The simultaneous opening of the McCoy Prize exhibition with the announcing of the prize’s winners, last Saturday, lent an added frisson to the visual arts event.
Now in its fourth year, the popular mainstay in the local arts’ calendar attracted some 32 participants.
Entries at the National Gallery where diverse and ranged from metalwork, fabric, photography, installation, fine art and traditional craft.
In keeping with its mandate to promote and reward excellence in Caymanian art, the 2005 prize provided a welcome boost to the profiles of the six Caymanian artists who either won prizes or received commendations.
Aston Ebanks garnered the overall prize in the fine art category with his acrylic on canvas painting ‘Overexposed Goodness’.
Though he lives in Switzerland, the artist’s mother was on hand to collect his winner’s trophy and the CI$3,000 in cash and educational awards.
Penny Clifford, also presently off-island, was awarded that section’s first commendation for her ‘Wild Banana Orchid’. Chris Mann received the fine art second commendation for his ‘For Mangroves’.
In the fine art photography category, Art Pasquali walked off with the winner’s trophy and prizes for his ‘Colours of Ivan – I’.
First commendation in that section went to Sheree Ebanks with her digitally remastered ‘The Eye’.
The recent foray into photography by Wray Banker bore early fruit. His picture ‘Christmas Breeze Flows’, won the category’s second commendation.
Storm damage
In her opening address, the national gallery director, Nancy Barnard, said that the overall number of participants had fallen this year. As this year’s curator, she explained that this was directly attributable either to artwork lost due to the storm or the forced revision of priorities post storm.
The McCoy Prize joint administrators – namely the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands National Museum and Mr. Harris McCoy III – all paid testament to the untiring spirit shown by local artists following Ivan. Despite privations many, it was said, had nevertheless still found the energy to produce inspirational artwork.
The loss of the traditional fine craft prize, this year, was explained by the lack of natural resources following Ivan, which had resulted in markedly fewer entries.
The McCoy Prize exhibition runs at the National Gallery in Harbour Place until 27 July. Gallery opening times are Monday – Friday 9am-5pm and Saturdays 11am-4pm.
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