Nasaria’s Hertiage Tour Part 2: The National Museum and National Gallery – Grand Cayman

Nasaria’s Heritage Tour of the island will also include visits to The National Museum, where she used to be the Educational Coordinator,  and National Gallery, a new museum on the island that has featured work from all of our artists participating in the Travel Gal Adventure to Grand Cayman.  Take a look at Nasaria’s thoughts and very personal experiences on these stops…

Primary School Folk Singers performing at The National Museum

Stop 3:  The National Museum: A relatively small building from the outside, actually houses much more than you would think on the inside. The tour begins with a very interesting Media experience that uses modern technology to tell the story of our humble beginnings and the history of the building in which the Museum is housed. When I first started working there, the Museum had been closed for years because of the devastation of Hurricane Ivan. I was very privileged to be able to provide footage, photos and scripts for the Museum’s introductory audiovisual experience, and to make three documentary films. One of the films, The Story of Long Celia”, is about an Enslaved African in Cayman’s History that dared to speak of freedom and was severely punished for it. The Museum Building was once courthouse, a post office, Cayman’s first Secondary School, a Church and a Dancehall. There is a Natural History Gallery, which shares the richness of our Flora and Fauna. One interesting tidbit: Cayman has a very large number of indigenous creatures just because of the small size of the islands. Basically, the Islands cannot produce and sustain the numbers of animals required by world regulations to get the animals off the endangered species list. The Cultural History Gallery shares the way we used to live, more about our judicial system and famous men and women in our history. You must come and hear a story told by Mr. Harvey, the Museum’s resident animatronics figure. There is also a Children’s gallery, The Old Gaol (Jail) and the Museum Shop where you can purchase many locally crafted gifts.

National Gallery in Grand Cayman

Stop 4:  The National Gallery: Just completed and opened this year, the National Gallery is a very modern interpretation of space in itself. The Grounds are just as inspiring with a sculpture Garden, Cafe and many cool areas in which to sit in the shade and enjoy the breeze. There is usually a very inspiring exhibition in the Main Gallery as well as an exhibition of their Permanent Collection. Alta, Gordon, Randy and Nasaria all have had showings at the Gallery and have a piece of their work in the Permanent Collections. You will be able to see paintings about our Seafaring History, the way we made a living in Cayman and modern interpretations of old ideas. If you look high enough, you might catch a glimpse of Nasaria’s art, walking the walls…

Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery

“Miss Lassie’s House” by Maureen Anderson, from the collection at the National Gallery

March 23rd – March 30th are the dates for our Travel Gal Adventure to Grand Cayman.  Immersing yourself in  Caymanian culture through the personal experiences of some of the islands most premiere artists is a great way to spend your Spring break.  For more information on the packages and experience we’ve created, please visit http://travelgalart.com/Travels.aspx

I hope to see you in March!

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