On Friday 25 June we gathered to celebrate the 42 participating photographers who are participating in the 2020 Vision: A Community’s Experience of Lockdown digital exhibition that showcases our community’s diverse experiences of lockdown in Cayman. The project is part of a wider collaborative effort by the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands and the Cayman Islands Government to commemorate these events through multiple platforms. The selection of works reflects how we, individually and collectively, have dealt with this unique moment in our history, both during lockdown and as restrictions had begun to ease.
The event provided the opportunity for the participating photographers to gather together in person, after getting to know one another virtually through the remarkable work in this exhibition. They are: Claire Birchall, E. Lennon Christian, Lisa Collins, Julie Corsetti, Ayana Dacres, Mariasol Danziger, Thaís de Souza, Ryan Carlo J. Dumaguing, Al Ebanks, Sheree Ebanks, Shane Nobee Edwards, Jim Gates, Svitlana Gilyun, Cassandra Greene, Francis Guevarra, Heather Holt, Christopher Humphries, Joanna Humphries, Maggie Jackson, Paige Jordison, Whippet McCallum, Destinie McField, David McGibbon, Bridget McPartland, Heather Meinen, Tiyen Miller, Phillippa Miller, Jenna Nicholson, Alysha Pearson, Lori Peterson, Kaiman Photo (Kris), Nikole Poirier, Graziela Portela, Rebecca Raige, Lisa Reid, Elizabeth Riley, Dione Scotland Rivero, Brandee Romanica, Simone Scott, Tricia Sybersma, Davina Valaydon, Michaela Walker and Tony Walton.
Awards were presented to the three winning works from each sub-category: Home & Time Indoors, Nature & Outdoor Time, and Community, and were selected by a committee of Cayman Islands Government representatives and select photography professionals. The winning works were:
Home & Time Indoors
Ayanna Dacres (3rd place)
Jim Gates (2nd place)
Maggie Jackson (1st place)
Nature & Outdoor Time
Shane Nobee Edwards (3rd place)
Heather Holt (2nd place)
Lisa Reid (1st place)
Community
Lennon Christian (3rd place)
Tony Walton (2nd place)
Claire Birchall and Graziela Portela (1st place)
“Today we are here to celebrate all of these featured photographers and to thank them for documenting this remarkable period in our country’s history. Importantly, their personal photographs of how the pandemic has affected daily life will help us keep a record of what it was like to live through these times – both the challenges we have faced as individuals and as a community, and the resilience of our people throughout. We are grateful to all of the participating photographers for sharing their experiences via this impactful exhibition,”
said National Gallery Director, Natalie Urquhart.
Sincere thanks were also extended to the exhibition jurors: Jennifer Ahearn, Alannis Lockwood, Suzette Ebanks, Wil Bignal and Justin Uzzell.
All 78 images featured in 2020 Vision can still be viewed online.