News

The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) is joining Caribbean museum colleagues, curators, educators, scholars, and researchers from 15 Caribbean countries this week for the Museums Association of the Caribbean’s conference “Cultivating Resilience in Museums and Cultural Heritage Sites.” The 18 sessions across three days will feature discussions about how museums have adapted in the pandemic, new engagement methods, new developments on the preservation of historical sites and indigenous cultures, museums and their role in climate action, inclusion, and social justice, and more. Over 15 countries are represented at the conference, including St. Maarten, Bermuda, Belize, Bahamas, Canada, Cayman Islands, Panama, Haiti, St. Lucia, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, United States, and the Netherlands.

The National Gallery will be represented by Education Manager Maia Muttoo who will present on the NGCI Art and Wellness programme, a project that was developed in early 2021 to promote the Gallery as a venue for resilience and wellness in response to the impact of COVID-19. NGCI Director Natalie Urquhart will join a panel to discuss how NGCI adapted virtually through online programmes and exhibitions alongside colleagues from the Bahamas, Bermuda and the US. The Cayman Islands are also represented by Cayman Brac’s Simone Scott who is one of nine scholarship recipients for this year’s convening.

In addition to the formal presentations and panels by museum and cultural professionals around the conference topics, the programmes includes virtual tours of Caribbean museums, networking and mentorship opportunities for both established and emerging professionals, as well as social events highlighting the cuisine, music, art and culture of the Caribbean. NGCI is a proud conference sponsor of the daily wellness segment which will feature Cayman’s Janine Martin and Mirabella D’Cunha leading delegates through online yoga and meditation.

“MAC provides an invaluable network for museums and cultural professionals across the Caribbean, with the aim to share and benefit from our common skills and experiences. Members are committed to exchanging information and ideas, working on collaborative projects, and conserving and preserving our common natural and cultural heritage,” says Urquhart, a former MAC President (2017-2020) who continues to serve on their Executive Committee. “This year’s conference is no exception and our whole team is looking forward to the learning opportunities that the multiple sessions will provide.”

The virtual conference takes from 03 – 05 November, and sessions will remain online for six months following the close of the gathering. For more information about the conference visit https://caribbeanmuseums.com/maccon2021/ and follow daily proceedings via #MACCon2021.