Sculpture Garden planned

(CNS): The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands has announced plans to open the first formal public sculpture garden in Cayman. The major project, which has received significant financial support from Deutsche Bank, will feature a number of landscaped brick walkways meandering through permanent and temporary sculpture exhibitions by Caymanian artists. Benches are also to be installed, enabling visitors to rest whilst in the garden.

Due to be officially opened in 2010, the Sculpture Garden will measure more than 2,000 square feet and access to it will be free for visitors.to the National Gallery, according to a release from Deutsche Bank. The Sculpture Garden is to be created in order to ensure that the National Gallery can stage outdoor visual art and design exhibitions in their natural environment, to complement what is already on show indoors.

Nancy Kirkaldy-Barnard, Director of the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands,welcomed the proposed plans for the Sculpture Garden. “We are very excited to be the future home of the first formal public sculpture garden in the Cayman Islands. The garden will take up a substantial area of the land at the site and we hope that Gallery members and all of our visitors alike will visit it often. We appreciate the support that we receive from our longtime friends at Deutsche Bank and their sponsorship of this wonderful aspect of the new Gallery,” she said.

A global supporter of the arts, Deutsche Bank has built up its own collection of more than 53,000 works of art, housed in 921 buildings and 28 museums around the world. As well as being accessible for employees at Deutsche Bank, these artworks are also exhibited for other artists and the public in the various locations the Bank has a presence in.

Janet Hislop, Chief Country Officer, Deutsche Bank Cayman Islands, added, “Deutsche Bank believes passionately in art as a source of inspiration and enlightenment and continues to strengthen its partnership with the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. Our support of this major initiative builds on the Internship and the Scholarship schemes already in place and will give locals and visitors alike the opportunity to engage with sculpture work by Caymanian artists. I am looking forward to seeing how our contribution will help as this unique space develops and makes visiting the new National Gallery a really rich experience.”

Photo: Left to right: Janet Hislop (Chief Country Officer, Deutsche Bank), Nancy Kirkaldy-Barnard (Director, National Gallery), and David Dyer (Director, Deutsche Bank), with an artwork by Caymanian artist Al Ebanks