As Arts Council Malta continues to live the guiding principles enshrined in Strategy 2025, we look back towards what we have achieved during the past year and map the way for a fruitful, sustainable future.
October saw the third edition of Arts Council Malta’s State of the Arts Symposium, which this year focused on Renewing Common Pathways. The two-day event took place at the Valletta University Campus, where artists, creative practitioners and stakeholders got together for a series of conversations and knowledge-exchange sessions.
Arts Council Malta (ACM) last week organised the first Culture and Well-Being Forum at the Salini Resort, with artists and creative practitioners engaging with the day’s programme.
Maltese artist Matthew Attard has been chosen to represent Malta at the 2024 edition of La Biennale di Venezia, in what will be the first time that the national pavillion is entrusted to a solo artist.
Hello, my name is Angela Bettoni and I am a disability right’s advocate, performer and writer with Down Syndrome. I’m going to be sharing with you my experiences as an intern with Arts Council Malta.
Arts Council Malta, together with the Cultural Directorate, has now launched the Culture pass edition for scholastic year 2023/2024, an initiative that aims towards providing high-quality cultural and artistic experiences to students across the islands by inviting schools to participate in the programme.
The awards are Arts Council Malta’s celebration of the main achievements of the Maltese cultural and creative industries, rewarding excellence and encouraging more professionalism in the sector.
Arts Council Malta is launching an audiobook as part of the Resource Pack that aims to support cultural practitioners in fulfilling accessibility to culture. The new audiobook will be freely available for download from the Council’s website.
The first national symposium dedicated to the artistic and creative communities was organised by Arts Council Malta in October. Hundreds of artists, practitioners and creatives gathered in Valletta for a full programme that served as platform for an ongoing discussion about the challenges and opportunities faced by these sectors in Malta, and the international contexts that shape their dynamics.
Arts Council Malta briefly explains the objectives of each Public Cultural Organisation and their collective importance within the context of the nationwide Strategy2025.
Earlier in December, Arts Council Malta has launched 6 Regional Cultural Strategies (RCS), each of which has been tailormade to fit the region in which each strategy will be implemented. As Arts Council Malta, we’re giving a brief overview with regards to the Regional Cultural Strategies.
Malta’s first national symposium on the arts, held in late October, marked a unique opportunity for Malta’s artistic sector to reflect upon its development over the past years and look towards the future.
Now in its fourth edition, Artivisti is a youth-focused collaborative project run by Arts Council Malta and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ. The initiative enrols a group of emerging artists in a mentored programme wherein each participant is assigned a mentor to develop an artistic project with an activist ethos.
As a creative broker at Arts Council Malta, Glen Zammit is the first point of contact for artists, representatives of organisations and the general public. He deals with queries, addresses difficulties, receives and gives feedback, develops ideas, makes contact with entities or other stakeholders. His role includes the organisation of regular sessions and workshops whereby information and good practices are shared, cultural matters debated and networking between peers and other stakeholders facilitated. He talks with Kevin Saliba about his career trajectory as a musician, the worries and preaching of your typical parents and how ACM can save the day.
As Head of Funding at Arts Council Malta, Rita Falzon is currently responsible for the overall management of the Council’s funding portfolio. As part of the Funding and Strategy Directorate, among numerous other tasks she coordinates the yearly planner, the evaluation processes and the monitoring of projects. She also updates and publishes guidelines and application forms related to the various schemes and calls on a regular basis. She also manages and oversees the funding processes. She talks to Kevin Saliba about her passion for languages, the ubiquitous importance of innovation and creativity and the virtues of pragmatism.
A Head of Strategy at Arts Council Malta, Adrian Debattista is responsible for the implementation and monitoring of Arts Council Malta’s strategy through the design, management and evaluation of strategic plans and frameworks supporting Malta’s cultural and creative sectors. As an integral part of the Funding and Strategy Directorate, his decisive role entails heading the strategy team who manage the strategic initiatives and schemes falling under research, community cultural exchange, internationalisation, education, training, cultural entrepreneurship, development and creative economy. He talks with Kevin Saliba about his academic background in economics, his fascination with Hip Hop subculture, transnational cultural policy, and the necessity of abstractions.
An EU Projects Associate at Arts Council Malta, Christopher Spiteri’s work entails managing the successful implementation of EU projects awarded to ACM, ensuring that the financial and legal regulations are adhered to and that the project deliverables are achieved on time within budget and at the highest standard. He is responsible for overseeing and managing the public procurement process related to the project implementation, always liaising with the relevant departments and authorities in the process. Spiteri is also continuously active in identifying other EU funded opportunities and in preparing grant proposals in coordination with other project partners. He talks with Kevin Saliba about his lifelong passion for music, his experience and accomplishments as a music student in Milan, his various project management roles at ACM, the math behind all three and the mysterious twists of Fate.
A Creative Communications Broker at Arts Council Malta, Eleonora Ruggieri’s role revolves around the dissemination of information about national funding and investment programmes to the cultural and creative sectors via digital media. She also facilitates networking amongst cultural professionals and broker communication with national agencies, ensuring that artists and creatives are up-to-date as regards specific opportunities for exposure and growth offered by ACM. She talks to Kevin Saliba about the benefits of pursuing the Classics, the challenges of learning Maltese, the smell of old books, e-information overloads, social media algorithms and the strategy behind communicating efficiently the Council’s strategy for the next five years.
A Research Associate at Arts Council Malta, Neville Borg’s role involves developing and managing the Council’s research programmes via qualitative and quantitative research while gathering quality statistics and data mining, analysing cultural practices, and monitoring cultural participation tendencies, production and consumption for decision-making purposes. He is also a founding member of Wikimedia Community Malta. He talks to Kevin Saliba about the Council’s Digital Research & Development RESTART Scheme, the troubles with Wikipedia in Maltese, the state of art criticism in Malta, local gender divides in cultural participation and the end times according to Slavoj Žižek.
L-ewwel darba li smajt bil-COVID kien fi Frar tal-2020 waqt li kont qed nippreżenta l-proġett KIRANA fit-Theater de Meervaart f’Amsterdam. KIRANA hija produzzjoni multmedjali li tinkludi sensiela ta’ workshops għat-tfal u li għalhekk tirrikjedi li kemm jien kif ukoll il-kollegi tiegħi ngħaddu mill-inqas ġimgħa barra minn Malta. Wara Amsterdam kont inżilt The Hague għal xi laqgħat u kien propju hemm li l-ambaxxatriċi Marlene Bonniċi għarrfitni bl-ewwel każ ta’ COVID f’Malta.
The word unprecedented has almost become a cliché! I have been asked to write a few words about my reflections vs my role. The thing is, like many in our sector, there is very little ‘VS’ between the two. One grows to trust one’s Art as much as oneself, and grows into one’s Art, to the extent that it becomes oneself, or you become the Art.
“Remember you cannot look at the sun or death for very long”. This statement is the essence of David Hockney’s latest video installation, detailing a vibrant sunrise in a sky which is evidently in the process of approaching twilight.
A year down the line of the pandemic …as we slowly attempt to reemerge from the hibernation of a second lockdown. It has been a long enough time, in the light of our prolonged confinement, for personal transformations to have rubbed in. I did not need the spectral pandemic to stand naked before myself and reconnoiter my inner self. But, partly by the world’s abrupt lull and disruption to plans, and partly by the greater quietude, I have pondered upon what I took for granted and what I’m not ready to lose. And that is personal freedom.
A well thought out recovery plan for the Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS) needs to be rolled out in consultation with the Culture Ministry, expert advice from the CCS, the health authorities and the Finance Ministry. The CCS will greatly benefit from this and so will the country, economically.
Stories have flourished throughout the world, at all times, and under every circumstance. They have inspired the activities of the human body and mind, defined groups and held them together. Stories have guided humanity. They are not a luxury but an important need. This understanding has fueled businesses to invest in movie making and profit from the venture.
It is really difficult for me to have to reflect on my role – on the one hand because, I have to fight my natural reluctance to talk about myself; on the other, because my role as both artistic director and chorus master makes it difficult to be too defined.
Life has a strange way of leading you to some interesting places - for me, one of these was Teatru Salesjan…What grabbed my attention when accepting the post of consultancy was the fact that this was a Community Theatre - quite different from the centralised state funded theatres mainly situated in the capital. This was a regional theatre in another prominent part of the island with a purposeful mission to serve people - the communities.
As we deliberate the wearing of masks in studios and wonder whether the country will go into another lockdown, we push ahead with hours of rehearsals preparing for the next production, pondering all the while whether we’ll actually make it to the theatre this February.
It's 7.50 a.m. Stepping out of the elevator is our next-door neighbour, coming back from his daily morning stroll. He's over 85, looks 70. I ask him how he's doing, ten days into lockdown. He says it's reviving memories of the curfew imposed by the Nazis back in 1943. "A city shouldn't be this quiet," he adds.
“We shall not escape these weeks. They recapitulate, always varied and always fresh, always doing and never alone.” Hilary Mantel, The Mirror and the Light
“If art is an act of utterance to an imagined audience, does speaking the truth matter if no one will ever hear you?” asks provocatively artist/academic Hakan Topal, while scrutinising what is termed as the Turkish cultural-political scene.
I sit at my dining table, in an apartment situated right in the middle of a busy pedestrian street. Whilst working remotely I enjoy the collage of sounds; wind rustling through leaves, construction work in the distance, dogs barking, cars and delivery trucks driving past. Amongst these various layers of sounds, children play, at times loud enough for me to grasp some words. Today two children are running up and down the street, at one point they pause and the boy instructs… ‘Imagine you are…’.
Ix-xhur li għaddew għosfru f’distanzi li ferqu persuni minn persuni u persuni minn postijiet. Ir-rutini bidlu l-orbita, it-toroq ħadu nifs u ħafna karozzi raqdu raqdiet twal. Id-dinja tax-xogħol irrispondiet b’laqgħat virtwali u Zzumjajna sakemm xbajna u tqallajna.
First of all, I believe we should be proud of our country’s medical reaction to the Covid-19 Pandemic. As it is, I feel we are considered lucky when it comes to the health repercussions this pandemic could have had on our island. In fact, we are currently already seeing the country defibrillate its economy. A lot of sectors are slowly re-starting with the hope that the new normal summons a better version of ourselves; a better relationship with this earth.
At the end of January 2020, I was lucky enough to embark on a two-week vacation to the nuanced land of Portugal – specifically Lisbon and the Azores Islands. I had been working on my freelance practice circulating between being a coach in public speaking, a performer and a lecturer for just under two years and I was looking forward to having a hard-earned break, to sit with my reflections, with myself, with life.
On merciful days, the cat will have me out of bed by 6am. Feeding her is the first order of business, of course, after which I proceed to feed myself and accompany said breakfast with a shot of strong Turkish coffee, which will be followed by a second soon enough. Reading, drawing, a light workout as I listen to my latest selection from the Masterclass series (self-improvement’s a helluva drug, as Rick James might say) and then, meditation.
So that, come 9.30 or 10am, the writing can start with as clear enough a mind as I can manage.
Celebrities offered us a charming little Home-rendition of ‘Imagine’; DiCaprio (who I’d gladly vote in as president!) is pitching a trip onto the set of his latest movie in a bid to get millions of people to contribute to #americasfoodfund, and a Filipino Nurse working at Malta’s Ground Zero sent out a heartfelt cover of The Tramp’s ‘Xemx’.
By the time the third week of February hit, I was in a total funk. With about three arts-related jobs every week on the March horizon, and two big events promising to wrap up the month in a spectacular fashion, I had only one question: would I manage to pull it all off, or had I bitten off more than I could chew?
Going nowhere isn’t about turning your back on the world. It’s about stepping away now and then so that you can see the world more clearly and love it more deeply. Pico Iyer, The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere.
May You Live In Interesting Times. The title of the 58th Venice Art Biennale (which took place just last year), keeps reverberating in my mind, somewhat hauntingly.
The concept of children's culture, and children’s access to culture, has been part of the legal and social discourse of many national policies since at least the 1970s. The discourse has grown stronger over subsequent decades, and Malta has an active role to contribute towards those discussions within the European Union.
As the national cultural agency responsible for the development and investment of the cultural and creative sectors, Arts Council Malta provides a portfolio of funding programmes specifically dedicated to the support of local artists and cultural operators.
Director of Funding and Strategy, Arts Council Malta, Mary Ann Cauchi, glances at the Create2020 Strategy and what’s in store to continue achieving high levels of excellence and develop Malta’s creative sector.
A 19-year-old student of Classics and Philosophy at the University of Malta, I am also an emerging poet and author, and have just published my first collection of Maltese poems entitled ‘Ħlief Memorji u Dellijiet’ (‘But Memories and Shadows’).
As an islander-artist I feel the need to move away from the island from time to time, to detach myself from my roots and immediate surroundings that can become restricting and too inward-looking.
I have been monitoring recipient projects of the KulturaTV fund at Arts Council Malta through four rounds of funding since its beginning. My background is in international consultation on Film and Television projects through www.advancefilms.com
It is August and as every year at this time, I am out sailing in the wide blue Mediterranean Sea, somewhere between Karpathos and Rhodes. It was almost this time last year when Maleth was chosen to represent Malta at the Venice Art Biennale of 2019, and again, I was in a sailing boat somewhere out in the Sea.
Guest contributor Pamela Baldacchino Visual Artist and Project Coordinator, shares her personal interpretations of the pre-opening exposition of Malta Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia 2019
Opening Doors Association is an arts organization that provides opportunities for adults (18+) with diverse intellectual needs, working for the active participation of adults with intellectual disabilities in creative experiences
Inspired by the Odyssey, Homer’s literary legacy capturing a common human narrative, Maleth / Haven / Port - Heterotopias of Evocation is Malta’s Pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia
Guest contributor Szilvia Nagy from Local Operators' Platform (LOCOP), shares some insights about the need for collective action in Malta's cultural sector following her experience as a moderator in a series of workshops and focus groups organised with the Valletta 2018 Research Department in 2018
Can art be therapeutic, offering the possibility of changing the manner in which we relate to our experiences and their impact on our present life and relationships?
A new cultural policy will provide a coherent government-wide policy for culture which reflects the changing artistic scenario while also taking a more participatory and evidence-based approach
What is Teatru Malta? Why Teatru Malta? The whole of Maltese Theatre? Theatre in Maltese? An agency? A company? Teatru Malta is explained through its first programme
Last December Arts Council Malta launched Festivals Malta as a separate public cultural organisation. Lara Darmanin explains the significance of this major step forward
As the 57th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia comes to a close, Martina Camilleri looks back on her experience at the Malta Pavilion
Jo Taylor, Senior Consultant at Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (MHM) gives an overview of Malta’s Culture Segments recently published in the report compiled by MHM and commissioned by Arts Council Malta
The arts in Malta are thriving, and young artists are riding the crest of this creative wave. Artists and arts organisations are leading the development of new work that is engaging more audiences and reaching new international platforms.
The future outlook for Creative & Cultural Industries necessitates the development of a new generation of entrepreneurs … they need to plan well … and have a sound understanding of all aspects of business. Prof Louis Naudi discusses the future outlook for the cultural and creative industries and the development of a new generation of entrepreneurs
In the coming days Malcolm Galea, Joseph Zammit and Steve Hili will be off to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. ‘The complete history of Europe (more or less)’ by Malcolm and Joseph and Steve’s ‘Burning love. To the ground (and Lasagne) are recipients of the Cultural Export Travel Grants. Last year the festival had 50,266 performances of 3,269 shows in 294 venues. In between packing and rehearsing we caught up with Malcolm and Steve to share some thoughts about the festival and their work before jetting off to the largest festival in the world.
Tour Teatru Tazza Te is a series of monthly tours visiting theatres in every region – theatrical districts, as it were. Teatru Malta artistic director Sean Buhagiar draws some interesting parallels between the worlds of politics and theatre.
A few days before the official opening of the Biennale di Venezia 2017, Ilona Cheshire from Margaret London offers a behind-the-scenes look at some of the media preparations surrounding this prestigious art event
Following the recent publication of the call for Expression of Interest for the Culture Pass 2017 programme, Daphna Attias from Peut-Être Theatre provides a few inspiring tips for those preparing performances for young audiences
It is very easy to get lost in your own world, especially when working within a specialised sector. You find yourself thinking only within the confines of your work, and using your own jargon to communicate with the outside world, often with frustrating results
By June 2017 around 1,000 artists, both new and established, both students and professionals, will have left our islands to represent Malta through their artistic works, all through the Cultural Programme of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Many think of crowdfunding platforms as a way to fund the latest product or to kick-start a business – and they can definitely do that – yet their scope is far vaster
The launch of an online application system; two new major funding programmes and a packed brokerage schedule. Elaine Falzon, Head of Funds & Brokerage, looks ahead at the year 2017
UK theatre critic Mark Fisher was recently invited by Arts Council Malta to lead a discussion on critical reviewing in the arts. Here he records his thoughts and impressions
Our Business Development Associate offers a few useful tips for artists and creative professionals looking to set up for-profit or not-for-profit organisations
Ahead of a public talk on 'Reviewing the Arts', Dr James Corby looks at how a lively critical culture goes hand in hand with the production and development of high quality art
A few days before the start of the 7th World Summit on Arts and Culture, Arts Council Malta director of strategy Toni Attard discusses the notion of cultural leadership
Dr David Stevenson from Queen Margaret University in Scotland recently delivered a three-day training course to Arts Council Malta's strategic partners
As the National Museum of Fine Arts closes its doors, senior curator and MUŻA Project Lead Alexander Debono reflects on a changing visual arts sector in an exclusive piece for artscouncilmalta.org
In 2016 our two Creative Brokers have already addressed an average of 335 queries relating to Arts Council Malta’s funding programmes or to the cultural and creative sectors. A year after the setting up of the Brokerage Team, Head of Funding & Brokerage Elaine Falzon reports
Frances Catherine Farrugia, Business Development Associate at Arts Council Malta, offers a few tips on how to improve the possibilities of getting your arts project crowdfunded
Adrian Debattista, Research Associate at Arts Council Malta, offers a few insights on the possibilities offered by social media to the marketing strategies of arts organisations
Following the recent Culture Matters seminar, Graziella Vella, Research Coordinator - Valletta 2018 Foundation and Adrian Debattista, Research Associate, Arts Council Malta, team up to look at some of the main findings
Head of Funds & Brokerage Elaine Falzon on how 'let’s do this’ often replaces ‘let’s think about it' - and how strategising can make all the difference
Through the Malta Showcase, Maltese performers were given the opportunity to showcase their work before 13 international festival producers as well as artistic directors and programmers of future European Capitals of Culture
Giep Hagoort, chairman of ERTNAM (European Research and Training Network on Art Management) and Professor Emeritus Art and Economics at the Dutch Utrecht University-UU/HKU, shares his thoughts on Create2020
Thursday 3 December 2015
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