In the heart of Seven Mile Beach, a project that has been years in the making is starting to take shape. The new National Gallery and Education Centre, scheduled for completion in late 2011, will be the islands’ cultural hub, the premier venue for Caymanian and international art, education and scholarship.  

In 1995, just before Michael Gore ended his term of office as Governor of the Cayman Islands, his wife Monica made a memorable statement about the future of the National Gallery. She picked a seed from a tree in the garden of Government House and handed it to Premier McKeeva Bush, then Minister for Culture, with the words, “This seed represents the beginning of a National Gallery for the Cayman Islands.  Please will you make sure it grows?”  

In the wake of significant artistic landmarks, such as Cayman’s involvement in the world-wide travelling exhibition Carib Art and the birth of the Native Sons collective, Monica’s vision was timely. When John Owen succeeded Michael Gore as Governor, his wife Carol, an artist, picked up the gauntlet. Together with a task force that included founding director Leslie Bigelman, they formed the National Gallery. 

The idea of a permanent home for arts education in the Cayman Islands was envisioned shortly after the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands’ official inception in 1997. The organisation had developed rapidly, outgrowing its temporary home at Alexandra Place. The team began searching for a suitable location and a site was settled when Helen Harquail gifted the organisation with four acres of land, adjacent to Harquail Theatre Complex. An island-wide competition was held for the design of the building. Architect Danny Owens, of OA&D Architects, was awarded the project.  

Several years’ later, after extensive planning and fundraising, construction has begun. As the National Gallery has continued to grow dramatically during the interim period, the new development addresses an urgent need for infrastructure.  

“We run a busy schedule that includes weekly school visits, 25 education programmes a month, and eight exhibitions per annum, as well as housing extensive learning resources and managing part of the National Art Collection,” says Natalie Urquhart, director of the National Gallery. “Our current space limitations prevent us from exhibiting the National Art Collection, most of which is in storage, and limits access to our extensive library and cultural database, which are essential learning tools for our students.” 

The new building will encompass the first permanent home for the National Art Collection, an increase in temporary exhibition space, a state-of-the-art learning centre and art studio, an auditorium, and community gardens.  

“As part of the National Gallery’s long-term strategic plan, a retail shop, café and multi-purpose events space have also been incorporated into the design to broaden the uses of the site and to help generate revenue,” Natalie adds. 

Given the duration of the project, Danny’s original design has evolved over time. The architect has worked extensively with the National Gallery Building Committee to create a structure suitable for the gallery’s mission, operations framework, and budget. The team also engaged in a project consultation programme with artists, teachers, students and conservation groups to ensure the final space was suitable to their needs.  

“Our proposal for the development of the National Gallery was to provide a building fitting for our National Art Collection as well as creating a series of flexible spaces to support the wide range of activities undertaken by the gallery,” Danny says of the project. “The current design involves two freestanding buildings to house the different exhibition and education areas, linked by a covered walkway. It also includes potential additional phases, which will be highly adaptable to the gallery’s changing requirements over time.” 

This first building houses the two gallery areas, one for the permanent collection and another for temporary exhibitions. The exterior of the galleries are expressed as a perfect square, topped with a pyramidal roof that will allow a shaft of natural light to permeate the upper gallery without damaging the artwork. The interior was conceived as conventional space, based on a square within a square, in order to maximise flexibility for curators and maintain the environmental control necessary to house travelling exhibitions and the gallery’s collection.  

“The emphasis is not on the building as image or spectacle, but on people’s engagement with the artwork,” Natalie explains. “We loved that the architecture’s deliberate simplicity complemented the collections rather than competed with them.”  

The interior will have an industrial finish with white walls, gray concrete flooring, and exposed ceilings.  

Fittingly, the education centre is more playful, with an expansive curving wall that runs along the building’s eastern side. It will house the lecture theatre, art studio, learning centre and library, along with the administration offices. The rooms have been designed to be fully accessible with multiple entrances to allow for heavy traffic.  

“Our school tours have to accommodate approximately 30 children per visit,” Natalie says. “After visiting the galleries, students can come into the learning centre, lecture hall or art studio for a follow up lesson or to enjoy related art activities, before having lunch in the sculpture garden.”  

The flexible areas will accommodate conferences and meetings while the adjoining grassed area will serve as an event space for wedding and large galas. In addition, a cultural tourism programme, aimed at both cruise ship and stay-over visitors, is in development. 

There is no doubt that initial seed planted at Government House is bearing fruit.  

The new National Gallery promises to be an engaging and inviting arts centre, where visitors of all ages and backgrounds can experience culture and contemporary art. 

“On completion, the new National Gallery of the Cayman Islands will be a wonderful resource for the entire community,” Natalie says. “Ultimately the complex will be a place where artists can exhibit the very best of our cultural production, where students and visitors can learn about the arts and culture of our islands firsthand, and where families can spend quality time in a creative, informative and inspiring environment. A community space where we hope everyone will feel welcome.” 

The next issue of InsideOut will focus on the National Gallery’s sustainable development initiatives and follow the construction schedule as it nears completion.   

The team began searching for a suitable location and a site was settled when Helen Harquail gifted the organisation with four acres of land, adjacent to Harquail Theatre Complex.  The architect has worked extensively with the National Gallery Building Committee to create a structure suitable for the gallery’s mission, operations framework, and budget