Almost nine months after Hurricane Ivan struck, staff at the Cayman Islands National Museum are still struggling to get the facility up and running.
The building, which has stood for more than 150 years, is not completely repaired and the artefacts remain in storage in various stages of restoration.
Harris McCoy, chairman of the museum’s board, knows exactly what is needed to get things moving: money.
‘We deal the best we can with limited resources. We run a very lean organisation,’ he said.
Seven people, including Anita Ebanks, museum director, handle all the day-to-day operations, which involves organising repairs, sorting out all the exhibits, getting the support facility ready and even running the gift shop.
Mr McCoy praised the efforts of this team who were back at work the Wednesday after Ivan passed through. ‘They have been working non-stop ever since,’ he added.
While the museum’s personnel help out wherever necessary regardless of their job description, the facility is extremely understaffed.
‘I would require 17 people to run it the way I need,’ said Ms Ebanks.
With or without all the people she needs, Ms Ebanks is working to get the museum reopened as soon as possible.
Mr. McCoy explained that they are waiting for word on an insurance claim of more than CI$1 million.
‘We pretty much have the restoration programme sorted out. Now funding is an issue,’ he said.
Mr. McCoy estimates that it would require anywhere from $1.5 to $2 million to get the museum ready to re-open.
The money would be used to repair the structure of the museum; clean and set up the exhibits; and fix up the new support facility, including a state-of-the-art storage system for the artefacts not on display.
The staff at the facility, however, is still without basic telecommunications, relying solely on cell phones.
‘We have no fax, no landlines, no internet. We have no telecommunications system despite vigorous pleas for help,’ Ms Ebanks said.
Mr. McCoy is hoping that local companies will help with the museum’s funding needs.
‘Cayman has been kind to corporations here. They need to give something back to the community. Many of the companies consider themselves Caymanian, that Cayman is part of their history and culture,’ he said.
Mr. McCoy suggested corporate sponsorship of individual galleries as a way companies can contribute.
As cultural attaché to the United Kingdom, he has also contacted arts organizations in the UK as well as the Museum, Libraries and Archives Commission for help. Mr. McCoy is looking for the commission to approve a series of grants for the museum.
A reopening date remains unclear until funding is resolved.
‘I would like us to open to the public, with some miracle, by August, but we are aiming to open for our anniversary in November,’ Ms Ebanks said.
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