Best in COVID-19 photo exhibit named
Cayman Compass
‘Our Street, Our Bubble’ by Lisa Reid won first place in the Nature and Outdoor Time category.
Winners have been named in the photo exhibition – created as a collaboration between the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands and the Cayman Islands government – that explored the COVID-19 lockdown’s impact on the community.
The top three scorers in the three main categories – Family/Time Indoors; Nature and Outdoor Time; and Community – were selected from 72 entrants. Only a few points separated the top three in each category of the competition.
The entire exhibit, including the top scorers, can be viewed on the gallery’s website at www.nationalgallery.org.ky in the exhibitions section.
‘Feeling a Little Upside Down’ by Maggie Jackson got first place in the Family/Time Indoors category.
Family/Time Indoors
Category had 22 entries, and top scorers were:
- Maggie Jackson with ‘Feeling a Little Upside Down’;
- Jim Gates with ‘Kai’; and
- Ayanna Dacres with ‘New Perspective’.
Nature and Outdoor Time
Category had 26 entries, and top scorers were:
- Lisa Reid with ‘Our Street, Our Bubble’;
- Heather Holt with ‘Beyond Blue’; and
- Shane Nobee Edwards with ‘Evening Fishing on Coxin Bank’.
Community
Category had 24 entries, the top scorers were:
- Claire Birchall/Graziela Portela with ‘#stayhomeCayman’;
- Tony Walton with ‘Disconnection’; and
- E. Lennon Christian with ‘Sunrise Service’.
Claire Birchall/Graziela Portela got the top spot for the Community category with ‘#stayhomeCayman’.
Deputy Governor and Head of the Civil Service, Franz Manderson, said, “My warm congratulations to all who took part in this creative and meaningful look at how we as a community fared in 2020 to the rigours of life dictated by a pandemic. Together we faced many challenges which called for many sacrifices. Yet the year has proved we are a strong, resilient community.
“My kudos to the winners and also all who participated.”
He added his congratulations to the National Gallery for “providing a conduit for our community members to place their individual experiences into perspective and share these with the wider community”.
Cabinet Secretary Samuel Rose, whose portfolio includes the Department of Communications, said, “The calibre of the entries was simultaneously a testament to the strength and the ability of our community members to rise to the occasion. We are pleased to support this special exhibit which transcends policy and regulations and connects our community to the personal stories of the COVID lockdown.”
Gallery Director Natalie Urquhart commented, “The personal photographs submitted by individuals in our community form an invaluable record of how deeply the COVID-19 pandemic affected our people as they met the new challenges that threw lives into disarray. We in the National Gallery thank all the participating photographers for sharing vignettes of their experiences dealing with this relentless global pandemic.”
She also added her thanks to the exhibition jurors: Alanis Linwood, Suzette Hislop, Jennifer Ahearn, Wil Bignal and Justin Uzzell.
Featured photographers were Claire Birchall, 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.