(Via a Walk Along the Cayman Parkway)
by Anne Evans
There are two “National” museums on Grand Cayman: The Cayman Islands National Museum (more about it some other time) and the topic of this Blog, The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) .
Part of the draw of a visit to the NGCI for my husband and I was that it would be an interesting walk for us. From our canal-side condo, we can walk to and from The National Gallery, and complement our gallery visit with an after-visit picnic lunch. So, our day would combine two of our favorite things, walking and midday dining at a picnic table.
About The National Gallery
The NGCI was established in 1996 with its mission “to promote the appreciation and practice of the visual arts of and in the Cayman Islands.” After a series of temporary sites, in early 2012 NGCI moved into its permanent home on the Esterly Tibbetts Bypass which is where we paid our visit. Visiting the Gallery doesn’t have an entrance fee, but it is supported by donations, memberships and sponsors.
The Walk
Our walk started in Camana Bay, a modern tree-lined upscale market and residential area that abuts a tranquil bay.
Little did we know that the path we embarked on for our trek actually had an official name: “The Cayman Parkway” – and it wasn’t quite finished!
As we emerged from its foot tunnel under Esterly Tibbetts, the paving ended abruptly, depositing us onto an area of semi-excavated dirt.
No worries. We were able to self-navigate the last several hundred yards to the museum.
The Exhibits
The Museum houses 2 exhibition galleries.
The upper gallery located on the second floor is home to the NGCI Permanent Art Collection, which showcases approximately 40% of the collection on rotation.
Temporary exhibitions are held in the lower gallery. During our visit, it displayed an exhibit of creations by London-based Caymanian fashion designer Jawara Alleyne entitled “Island Underground”. It was a truly vibrant display of local talent.
The Sculpture Garden is located in a peaceful green space at the back of the museum. It includes a number of permanent works in stone arranged between seating areas, lawn, trees and shrubs. A perfect place for quiet contemplation.
Adjacent to the Sculpture Garden is the Art Café. We had hoped to lunch on its outdoor patio, but it is currently closed with no signage indicating when it may re-open (and we visited “In Season” which made its closure doubly surprising.) We surmised that it may have closed during COVID and since failed to re-open, because there has been in sufficient foot traffic to sustain it. It’s a lovely spot, so hopefully it gets another chance soon to serve the public.
… so, we concluded our visit and headed back on foot to Camana Bay for lunch.
Camana Bay Farmers Market & Lunch at Fosters Market
This happened to be a Wednesday In Season, so the weekly Farmers Market was in full swing in Camana Bay by the time we returned.
Camana Bay offers many scenic places to dine – indoors and out. However, most are seated dining with table service, rather than our preferred take-out dining on picnic tables. And though we often enjoy evening meals in Camana Bay, we prefer simpler options for lunch.
For many folks that live, work and/or shop in the area, the local Foster’s Market is not just a grocery store ─ but also the source of an expansive selection of take-out options. They offer breakfast, lunch and dinner; hot items and cold; and everything from omelets and sushi to soups, stews, pizza, fried chicken and vegan Indian curries ─ plus a myriad of nonalcoholic beverage. That afternoon, Rick and I made ourselves fresh salads from the buffet and then strolled outside to one of the many shaded picnic tables that surround the store to enjoy our lunch together.
Not a bad way to end a simply delightful local adventure.
