Opinion /Art in Malta June - October 2021 MALTA
JOANNA DELIA
A bad workman blames his tools
The case of the artistic chicken and its egg (and their respective IQs)
H
ow does a country become ‘the best in the world’? How does a country or a city establish itself and its identity as one that deserves a visit? One that deserves investment – whether emotional or financial? How does one recover from the devastating effects of a global pandemic? Careful strategic planning involving the creative industries at every stage and in every fold has always been vital for cities way
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past their industrial peaks to express themselves culturally and, in this way, open up to the world and shine. Take the once forgotten Spanish city of Bilbao for instance, thanks to its world-famous Guggenheim museum, it has become something of a cultural mecca in just ten years, generating hundreds of millions in indirect revenue for the community in its first years of operation, and in doing so, placing itself firmly on the map.
In Australia, Creative Victoria and the visionaries of the Melbourne Arts Precinct understood that the human urban experience had to be facilitated by immersion in culture, and not by mind numbing consumerist traps. Melbourne supplied artists with space and then allowed them to dream and create until the city flourished with attractiveness – the rest is history. So what is Malta’s strategy for increasing attractiveness and accepting or
nurturing our identity? Admittedly, within the last decade or so, with the strengthening of the Malta Arts Council and funds that enabled private spaces to find footing, the participation in the Art Biennale in Venice, the rebranding of Spazju Kreattiv, the completion of the Valletta Design Cluster, the highly anticipated MICAS, and many other initiatives, I don’t think we can say we have achieved nothing. But building a kindergarten is just the very first step in the establishment of a good education.
