If you’ve been enjoying NGCI’s evolving digital offerings, then be sure to watch out for our latest ‘Curator’s Corner’ series focusing on The People’s Collection. Premiering on the National Gallery’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, it aims to connect with the wider community in different and increasingly accessible ways by situating itself within an aspect that is already a part of many people’s daily life – social media. Supplementing this intention to reach and inspire the youth, as well as those who might not be familiar with Cayman’s rich visual culture, the information shared on these platforms is intended to be easily digestible and shareable.
Setting them apart from the labels that accompany the artworks on site, many of these educational, bite-sized videos average only one minute in length and will introduce viewers to behind-the-scenes knowledge and curatorial interpretations of select pieces from current and future exhibitions. The current exhibition – The People’s Collection: A 25-Year Cultural Legacy (2022) – celebrates 25 years since the founding of the National Gallery in 1997 and explores the evolution of NGCI’s acquisition history over the past quarter century. Presenting the perfect time to tell the story of how the National Collection grew into what it is today, this series resumes with introductions to popular favourites, historical artefacts and award-winning works.
Curatorial Corner forms part of NGCI’s digital programming, which is made up of several recently launched initiatives that grew from the coronavirus pandemic and related social distancing restrictions. This historic event pushed NGCI, and museums all around the world, to reconsider and reaffirm their fundamental purpose within their communities. Through this transformational period, NGCI shifted its presence beyond a solely physical or digital space into a hybrid one, by creating different pathways to and from the organisation – from bringing 360⁰ Virtual Exhibition Tours to the public via NGCI’s website, to inviting audiences to utilise the Gallery as more than simply a visual arts space and instead as a country-wide centre for Wellness – thus ensuring greater representation and engagement within the community both at home and abroad. To learn more about NGCI’s Digital Learning Programme, click here.