New art and crafts centre

The Wistin Camilleri Gozo Centre for Art and Crafts (formerly the Gozo School of Art), Ghajnsielem, will be inaugurated on February 27.

The project, which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, will offer a range of 45 courses, mainly covering local crafts and art. The centre currently has about 1,000 students, the youngest being seven years old.

The Gozo Ministry had felt the need to cater for a wider spectrum of students' hobbies as well as to provide students with added personal satisfaction.

With this in mind, the ministry decided to embark on an ambitious project which included the construction of a new crafts incubation centre as well as an extension to the Wistin Camilleri Gozo Centre for Art and Crafts.

The complex comprises five fully-equipped workshops with the latest machinery, as well as an IT system to enable students to participate in more modern hands-on training in subjects relating to silver and gold manufacturing, wood and stone carving, metal works, pottery as well as glass works.

The building also has its own kiln, staff room and boardroom as well as a conference room and a spacious exhibition hall. The school's administration offices have also been transferred to the new complex.

The 10 units in the incubation centre are also to be provided with a separate exhibition hall and a lift system to improve accessibility between the old and new wings of the building.

This project will not only provide a better learning and working environment for those wishing to embark on a sustainable career in crafts, but will also serve to encourage more artisans to set up their own private businesses.

The crafts sector in Gozo is important and a project like this will provide a better environment for the learning of various crafts which will continue to be taught for generations to come.