The National Museum will be celebrating the work of national hero Leila Ross-Shier, composer of ‘Beloved Isle Cayman’, with an exhibition opening 29 Nov.
The exhibition, titled, ‘I Cannot Thee Forget: Ms. Leila Ross-Shier’ – which echoes a line of the national song she composed – is a joint project of the museum and Ross-Shier’s great-granddaughter Lisa Arch-Scott and her team, that includes Karen Ryan, Lucille Seymour and Patricia Ebanks.
“I’m so proud of this,” Arch-Scott told the Compass. “It’s been about six years in the making, well before COVID. To actually see it become real, we can touch it and feel it… it blows my mind that we’ve got it to completion.”
She added, “We don’t have a lot of heroes, especially a lot of [female] Caymanian heroes, so just for her to get the recognition and be brought to the forefront that young people can learn about her is wonderful.
“Most of the people [of her generation] have started to pass away, so her legacy will be lost. This is an opportunity now to introduce her to kids, young people, and keep her legacy alive. As a member of her family, I’m so, so grateful because what she was and who she was should never be forgotten.”
The exhibition will “spotlight her lifework – with supporting artefacts – richly capturing her impact on the history and culture of the times in which Ms. Leila lived”, according to the National Museum. It will feature artefacts comprised of “preserved family heirlooms and replication of originals”. It will also include a video presentation of first-person accounts of Ross-Shier’s influence on their lives and on community development.
According to a description of the exhibition, “Throughout her life, she excelled as an educator, librarian, Registrar of Births and Deaths, advocate for literacy, author, composer, concert organiser, church organist, and a passionate supporter of women’s suffrage. Her tireless efforts and indelible mark on the Cayman Islands community have left a lasting legacy.”
Ross-Shier, who passed away on 26 Sept. 1968 at the age of 82, was recognised in 1965 with a certificate of honour award for her contributions to music in Cayman. In 2009, she was awarded the Heroes Day Spirit of Excellence Award, which honoured her “extraordinary achievement and outstanding services to the nation that has served to motivate and inspire others to follow her example in pursuit of excellence”.
In 2021, she was declared the 10th national hero of the Cayman Islands.
The museum noted that the national song is the “centerpiece of a collection of surviving poems, hymns, and ballads she composed over her lifetime. Those writings – to be published in a book [are] expected to become available at the opening of the exhibition, along with a surviving handwritten journal providing first-hand accounts of the period’s history and culture.”
Brian Watler Jr. exhibition designer and project lead at the National Museum, said, “I extend my gratitude to Mrs Lisa Arch-Scott and her incredible team, whose unwavering commitment was instrumental in bringing this exhibition to life.
“I am thrilled to invite the public to join us for this enlightening journey, as we delve into the remarkable life and legacy of Ms. Leila Ross Shier – the talented writer of the Cayman Islands National Song and a true National Hero.”
The exhibition, which opens Wednesday, 29 Nov., is a “testament to her enduring impact and will be open for exploration until May 2024. I look forward to sharing this enriching experience with all who come to celebrate the cultural richness of the Cayman Islands,” Watler added.
There are also plans to take the exhibition on a “travelling road show” to libraries across Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.
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