Proceedings on the first day were hosted by Abigail Mallia (Director and Producer of Take//Two), with many of the themes discussed circling back to the socio-economic status of the artist.
The conversation kicked off with Dr Bianca Elzenbaumer (Director of Brave New Alps and a feminist design researcher,). She shared how, in her practice, she found ways to care for common infrastructures while contributing to social change in art and design. One of the key takeaways from the discussion that ensued was the importance of breaking out of individualisation. When artists talk to each other about the economic issues they encounter, it creates a common ground for shared analysis, helping everyone to realise that this is a systemic issue.
This point was further strengthened during a Fishbowl Conversations session with the participation of five local and international artists. Among the points of discussion tackled was the issue that artists are often viewed by society as an “economic burden”, with various ideas brought forth as to how we can break out of this vicious circle. International artists shared how wage subsidies and initiatives in their home countries have enabled them to break free of the insecurities caused by financial problems, even allowing them to pursue a higher degree of professionalisation.
The floor was open to all participants to share their thoughts, with many taking the opportunity to highlight specific issues and the means by which these may be solved.
The Launch of the National Charter for the Status of the Artist
The first day of the Symposium was also dominated by the launch of the National Charter for the Status of the Artist. Adrian Debattista (Head of Strategy) and Glen Calleja (Creative Entrepreneurship Executive) presented the document to attendees, explaining how every single one of the nine principles enshrined in the Charter was the result of various consultation stages.
The Charter was signed on site by all Malta’s Public Cultural Organisations (PCOs), as well as by Arts Council Malta representatives. The full document can be accessed here.
The morning started off with a presentation by Dr Karsten Xuereb (Research & Statistics Executive), who revealed a series of interesting findings from the Cultural and Creative Practice Survey. Figures for the full survey - which, among other things, discusses attendance and participation to cultural events - can be accessed here.
The day’s panel discussion, focusing on Access & Accessibility in the Arts World within a context of diversity, was hosted by John Mallia (Director, Mediacoop) with the participation of five cultural practitioners whose work focuses on different aspects of accessibility.
The discussion took the widest possible approach to accessibility, discussing space, communities, ableism and invisible disabilities and ways in which the Commonings may be kept universally accessible. Once again, the discussion elicited a strong and passionate participation from the attendees too.
The conversation came full circle with a Call To Action by Joe Gatt (co-editor, Aphroconfuso) later that afternoon. In his presentation, Gatt emphasised the importance of open-source technologies and platforms and how these were instrumental to Aphroconfuso’s sustainability, while explaining how this approach to the Commonings will also result in the literary journal giving back in the same way it had received.
Parallel Sessions - a Safe Space for Exchanging Ideas
This year’s Symposium also included a series of eight Parallel Sessions spread over both days. Each session was selected after a public call for contributions, with the following themes being tackled:
Each Parallel Session followed the same participatory approach as the rest of the Symposium, with attendees bringing forth their own thoughts and ideas about each of the themes discussed.
What’s Next?
The Symposium came to an end with an address by Mary Ann Cauchi (Chief Operations Officer Funding & Strategy), who thanked everyone for their input and confirmed that the findings yielded by the event will lay the groundwork for the next phase of policy and strategy making.
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