The UWI Regional Headquarters has launched a relief initiative to support affected communities. The drive focuses on collecting essential items and monetary contributions to assist families in the process of recovery. The UWI Museum stands in solidarity with this effort. Though we are not collecting funds ourselves, we are committed to amplifying the message, encouraging support and directing members of the public to the official channels of giving. Museums are keepers of memory. Today, as history unfolds so painfully around us, we recognise a responsibility to participate in the present work of care as well as to consider how to preserve, conserve and interpret for the future.

How You Can Give

You can support the UWI RHQ relief effort through financial contributions or in-kind donations. For many families, recovery begins with essentials. Clean clothing, non-perishable food items and toiletries help restore dignity and a sense of stability.

As a space that preserves the stories of the region, we at the Museum are deeply aware that history is not only what we record but what we live. Moments like these test the spirit of a people and reveal the values that define us: care, resilience and community. In time, these efforts will become part of the national memory, a reminder that in the face of devastation, Jamaicans once again turned toward one another.

The UWI Museum celebrates and wishes you a Happy Independence Day!

“We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, for though others may free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is our only ruler; sovereign.” – Marcus Garvey

The UWI Museum wishes you a Happy Emancipation Day!

Believed to be extinct, the 170-year-old specimen is the only one of its kind in the Caribbean and is the first repatriation of any cultural item to the English Caribbean. The MOU entrusts its long-term care to the Natural History Museum of Jamaica, a division of the IOJ, ensuring its preservation for future generations of researchers, students, and the wider public.

This historic moment is the result of a collaborative effort between academic, museum, and scientific communities at the University of Glasgow, the UWI, and the IOJ, which led to the successful retrieval of the specimen from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. The return forms part of a larger effort to reconnect Jamaican institutions with important elements of the island’s natural and cultural patrimony.

A panel discussion featuring Ms. Debra Kay Palmer (Director, World Heritage, MCGES), Ms. Elizabeth Morrison (Zoology Curator, NHMJ) and Damion Whyte (Terrestrial Biologist) spoke about how the return of the Giant Galliwasp has transformed debates about restitution and repatriation. It enhanced the study of reptiles on the island. They emphasised the importance of diversifying our understanding of cultural property and engaging in environmental conservation.

Visit our Facebook page to watch the signing and panel discussion here The Galliwasp is on view at UWI Museum, Regional Headquarters until June 25, 2025. UWI Museum is open Monday to Friday 10 to 4 pm and Free to the public.

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response, the UWI Museum is thrilled to announce a second Meet & Greet with the Artists event.

When: Saturday, December 14, 2024, from 1:00 to 6:00 pm
Where: UWI Museum, 1st floor Regional Headquarters (across from the UWI Mona Campus Main Gate)

This follow-up session offers another opportunity to connect with the creative minds behind Nature’s Palette. Guests can explore the stunning exhibition featuring landscapes, floral compositions, animal portraits, and figurative works rendered in acrylic, gouache, watercolor, pencil, and photography.

Whether you attended the first session or are joining for the first time, this event is a perfect chance to delve deeper into the artists’ techniques and inspirations while celebrating the beauty of the natural world.

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Nature’s Palette in a more personal and interactive way. We look forward to welcoming you to another enriching afternoon at the UWI Museum.

Step into the vibrant world of “Nature’s Palette,” an enchanting art exhibition currently on display at the UWI Museum. Running from November 25 to December 22, this showcase brings the natural world to life through the eyes of four talented artists. Each piece, ranging from acrylic and gouache to pencil and photography, offers a unique perspective on the beauty that surrounds us.

To deepen the connection between art and audience, the UWI Museum invites you to a special Meet & Greet with the Artists event, which will be held at the museum on Saturday, November 30, 2024, from 1 – 6 pm. This session provides an opportunity to engage with the creative minds behind the works, gaining insight into their inspirations, techniques, and artistic journeys.

When: Saturday, November 30, 2024, from 1:00 to 6:00 pm
Where: UWI Museum, 1st floor Regional Headquarters (across from the UWI Mona Campus Main Gate)

Expect lively conversations as you explore stunning landscapes, delicate floral compositions, intricate animal portraits, and evocative figurative works. Whether you’re an art enthusiast, a curious student, or someone looking to spend an enriching afternoon, this event promises to inspire and delight. Don’t miss this unique chance to connect with the art and the artists behind “Nature’s Palette.”

See you there!

The Untold 300: Recalling the ABC Spartans preserves the hall’s rich history, which opened in 2011 to provide additional housing to incoming students at The UWI. Emerging from an agreement between The UWI and UHWI, part of the UHWI Nurses’ Residence was converted to ABC Hall. The new residents developed a collective identity and shaped the hall’s culture. Photographs, audiovisuals, personal stories, and memorabilia tell the story of who an ABC Spartan was and reveal the legacy of the Land of Sparta. 

The UWI Museum is excited to welcome you to visit The Untold 300. Closed in 2022, this exhibition offers insight into its evolution, concerning hall life and the people who participated in its community.

Come and explore the vibrant history of ABC Hall, which is open to the public from October 2024, and will run until March 2025.

At the University of the West Indies, Sir Shridath Ramphal is best remembered as the institution’s fourth Chancellor, a role he played to full effect for the maximum allowable period of two seven-year terms. For part of that time, he was simultaneously Chancellor of the University of Guyana and the University of Warwick in the UK. Many changes to the structure of the UWI emerged from his Chancellor’s Commission report on The Regional University in the 1990s and Beyond.

A former foreign minister of his native Guyana, he served as Commonwealth Secretary General from 1975-1990, during which time he was an important leader in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. He served the Caribbean as Chief Negotiator on External Economic Relations and as Chairman of the Caribbean Commission that wrote the seminal report, A Time for Action in 1992. He served as President of the World Conservation Union and Special Adviser to the UN Conference on Environment and Development, and he mediated and facilitated across the world stage.

When he launched his memoir, A Global Life, at the UWI Mona, the University of the West Indies Museum highlighted elements of his story. Here, we reprise a panel on his role as Vice Chancellor.

On his first, quiet and unannounced visit to the UWI Museum, the Curator was out and he was taken around by a young student assistant, who later reported that the visitor told her he had often worn the original Chancellor’s gown on display! His sense of humour balanced his clear mind and gargantuan efforts at many levels.

May his soul rest in peace.