Vivian Crawford, executive director of the Institute of Jamaica, walks through the gallery at the institute, downtown Kingston. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Vivian Crawford stands in a gallery full of exhibits but empty of visitors. As the executive director of the institute, it saddens him that there are not more people who come to experience what the institute has to offer.

"People are scared of coming downtown," he says. "There is this fear."

He disregards this as a reason to avoid the institute and praises the decency of the local people.

"You cannot write anything about this institute without expressing our eternal gratitude to the people who protect this institution, not just our security team, but the local community."

Treasures inside

He is also keen to point out all the amazing features on offer around us. "We have the sixth-largest under-water collection in the world."

Included within the institute are divisions of history and ethnography, the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica, Natural History, and the National Library and Gallery of Jamaica. Between them, these divisions boast 15,000 artefacts, 130,000 plant species (many only found in Jamaica), over 31,000 insect specimens and the most comprehensive collection of Jamaican artistic works in all formats.

In addition to this, the programmes coordination division holds after-school classes in all kinds of disciplines, ranging from computer skills to storytelling and needlework. The institute is also home to The Jamaica Journal, described by the brochure, as "an invaluable source of information on Jamaica's cultural heritage, contemporary culture and natural environment".

All of this is housed in a building that dates back to 1879 and will be celebrating its 130th anniversary this month.

Despite this, visitor numbers remain low. Mr Crawford says that the institute regularly plays host to school groups and business conferences, but would like to see a much greater number of the public and tourists come for a look around. The mandate for the institute reads: 'For the Encouragement of Literature, Science and Art in Jamaica'.