More than 30 senior citizens across Grand Cayman gathered at the National Gallery on Wednesday for a tea party and a curator-led tour of the gallery’s latest exhibition, ’81 Degrees West’, as part of the EY Seniors programme.
The exhibition’s lead curator, William Helfrecht, guided seniors through historical maps of the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean region dating from the 16th to the 19th century, with artworks that “respond to, or draw inspiration from, the visual and symbolic language of mapping”.
The exhibition, organised into four sections, includes several works from 19 established and emerging artists, including Bendel Hydes, Al Ebanks, Chris Christian and Davin Ebanks.
Seniors had a chance to explore and discuss the influence of maps in modern Caymanian art, which prompted conversations around Cayman’s maritime heritage and community.
George Town senior Catherine McGowan said, “What I like about it is to see those maps. Those maps [are] beautiful because some of those things you have never seen, you only hear about them… it just reminds me of how things were in those days.”
The large gathering of senior citizens also enjoyed games, socialising, a guided tour, complimentary tea and refreshments served by EY volunteers, and exploring the sculpture garden and gallery spaces.
“It’s good to see and talk to people you haven’t seen in a long time,” McGowan said. “It [makes] you feel so nice. Anything that [the community] is having, I feel that [seniors] are always included; it’s good.”
According to a National Gallery press release, the long-running initiative is “designed to create opportunities for community elders and support ‘active aging’, a concept which describes remaining physically and mentally active and engaged during retirement to improve wellness.”
The release noted, “This year the EY Seniors Programme is working with Meals and Wheels and seeking new partners in the community to further grow this important programme and bring more of Cayman’s seniors to the site.”
“This initiative brings the old and new together,” said Lori Peterson, education assistant at the National Gallery. “We have the arts that highlight Cayman’s culture, both past and present, and even the future, and we want our seniors to be a part of that storytelling experience.”
She added, “We get to learn from our seniors and the stories they share. Our seniors sometimes feel the older they get, they feel like they’re not seen, not heard, so when they come out to these events, they get to socialise with not only their peers, but younger generations.”
Sessions are held throughout the year – six times on Grand Cayman, twice in Cayman Brac and once annually in Little Cayman.
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