McCoy Prize opens on Saturday

The past several years has seen unprecedented growth in the visual arts and interest in the importance of culture of the Cayman Islands.

In 2001, to encourage this development, the North Side’s McCoy Family established the McCoy Prize exhibition, seeking to encourage and reward excellence in Caymanian art. This year the fourth such competition and exhibition opens at the National Gallery on Saturday, 28 May and runs through 27 July.

With more than 30 participants in three categories of fine art, fine-art photography and fine crafts, the McCoy Prize qualifies again as a welcome addition to Cayman’s art scene.

The prize was created ‘to encourage and reward excellence in Caymanian-produced art,’ explained prize creator Harris McCoy.

‘We felt that there should be more done to encourage exhibits of Caymanian-made things by Caymanian artists. The appreciation of art has many avenues and rights of way, and the McCoy Prize is an embodiment of this ideal.

‘This year the prize is a testament to the fortitude of Caymanian art, as we all move forward, but yet will never forget the impact of hurricane Ivan on the Cayman Islands and those of us who have all our lives called it home,’ he said.

‘The heart of the McCoy Prize is about showing a great appreciation and honour for our local Caymanian artists, and to reward them with a prize in the major categories of visual artistic endeavours present within the Cayman Islands.

‘As joint administrator of the McCoy Prize, along with the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands and the Cayman Islands National Museum I am delighted to be a part of a tradition, which seeks to reward, promote and encourage the development of the Caymanian artist,’ Mr. McCoy said.

According to this year’s curator, Nancy Barnard, director of the National Gallery, the event has drawn considerable this year, although there was a noticeable lack of certain crafts, which the organizers tentatively attributed to diminishing natural resources following Hurricane Ivan.

‘It was a bit harder this year in terms of the application process,’ said Ms Barnard.

‘Also, because many who would normally apply readily had to be reminded of the deadlines and coaxed a bit because, unfortunately, the reality this year is that the priority for many artists in the community is rebuilding their own homes, or catching up on all the many errands that Ivan’s passage necessitated, rather than focus on their own artwork. Many artists lost studios, artwork, or both,’ she said.