with the artworks arranged in the order in which they were acquired. “As you walk through, you are quite literally seeing the collection grow before your eyes,” says Collections Curator William Helfrecht.

While many artworks predate the move to the National Gallery’s purpose-built facility in January 2012, The People’s Collection pays close attention to the impact this relocation has had in facilitating NGCI’s strategic collecting efforts over the past decade. In the last ten years alone, the permanent collection has grown by over 240%. Acquired through philanthropic donations, planned bequests, artists commissions, and recent support from the Cayman Islands Government, many of the featured works were originally inspired by, commissioned for, or drawn from NGCI temporary thematic exhibitions, studio visits and wider national projects like the Cayman Islands Biennial.

The exhibition also illustrates the ways in which the Gallery continues to adapt to meet contemporary demands by taking steps to ensure its collection can now be experienced both physically and virtually. The exhibition includes an education space that encourages visitors to explore and interact with the National Gallery’s award-winning digital programmes, including its Collection Online project, virtual exhibition tours, and past exhibitions archive. Initially launched at the very outset of the Covid-19 pandemic in response to lockdown restrictions, these digital initiatives have since expanded, with new content regularly uploaded to NGCI’s website. Further, the exhibition labels and wall texts also feature QR codes which enables visitors to use their smartphones to find detailed descriptions of each of the featured artworks, as well as audio guides in both English and Spanish. Collectively, these tools make for an interactive and welcoming visitor experience that can be navigated in many different ways.

Noting the significance of The People’s Collection in celebrating the Gallery’s 25th anniversary, NGCI Director and Chief Curator Natalie Urquhart described the exhibition as “the ideal opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of both the artists and all of those whose efforts have been instrumental to the growth and continued success of the National Gallery and The National Collection, while showcasing the many ways in which it is now accessible.”

Participating artists in The People’s Collection include Maureen Anderson Berry, Marlena Anglin, Shane “Dready” Aquârt, Wray Banker, Jan Barwick, Lois Brezinski, David Bridgeman, John Broad, Gladwyn K. “Miss Lassie” Bush, Debbie Chase van der Bol, Randy Chollette, Carmen Conolly, Al Ebanks, Annalee Ebanks, Annie Joy Ebanks, Davin Ebanks, Rose May Ebanks, Kaitlyn Elphinstone, Horacio Esteban, Virginia “Auntie V” Foster, Lorna Griggs, Teresa Grimes, Ruth Harvey, Bendel Hydes, John Reno Jackson, Marc Laurenson, Charles Long, Chris Mann, Nickola McCoy-Snell, Carol Owen, Miguel Powery, Lizzie Powell, Pippa Ridley, Brandon Saunders, Jeremy Sibley, Joanne Sibley, Gordon Solomon, Nasaria Suckoo Chollette, Karoly Szücs, Simon Tatum, Cecilia Urdaneta, Janet Walker, Avril Ward, C.E. Whitney, and Sue Widmer.

The People’s Collection: A 25-Year Cultural Legacy is on view until 05 June 2022. Admission to the gallery and the exhibition is free to all, and opening times are Monday to Saturday 10:00AM – 5:00PM. For more information about The People’s Collection and related programming visit: https://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/whats-on/, or email: programme@nationalgallery.org.ky