Merging Cultures through thatch and fibre at Gallery

(l-r) British artists, Shuna Rendel and Mary Down, 
National Gallery Director Nancy Barnard, and Coutts 
(Cayman) Managing Director Andrew Galloway

Tuesday, March 30, 2004

At a private viewing held last week, the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands unveiled a new exhibition entitled Merging Cultures, which combines traditional Caymanian thatch art with British Fibre Art. 

The exhibition, which runs until 29 May, explores the traditional thatch plaiting of members of the older generation of the Cayman Islands and the contemporary work of seven British fibre artists. 

National Gallery Director Nancy Barnard hopes, by combining Caymanian and British cultures and art forms, they will breathe contemporary life into the craft. 

"Thatch is one of our most obvious traditional cultural elements and it's a dying craft," she said. "I wanted to make it relevant by introducing very contemporary fibre art to inspire younger artists to make new sculpture forms using traditional silver-thatch."

Visiting British artist Shuna Rendel commented: "Thatch art is a piece of social history that is under threat of dying out. It could be saved through this art. 

"I asked some local artists here, 'have you taught your children, have you taught your grandchildren about thatch?'"

The group of merging artists, comprised of 10 Caymanians and seven British artists, includes Coleen Gibson, Annelee Ebanks, Rosemay Ebanks, Rosaline Ebanks, John Broad, Leslie Bigelman, Luelan Bodden, Merle McGann-Burke, Nickola McCoy, John Doak, Shuna Rendel, Mary Down, Anna Lewis, Lucy Brown, Anna King, Caroline Dear, and Frances Brennan. 

Andrew Galloway is the Managing Director of Coutts (Cayman), which sponsored the event. He said: "We have supported the National Gallery for the past couple of years. What we like to do is support exhibits that seek to merge Britain and Cayman, because, after all, we are a British-Caymanian bank." 

The National Gallery is centrally located on the ground floor of the Harbour Centre on South Church Street in George Town. The gallery is open to the public, free of charge, Monday through Friday 9 am to 5 pm, and on Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm, with parking available in front of the gallery or in the parking garage located at the rear of the building.

Back...