Written by Jessica Ebanks
As NGCI’s Education Coordinator, I have the pleasure of organizing and facilitating various lectures, tours and ongoing programmes at the Gallery, so recently it was an honour for me and the NGCI team to participate in a weeklong intensive training programme on Museums & Curatorial Studies. Our course was delivered by visiting lecturer Dr. Veerle Poupeye, an art historian and former Executive Director of the National Gallery of Jamaica. The training focused on exhibition curatorship for museums in the Caribbean context, while also covering key issues and best practices for museums. Our days were filled with lectures, group discussions, work sessions, and field trips, all of which were designed to impart us with the knowledge and skills necessary to flourish in our respective roles at NGCI.
Each morning, Dr. Poupeye presented a different theme, including fascinating (and challenging) topics such as curatorial styles, how to plan and implement exhibitions, managing controversy, and engaging with activism. As a staff, we come from diverse industries and fields of study, including education, communications, retail, visual arts, and hospitality, so Dr. Poupeye’s seminars allowed us all to gain a better understanding of museum-specific concepts and terminology. As someone who has always been an avid museum-goer but doesn’t come from a formal museum studies background, I was especially interested to learn about the evolving role(s) of museums over time: from the initial role of the museum as an institution of collection (which inevitably raises issues of how objects were collected and who benefitted from this collection); to the shifting focus on exhibitions and education as museums took a more democratic turn in response to the socio-cultural activism of the 1960s-1980s.
Learning about the history of museums gave me a greater appreciation of the role that NGCI plays in our community, and how we fit into the larger global museum context. NGCI is a young museum, barely 20 years old, which means that we are still growing and evolving, along with the rest of the Cayman Islands. It’s exciting to be part of such a dynamic organization that simultaneously responds and contributes to the evolution of our culture.
Following the morning lectures, each day we participated in work seminars on a collaborative exhibition proposal project. As a team, we were tasked with conceptualizing an exhibition that could be executed at NGCI and draft a proposal by the end of the week. In our various roles, most of us typically aren’t involved with the development of exhibitions from the outset, as our jobs often come into play later (e.g. promotion, events), so it was unique experience to be involved in a potential exhibition from its conception. It was also a wonderful team building opportunity for us, as we got to learn more about each other’s strengths, in addition to feeling a shared sense of ownership and excitement over the project.
Our afternoons were dedicated to site visits at various galleries, museums, heritage sites and artists’ studios. On the first outing, we had the pleasure of touring the Mission House in Bodden Town, exploring the Pedro St. James Great House, and visiting the studio of artist Charles Long to view his portfolio of paintings spanning decades. The next day we headed next door to the Cayman National Cultural Foundation before venturing to commercial gallery spaces and retailers, including the Ritz Carlton Gallery, Kennedy Gallery, and Awardart Gallery. Day three featured a trip to the National Museum and Dart Park, while our final afternoon was spent touring the studios of artists Randy Chollette & Nasaria Suckoo Chollette, Al Ebanks, and David Bridgeman, as well as a stop at Art Nest Creative Studio. The range of sites we visited, from historic to modern, workspace to storefront, natural to manmade, really allowed us to immerse ourselves in Cayman’s diverse arts and culture scene. Each host welcomed us graciously into their space, all sharing their knowledge and answering our curious team’s many questions.
In a country where museums, and a culture of museum-going, are still developing, we at NGCI have a responsibility to create exhibitions, educational programmes, and events that attract diverse audiences and meet the varied needs of our public. Participating in this training under the guidance of Dr. Poupeye instilled me with renewed passion and greater knowledge of how to better serve our community through innovative programmes that educate, inspire, and contribute to the evolution of Caymanian art.
NGCI Staff Comments:
Mariasol Danziger, Events & Retail Manager: “Being a brand-new member of staff at NGCI and having the opportunity to take part in the Curatorial Studies training among all members of staff was a fantastic experience for me. I enjoyed the “field trips” as it gave us all opportunity to socialize and learn from other organizations while applying what we were learning in the training.”
Simon Tatum, Assistant Curator: “I was particularly impressed with the presence of our staff as we traveled from one cultural site to the next. I think that it is important to note that the National Gallery is more than just a museum building or a site. The National Gallery is also the presence of our staff and the Gallery’s involvement with the community. I saw this presence demonstrated as our staff made a visit to various commercial sites around Camana Bay. During that visit we were unable to move more than 15 feet around the site before one of our staff members was stopped to greet an artist, artisan, or other member of the community.”
Tyra Iton, Education Intern: “Overall, I think my biggest takeaway from the experience was that it encouraged me to critically engage with trying to understand the intended narrative present in an exhibition as a whole, as well as in its individual pieces”
Fergus Foster, Arts and Communications Administrator: “This was a truly enjoyable experience that highlighted the importance of team work in any curatorial project. Dr. Poupeye was a highly knowledgeable and enlightening professor that was a joy to learn from. I will now visit museums with a new perspective into the work being displayed.”
Brooke Meyer, Head of Public Engagement: “I most especially enjoyed exploring the process of creating an exhibition proposal and our daily afternoon outings to various heritage sites, galleries and commercial sites. The course has definitely provided me with the framework and tools to better understand the intertwinings of a museum, including the curatorial process and how to better promote and convey NGCIs’ message more effectively to the public.”
Dr. Poupeye’s website: https://veerlepoupeye.wordpress.com/
The National Gallery of Jamaica: https://nationalgalleryofjamaica.wordpress.com/