Kingston, 1 September 2025 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has broken ground for the construction of a new purpose-built Jamaica Music Museum.

The Minister broke ground on Sunday (yesterday) at the future home of the Museum at the corner of East Street and Tower Street in downtown Kingston alongside the Executive Director of the Institute of Jamaica, Michele Creed Nelson and the Director/Curator of the Jamaica Music Museum, Herbie Miller.

Minister Grange, who launched the Jamaica Music Museum and brought it into operation in 2009, said the new facility would be “a living, monumental edifice that will reflect the past, present, and future” of Jamaica’s music.

The Jamaica Music Museum which began in the corridors of the Institute of Jamaica is now housed in the Tower Street gallery.

Minister Grange said the new Jamaica Music Museum home will be a “state-of-the-art building that will showcase a more expanded collection, a museum that resonates with pulsating performances and Jamaican cultural expressions”.

The Minister said she hoped the new purpose-built facility would “inspire both present and future generations to continue imagining, innovating, and creating as we embark on building our museum and continue this melodious journey”.

Also on Sunday morning, Minister Grange officially opened two new exhibitions at the Institute of Jamaica.

The ’African to Jamaican: Music and Creolized Black Culture’ exhibition demonstrates the power of music as a multidisciplinary connector and as a compelling chronicle of Afro-Jamaican legacy and sociopolitical history. It weaves art, music, and history to create a clear story of who we are and how far we have come.

Minister Grange also opened the Natural History Museum’s permanent exhibition gallery outfitted with captivating examples of Jamaican biodiversity. She said the permanent gallery would serve as a focal point for the scientific community and provide a valuable base for research as we advance the study of the natural environment of our island.

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