Higher education training in conservation-restoration studies in Malta began in 1999 with the setting up of the Malta Centre for Restoration in Bighi. The courses offered are a four-year Bachelor's Honours degree in Conservation, B.Cons. (Hons), with the emphasis being on hands-on conservation-restoration.

The courses are roughly divided into 50 per cent theory and 50 per cent practice, and students get to work on real works of art during their supervised training. Most of the artefacts now come from Heritage Malta's own collections, but before, artefacts also came from private collections. Entrance is based on the Matriculation entrance requirements of the University of Malta plus an entrance examination where manual dexterity skills of applicants are determined.

The areas of study offered are conservation of paintings and polychrome sculpture, of objects made of glass, ceramics, metals and stone, of textile material and of books and works of art made of paper.

There are a number of complementary divisions at Bighi, which together offer a complete range of services in conservation-restoration and include spacious and well-equipped laboratories for the conservation of graphic documents, books, paintings, metals, textiles, ceramics and glass, and also diagnostic science laboratories and a documentation division.

When the Malta Centre for Restoration was absorbed within Heritage Malta, it started to be called the Conservation Division of Heritage Malta, while the teaching arm became the Institute of Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage (ICMCH).

ICMCH is a member of the European Network for Conservation Restoration Education (Encore). In recent years, postgraduate courses in Master's in Applied Conservation and Restoration and Master's of Arts in Cultural Heritage Management have also been offered.

Graduates in conservation-restoration have been employed with Heritage Malta, while others have formed companies or are working freelance.

Unfortunately, the public at large little realises or wants to realise that a conservation project, be it small or large, merits the academic knowledge and discipline that it deserves. Few people realise that the research and documentation involved before even touching the work of art is an integral part of conservation and should thus be recognised in terms of time, energy and money.

The public is the main consumer of our conservation activities, but the cost of treatment is by far more important to the public than the level and quality of the treatment. We must also not forget that the private sector is possibly the keeper of the highest percentage of our Maltese cultural heritage. And inevitably one always finds the people who attempt a repair job before using the services of a qualified conservator-restorer.

Malta is one of the few countries in Europe where the profession of the conservator-restorer has been adopted in a legislative framework with the enactment of the Maltese Cultural Heritage Act of 2002. The law recognises the fact that a high level of education and qualification is necessary to enter the profession of conservation-restoration.

However, notwithstanding this requirement in the law, the warrant board has still not been officially constituted and qualified professional conservator-restorers, even in public institutions, are currently working illegally. This is not only unfortunate for the profession - the service providers, but also for their clients who might encounter difficulties in determining who are the real professional and competent conservator-restorers when they want to preserve/restore treasured possessions.

Mapco-Re is an affiliated member of the Malta Federation of Professional Associations, which in turn is a member of the European council of the Liberal Professions (Ceplis), the only inter-professional association representing the liberal professionals at community level.

Being a member of Ceplis is a milestone in the history of conservation-restoration in Europe, as Mapco-Re becomes the first ever professional association of conservator-restorers in Europe that is also affiliated with other professional bodies.

One of the main objectives of Mapco-Re is to be the lead voice for the conservation-restoration of cultural heritage in Malta. It is a non-profit organisation which will bring together not only professional conservators-restorers in all disciplines, but all others who share a commitment to improving the understanding of and access to our cultural heritage.

Mapco-Re has therefore established two other categories of membership, one for students of conservation-restoration and the other for friends, such as conservation scientists, art historians, curators and conservation architects.

It will also seek to ensure and monitor the development and promotion of the profession of the conservator-restorer of cultural property in Malta on a practical, scientific and cultural level.

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