National Gallery of Jamaica Receives 2020 U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Award

The National Gallery of Jamaica (NGJ) is the island’s 2020 recipient of the United States Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) Award, receiving approximately J$6 million in grant funding. This award was made possible through the AFCP’s Cultural Antiquities Task Force and will support the NGJ’s Conservation Redevelopment & Storage Rationalization Project. The project is designed to redevelop the Gallery’s conservation laboratory workspace and reorganize its collection storage areas.

Speaking at a recent handover ceremony, held at the U.S. Embassy’s Robeson American Center, Ambassador Tapia congratulated the NGJ on its award, asserting “I am pleased that the U.S. Government continues to partner with Jamaica on programs that not only strengthen trade and security but also bolster cultural ties by preserving pieces of the island’s rich heritage for future generations.”

Established in 1974, the NGJ is the oldest and largest public art museum in the Anglophone Caribbean, and explores the breadth and depth of Jamaica’s visual art culture through its collection of painting, sculptures, and other forms of art. The AFCP therefore provides grant funding to preserve cultural heritage around the world, ranging from the renovation of historical monuments and restoration of artifacts to the documentation of traditional cultural expression. It demonstrates the commitment of the United States to help people around the world preserve and protect their rich cultural traditions.

Since its inception in 2001, the AFCP has awarded seven Jamaican projects, to the tune of approximately J$38 million. Projects include:

· Preventative Conservation of Taino Amulets and Other Ethnographic Objects at the Institute of Jamaica (2004)

· Conservation of the Enos Nuttall Manuscripts Collection of the National Library of Jamaica. (2009)

· Preserving the Heritage of Those Who Came: Restoration of the Indian, African and Caribbean Collection (INAFCA). (2018)

For further information on the AFCP and other programs facilitated by the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica, visit, jm.usembassy.gov.