The goal of research as a strategic area is to build upon existing knowledge to nurture an internal culture of openness, critique and analysis, enabling ACM to make informed decisions about our operations, partnerships and future development across all areas of our work. The body of knowledge developed through ACM’s research programme aims to instil a more thorough understanding of the crucial role arts and culture play in Malta’s future socio-economic development. Our work seeks to identify and highlight existing trends and patterns of behaviour and activity within the cultural and creative sectors, as well as gain multi-layered insight into the status of artists and creative practitioners.
Be it through addressing questions related to audience participation, creative practice, education, internationalisation or economic output, research enables us to gain a richer, more textured understanding of how arts and culture are developing, as well as the challenges that artists and creative practitioners face in their practice. This is especially valuable within the broader context of time and society, wherein a more extensive and longitudinal body of data reveals meaningful shifts and developments.
ACM can position itself at the forefront of Malta’s creative and cultural sectors through compelling research, as a proactive, visionary and compassionate entity driving positive change and guiding the sectors through uncharted waters.
Developing a more robust, representative and deep body of knowledge enables us to support the sectors in the present in addition to laying the groundwork for future developments. Our evidence-based body of knowledge will be informed by several sources, including relevant policy documents, local and international academic research, ACM’s original research
and primary data, pertinent statistical reports and our ongoing conversations with stakeholders and representative bodies. Our gathered insights will enable ACM and Malta’s cultural and creative sectors to understand the human, social and economic investment required in emerging fields of practice.
Research is also crucial in establishing new partnerships and exploring new avenues of inquiry. As creative practice and artistic engagement become increasingly interdisciplinary – both in terms of their modes of practice as well as their subject matter – it is vital for us to establish and maintain strong relationships with individuals, entities and organisations operating in a range of different fields outside the arts. Research can bolster this kind of networking by inspiring new fields of exploration, identifying areas of collaboration and mutual interest, and bridging previously unrelated areas through knowledge transfer.
