National Gallery showcases student artists
Lighthouse students display their artwork
(CNS): As the school year winds down, the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) is presenting an exhibition of student artwork from six Walkers Art Clubs. Benefiting more than 300 participants, the NGCI after-school clubs, sponsored by Walkers, comprise pre-schoolers, primary and secondary students, Cayman Brac students, teens who are studying for their final exams, and young people with special needs.
The exhibition, titled “Tomorrow Land” and held in the NGCI Dart Auditorium Community Gallery, has been curated by this year’s Deutsche Bank intern, Candace Welcome. The exhibition consists of more than 162 pieces of art and represents a cross-section of styles.
“Visitors can expect to see many creative and colourful pieces by students, including: drawings, paintings, chalk art, crafts, collage, mixed media, thatch work, masks, and a host of installations,” said Welcome.
“We will be showcasing installations of sea creatures, human figures, junk art and even a large rocket ship.”
Mark Lewis, senior partner at Walkers, said of the clubs: “Walkers has worked closely with the National Gallery on a variety of children’s arts initiatives since 2002. The Walkers Art Club is a creative, engaging, and accessible after-school programme which enables students of different age groups from both public and private schools to meet and interact over art.
“We are immensely proud of the programme and delighted to be invited to open the third annual Walkers Art Club exhibition…We are looking forward to seeing the inspiring array of artwork on display and witnessing first-hand the remarkable talent of Cayman’s young artists.”
Now in its 11th year, the Walkers Art Club remains in high demand amongst children and parents. Tanya Whiteside, NGCI operations and programmes manager, said, “As we aim to develop talent and nurture creativity at the National Gallery we look forward to watching students from the Walkers Art Clubs pursue further qualifications in the arts and to becoming our creative innovators of tomorrow.”
Through a combination of hands-on instruction and individual experimentation with art foundation principles, children learn techniques, art history, self-confidence and how to form and articulate opinions about the work they are creating. In addition to individual art projects, students work collaboratively on group projects which connect participants to one another across socio-cultural divides and encourage them to appreciate the unique abilities of their peers.
“We commend Walkers for their long-term commitment to this programme and are grateful for their ongoing support,” added Natalie Urquhart, NGCI director.
“Tomorrow Land” opens to the public on 1 June, running until 15 June. The public is invited to attend a special opening reception 31 May from 5:30pm until 7:30pm, for which admission is free.
For more information about Walkers Art Clubs, email the National Gallery or call 945-8111
