Throughout the lockdown, NGCI redirected resources and content online, including: overhauling our website with new digital collections pages, virtual tours of several recent exhibits, an updated archive of NGCI’s past exhibitions, downloadable education resources for teachers, students and parents, and the launch of the National Gallery’s first exclusively online exhibition, Art Under Lockdown. All of these digital initiatives served as invaluable resources that extended access to NGCI’s programmes for audiences at home, and they are now being shared with the global museum community via a series of webinars on museum strategy.
National Gallery Director Natalie Urquhart was recently invited to participate in a UNESCO/ICCROM webinar exploring “Museums after the Pandemic”. Ms Urquhart, who is currently serving in her third year as President of the Museums Association of the Caribbean, represented the Caribbean and Latin American museum sector, alongside other leading museum experts from around the globe. With the pandemic having significantly impacted the international museum community, panelists discussed critical questions about the status of museums in their regions, strategies used to overcome engagement limitations in lockdown, and future challenges museums are facing in the post-COVID-19 world. In order to comprehensively address these critical issues, they concluded that it would be critical for museums to adapt and proactively demonstrate their value to society, and to realize their full potential of museums as agents of transformation. To watch the full webinar visit iccrom.org.
Ms Urquhart will next speak on 06 August as part of the closing panel of the African American Association of Museums annual conference. The panel features four Caribbean museum leaders in conversation about the impact of COVID-19 on the museums and communities. She will share some of the digital strategies that the National Gallery unveiled during four months of lockdown, as well as best practices in audience engagement and reopening health and safety measures. Access to the panel is via conference registration via blackmuseums.org.
Later in August, NGCI will feature as part of the Museum Association of the Caribbean’s new virtual programme which invites museum leadership from different linguistic regions of the Caribbean (Spanish, English, French, and Dutch) as they discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their museums and how their institutions have adapted to the crisis. Ms Urquhart will present at the inaugural session on 13 August, 5:00pm (Cayman Islands time) alongside colleagues from Jamaica, the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago. To register for the free event click here.