The International Watercolour Society (IWS) Malta, is planning a five-day festival of local and international watercolour art in Malta next year, including an exhibition at the Malta Society of Arts. Since its inception in 2012, hundreds of IWS events have taken place, attracting countless overseas visitors to their respective countries. Outgoing IWS Malta leader Anna Galea talks to Times of Malta about the current open call for a new branch president to coordinate the event. Could it be you? 

The mission of the IWS is to promote “the world’s oldest and most deeply-rooted painting technique; the art of watercolour”. To achieve this, globally the organisation has enlisted numerous institutions, galleries, education centres and museums to organise exhibitions, contests, awards, festivals, plein-air excursions and touring shows. The IWS also aims to use art to “spread love, friendship and harmony throughout the world” and “encourage peace, mutual understanding and respect”.

The IWS Malta branch was established in 2015 by British artist Andrew Smith. It now has more Facebook followers than any other branch, with around 13,000 followers, many of whom take part in events overseas.

Chadwick Lakes, Malta 2019 by Andrew Smith

The rapid growth of the IWS is partly due to the passion and drive of its charismatic founder, Atanur Dogan. Turkish watercolour artist Dogan is an enthusiastic advocate for the medium. Naturally outgoing, his networking has attracted large numbers to the organisation. Each IWS country branch is encouraged to show off the beauty of their locations and the talents of their artists, who he likes to head-hunt.

In eight short years, his aspirations to bring “peace by the use of art; the common language of all the people of the world” have seen branches spring up in over a hundred countries and brought thousands of artists to­gether to showcase the medium.

Referring to the bonds which develop between artists, Dogan says: “It has been proven that  art can bring people together despite differences in race, religion, culture and distance. Though our activities centre on watercolor promotion, our mission of promoting brotherhood and peace is being accomplished too.”

More recently, Anna Galea took over the leadership of IWS Malta. Anna is an award-winning artist, she has exhibited in many countries and her two-week exhibition, Still Stills, opens at the Malta Society of Arts on February 13. She currently lives in Dubai, with short visits to Malta, which makes managing her IWS commitments a challenge.

The world’s oldest and most deeply-rooted painting technique; the art of watercolour

After five years, and with Anna leaving the IWS Malta leadership post, an opportunity has become available for someone new to take the post, and facilitate a watercolour festival in Malta.

Anna explains that the festival will expose the public to the “joys and appreciation of art”. The vision is that it will become a biennial cultural festival, like the Valletta Baroque Festival and Malta Jazz Festival, providing “Maltese artists the opportunity to paint alongside foreign artists and widen their world view”.

So what is the job description of the new IWS Malta leader? Well, it is twofold. Firstly, there is non-festival work, which averages around six hours per week, to “promote the name of the society and the medium of watercolour in the respective branch.”

Qares (Cape Sorrel or Ħaxixa Ingliża) by Anna Gales

This in­volves communication with branch leaders in other IWS member countries to advertise international events on social media, not only promoting the painting, but the country itself. And since Malta’s artists can participate in these overseas events, it’s the job of Malta’s leader to arrange delivery of their paintings to the hosting country.

The initial task of the new leader will be to assemble a team to facilitate an IWS Malta watercolour festival in Malta in 2021. The leader will handle the overall strategic decision-making and planning for the festival, with the support of the IWS network. Similar festivals in other countries feature live cultural shows, demonstrations by renowned international artists, exhibition of works and networking and socialising events.

Maltese artists will naturally be invited to participate in these and other activities, such as the plein-air painting sessions envisaged at key locations such as Valletta, the Three Cities and Manoel Island. Cultural excursions to Mdina and other historical sites will be offered to local and visiting artists and journalists, hopefully in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority and town councils. IWS also plans to involve fine art students from Mcast and the University of Malta. Finally, a system of awards is being considered, as well as a gala dinner to conclude the festival.

The new leader will also need to explore funding for the event. Options being considered are Arts Council funds and support from the Malta Tourism Authority, for which applications would need to be submitted well in advance. Artist participation fees will contribute to administrative costs and leaders are free to explore corporate sponsorships. IWS Malta also encourages mutually advantageous partnership proposals from those seeking an association with the event.

Although leaders can participate personally as artists in IWS events if they wish, leaders do not need to be artists. The profile of the ideal candidate fits that of a good organiser with a knowledge and love for the arts, an individual or group with a lot of spare time and energy and a good network in the Maltese artistic community.

While the role is voluntary, there are some benefits which offset the effort and time involved. Leaders typically make many new friends. They also get to see the inner workings of the organisation and how challenges are resolved.

Delimara by Andrew Borg

Anna agrees that the sense of achievement, enjoyment and fulfilment are the biggest motivating factors. “You get to meet artists from all over the world, there is great camaraderie between everyone and they are all so passionate. It is very rewarding when a group from Malta goes to another country, and leaders often get free accommodation and flights.”

Maybe you have a passion for art and culture, or maybe you are part of a group of like-minded friends who would all like to be part of the organising team.

Applications for the position of IWS Malta leader should be submitted by February 14 by e-mailing a CV to annagalea58@gmail.com.

Artists can join the IWS Malta Facebook Group or follow the IWS Malta Facebook page at iwsmalta. Visit the IWS global website at www.iwsglobe.com, Anna Galea at www.annagalea.com and Andrew Borg at www.andrewborg.com.