National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI)

Located along the Esterley Tibbetts Highway, the National Gallery and Education Centre’s 9,000sq ft home is a dynamic non-profit arts organisation. The NGCI facilitates a wide variety of local and international exhibitions throughout the year and is home to the growing national art collection.

The gallery hosts a range of engaging events and art happenings throughout the year including lectures, workshops, film screenings and special events for members.

The NGCI National Collection
Loosely assembled by decade, the collection traces a historical and stylistic journey. Starting with the visionary markings of Miss Lassie, to the early work of realist painters who sought to capture “the islands time forgot”, on to the early 1990s when local art was influenced by the changing realities of the time and through to the multi-disciplinary contemporary art currently being created. These works tell the story of Caymanian art and provide the visual record of a growing country.

Temporary Exhibitions
NGCI hosts up to eight temporary exhibitions a year, including group shows, international exhibitions and works by established artists.

Café, Shop & Gardens
Take a wander around the sculpture garden and enjoy a coffee break or lunch before purchasing a Cayman-produced memento from the Gallery Shop.

Arts & Crafts
The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) has an extensive education schedule that offers a wealth of community programmes such as ‘Family Fun Days’ which take place roughly once per month, special events and free exhibition guides created for families to enjoy quality time together. In addition, they offer an after-school programme, ‘Walkers Art Club,’ for all ages from pre-schoolers to teens. Adult classes include photography, ceramics, abstract painting and life drawing. Summer programmes for families are also offered. Pre-registration may be required for special workshops. email: education@nationalgallery.org.ky

NGCI also runs popular evening and weekend workshops and lectures. Classes cover art-related topics from life drawing to mixed media art for all levels.

Locally Made Items
Their facility includes an art studio, an onsite café and gallery shop with locally made gift items and gorgeous prints of works from the national collection.

Weddings
The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands offers a variety of areas, including the sculpture garden and the National Collection Gallery. The contemporary cultural institution has a lot to offer: stunning architecture, gorgeous sculpture gardens and galleries highlighting work by Cayman’s most recognisable artists. Email: events@nationalgallery.org.ky for bookings.

Celebrating Birthdays
The National Gallery offers exciting birthday party opportunities for children of all ages. Parties at the gallery feature creative hands-on art activities and include the use of the gallery’s gardens and art studio, tables and chairs, catering, party favours, a gallery tour and teacher led activities. Art parties can be booked by emailing: events@nationalgallery.org.ky.

Virtual Tours and Digital Exhibitions
Visitors can now enjoy virtual tours of four NGCI exhibitions, such as the Bendel Hydes Retrospective and Island of Women. For more information, visit https://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/see/virtual-tours/.

The National Gallery’s ‘National Collection’ has now ‘gone digital’ and 200 works from the National Gallery Collection uploaded to our user-friendly database. Each of the 200 artworks online, by some 85 artists from the National Collection, include descriptions of works, as well as detailed biographies for each artist and a summary of their past exhibitions. This project will provide viewers with unprecedented access to Caymanian art and art history, and it can be explored through the five following themes: Intuitive Art and Early Pioneers (1960s – 1980s), Realis (1980s), Caymanian Modernism (1990s-2000s+), Contemporary Art (2010s-Present), and Traditional and Contemporary Craft. The new Collection page can be visited via https://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/ngcis-collections-online-project.

NGCI’s latest digital exhibitions initiative now features all of the National Gallery exhibitions from 1998 through 2021 digitised and can be viewed on their website by visiting https://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/see/exhibitions/.