‘Narrative Evolutions’ opens today
THE NATIONAL Gallery of Jamaica (NGJ) is today hosting a soft opening of the exhibition ‘Narrative Evolutions’, which takes a look at its recent acquisitions. Doors will be open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Admission is free.
The National Art Collection is a continuing narrative of developments in Jamaica’s social, economic and cultural life. The NGJ inherited the core of its collection from the Institute of Jamaica upon its inception in 1974 and the majority of its subsequent acquisitions have been made through generous donations from collectors and artists.
‘Narrative Evolutions’ is primarily constituted of donations received between 2018 and 2022 and will contextualise a selection of these acquisitions alongside previous acquisitions. The juxtaposition of these works illustrates the gallery’s continuing mandate for its collection to comprehensively represent the evolving realities of Jamaica and its diaspora.
The exhibition includes new works by David Boxer, Leonard Daley, Albert Huie, Michael Lester, Ebony G. Patterson and Sylvester Stephens, among others. These donations to the National Collection came from the following donors: Wayne and Myrene Cox, The David Boxer/Onyx Foundation and Jessica and Sebastian Ogden, in memory of Annabella and Peter Proudlock.
The NGJ is the largest and oldest public art museum in the English-speaking Caribbean. A division of the Institute of Jamaica (Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport), it currently operates from two locations in the capital city Kingston and Montego Bay.
Its developments and success have reflected its mission: “To collect, research, document and preserve Jamaican, other related Caribbean art and related material to promote our artistic heritage for the benefit of future and present generations”.