by Diana Lambdin Meyer

t’s hot in the Cayman Islands with fair conditions ahead. As much as that is a statement about the weather in this Caribbean nation, it is also a forecast for the craft art community.

“So much is happening here that has never been seen in the Cayman Islands before,” says Nancy Bernard, director of the National Gallery. “Artisans are coming from all over the world to learn and teach and create here.”

The Cayman Islands — Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac — are located about 330 miles south of Key West, or an easy two hour and 15 minute flight from Atlanta. While these little specs of land, home to about 40,000 people, have long been recognized as a scuba diver’s paradise, and just paradise in general with its famous seven miles of perfect white sand beach and tax-protected banking business, it is just recently that the Cayman Islands have developed as an attractive community for artisans and art lovers.

Much of the energy developed during the term of former Governor Bruce Dinwiddy. His wife, Emma, an art lover, generated considerable support for art programs throughout the islands. She was responsible for creating Art@Governors, a Saturday afternoon showcase of traditional crafts and fine artwork.

Gearing up for its eighth year, Art@Governors is held on the grounds of the Governor’s mansion in George Town, the capital city on Grand Cayman. Strict government guidelines prevent the sale of products during this event, which features about 100 booths and draws about 4,000 spectators. An equal number of tourists and locals attend the event held the last Saturday in January.

“This is truly a celebration of the visual arts on the islands and not a money-making event for anyone,” says Barnard of the National Gallery, which coordinates the event.

However, exhibitors are encouraged to pass out business cards and other information that will draw interested buyers to their studios and the galleries that show their work.

“This would be the ideal opportunity for buyers from the U.S. to see some of the best we have to offer in a compact environment,” Barnard adds.

For the Art@Governors event, and several other times throughout the year, the National Gallery brings in a visiting artist from abroad, usually the United States, Canada or the U.K.

For the 2006 Art@Governors, Robyn Nichols, a jewelry artist from Kansas City, Mo., was invited to the Cayman Islands for a week. Although she had participated in workshops in the Cayman Islands in the past, as a guest of the Cayman government, she was provided complimentary lodging, a rental car and a work permit. In exchange, she demonstrated her metalsmith skills, led workshops for island residents and made connections with some great galleries in George Town. Oh, and she spent a few days in the tropical sun in January.

“What is honorable for me is that I now have students living all over the world practicing their craft,” Nichols says. “And I’ve made sales to clients throughout Europe that I encountered while there.”

The National Gallery, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, also hosts a reception for the visiting artist at which time Nichols says she sold enough product to more than justify her time and expenses getting to the Cayman Islands. She also received a couple of commissions and continues to see strong sales on her Web site as a result of her contacts in the Cayman Islands. “The exposure for me is outstanding,” says Nichols. “It’s important for anyone considering this to realize you’re working while down here, and it’s not simply a vacation.”

Tourism is the number one industry in the Cayman Islands. More than 1.8 million visitors arrive by cruise ship and another 200,000 by air, yet very few of those visitors have had access to local craft artisans. Exorbitantly high rent in downtown George Town, where most of the cruise passengers spend time and money, prohibits most craft artisans from having their own galleries.

However, the Department of Tourism has just recently begun coordinating efforts to link these visitors with island artisans. A Studio Trails Brochure, recently published by the Department of Tourism, helps draw buyers to sometimes-remote studio homes of craft artisans.

Tourists and others interested in learning about the traditional craft arts of the Cayman Islands have a new outlet in the West Bay area, about 20 minutes from George Town. Traditional Cayman Crafts is the business opened in 2005 by native Caymanian Chris Christian and his wife Trina.

Inspired by the talents of Chris’ grandmother, Traditional Cayman Crafts has a two-part mission: one is to teach craft arts, such as silver palm thatching, to anyone interested; the other is to serve as a clearinghouse or central resource for those from beyond the Cayman Islands seeking to purchase craft art and fine art by island residents.

Trina has recently begun working with island hotels that cater to large incentive groups, as well as the island wedding business, to provide traditional Cayman gifts for visiting groups. Such gifts may include a hand-woven silver palm thatch basket, locally made peppermint candy and soaps. When the Ritz-Carlton opened a high-end resort on the island late in 2005, Trina coordinated local thatch weavers to create basketry used throughout the property.

Traditional Cayman Arts offers small group classes teaching thatch weaving, catboat carving and Caymanian cooking in the West Bay location, but also in the port area at the request of some cruise lines. Because the business is located in one of the island’s oldest buildings, many bus tours offered by the cruise lines stop at Traditional Cayman Arts.

On the opposite side of George Town, but within walking distance of the port, is Pure Art, a gallery representing about 300 island craft artisans. Many of these are native Caymanians, but others are residents who have lived on the island for up to 20 years. Tour busses stop at Pure Art as well, where locally produced ceramic turtles and iguanas sell alongside thatch baskets, jewelry and woodcarving.

About 15 miles farther east is the village of Grand Harbour, which hosts two crafts events throughout the year. The first weekend of December is the Festival at Grand Harbour, which features 75 booths of handcrafted work ranging from pottery to quilting to ceramics, to the more traditional thatch weaving and wood carving. The first weekend of April is a similar event called Art A-Fair. Registration is $40 a booth, which includes an 8-foot table and two chairs. Visitors to the island are allowed to participate, but a work permit is needed to sell merchandise.

Diana Lambdin Meyer is a Parkville, Mo.-based free-lance writer.

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