The Arts Council Malta published its strategy for the next three years on Tuesday afternoon, following a nine-month consultation that saw more than 200 people express their views about improving Malta's cultural sector. 

Work on the 2025 strategy began back in December 2021, when Arts Council Malta launched a consultation on a draft of the strategy. 

Speaking during the launch of the 2025 strategy, the Arts Council Malta director of Funding and Strategy Mary Ann Cauchi said the strategy is the Council’s vision for “the arts to be at the heart of Malta’s future’. 

“This is only the beginning, we will continue discussions so that the cultural sector can continue to blossom, grow and flourish,” she said. 

She said the goal of the strategy is to push for art and culture to be included more in society, current affairs, the environment and social wellbeing. 

The strategy, which was launched with the slogan 'care, create, flourish', has six strategic goals:

• Investing in and fostering diverse artistic and cultural expression;
• Supporting and promoting the conditions in which Malta’s cultural and creative sectors can flourish;
• Advocating and providing for community-led opportunities to engage in arts and culture;
• Strengthen Malta’s international cultural relations to continue developing international artistic collaborations;
• Nurture cross-sectoral collaborations that contribute to Malta’s sustainable development;
• Facilitate cultural partners to build and strengthen organizational capacity.

The strategy is based on ten guiding principles based on the concept of cultural rights as defined by UNESCO, which is built upon the tenets of UN Sustainable Development Goals and UNESCO recommendations on the Status of the Artists, as in Malta's National Cultural Policy 2021.

Arts Council Malta executive chairman Albert Marshall said the strategy reflects national, European, and international discussions revolving around cultural policy. 

"The cross-sectoral interconnections, which value the intrinsic qualities of artistic expression, are brought to the forefront through this Strategy, as we aim to adopt an open, collaborative, participatory, and facilitative approach to how we implement our measures in the years to come," he said.

Arts and Culture Minister Owen Bonnici during the launch of Strategy 2025. Photo: DOI

Speaking at the launch, Arts Minister Owen Bonnici said the launch of the strategy was an important day for the cultural sector in Malta. 

"Strategy 2025 was developed in partnership with a number of stakeholders from the cultural and creative sectors, as well as members of the public who have the arts and culture at heart," he said. 

"It is also in tune with the policy that envisions culture being embraced for the wellbeing of all. Wider participation in the arts and culture leads to more innovation, creative engagement, artistic legacy, active citizenship, and overall enhanced wellbeing."

The Strategy 2025 document is available in English and Maltese and can be found here.