Stqarrija bil-Malti Agħfas Hawn / Press Release in Maltese Click Here
Heritage Malta and the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding seeking collaboration on various levels between the national cultural agency and the Malta School of Art.
The memorandum envisages, inter alia, joint research on the formation of artists whose work currently forms part of the national collection and who started their artistic careers by studying at the Malta School of Art. This research would lay the groundwork for exhibitions, monographic publications, catalogues and other projects agreed upon by both parties. Joint collaborations on lectures, art workshops, training sessions, gallery talks, events and other activities or projects are also on the cards.
Moreover, Malta School of Art students and staff shall have access to MUŻA’s reserve collection and archive for research purposes and lecture preparation. The school, on the other hand, shall grant access to its collection and archive to MUŻA staff.
All items in the School of Art’s collection are being inventoried and Heritage Malta will collaborate with the school to formally include them in the national collection managed by the Agency. The school shall collaborate with Heritage Malta to display at MUŻA, on temporary and rotational basis, for a maximum period of six months per artefact.
The collaboration also comprises the introduction of a pass allowing free access to teachers, staff and students from the Visual Art Section within the Mikiel Anton Vassalli College, to all Heritage Malta sites, museums, temporary exhibitions and lectures or similar events organised by Heritage Malta. Additionally, Heritage Malta will provide free art classes at the college, outside museum hours, up to a maximum of five sessions per year.
The MOU, covering a five-year period, was signed by Noel Zammit, Chief Executive Officer, on behalf of Heritage Malta, and by Matthew Vella, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation.
Mario Cutajar, Heritage Malta’s Chairman, said that the School of Art and the national art collection under Heritage Malta’s wing share the same roots and their aims bear several similarities. This MOU is a logical step for both parties, through which the national collection will be further enriched and new opportunities will be created for students of the School of Art. The MOU, added Mr Cutajar, should spur more collaborations between the educational sector in its broader sense and Heritage Malta.
Matthew Vella, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation, highlighted the benefits of this collaboration with Heritage Malta, particularly with regard to research, exhibitions, the production of monographic publications and catalogues of works and artefacts. He also underlined the advantages for students and educators derived through this agreement, and the investment by both the School of Art and the Ministry so that these collections would be recognised as national heritage.
