The Cayman Islands National Museum in George Town is opening a new exhibition titled Conversations with Popular Art on 23 May.
Timed to coincide with Cayman Art Week 2025, the exhibition will run through to the end of August.
The exhibition will feature works by self-taught artists – commonly referred to as ‘intuitives’ – as well as Caymanian artists who employ popular art idioms and techniques.
The presentation examines the role of popular culture in shaping and expressing Caymanian identity, community and belonging.
According to the museum, the exhibition explores the relationship between individual creativity and cultural tradition, and addresses the often-unequal status afforded to self-taught artists compared to their mainstream counterparts.
It also considers how tourism has influenced perceptions of Caymanian culture, both by reinforcing stereotypes and by contributing to the preservation of traditional artistic practices.
Artists represented include Gladwyn ‘Miss Lassie’ Bush, Harvey Ebanks, Edney McLean, and anonymous creators, alongside mainstream artists such as Charles Long and Virginia Foster.
The exhibition includes works in various media, including paintings, drawings, carvings, textile and fibre works, ceramics, and mixed media objects.
Most of the pieces are drawn from the Cayman Islands National Museum’s collection, including works from the Ira Thompson and Virginia Foster Collections.
Additional pieces are on loan from the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands and the Cayman National Cultural Foundation.
On opening day, the museum will offer extended hours from 9am to 9pm, with free admission and light refreshments available after 5pm.
