Maltese creativity was rewarded yesterday as five artists received €80,000 to help bring their ideas to life.

“Meeting local artists is a humbling experience because being an artist is not an easy task. It is like living a marathon runner’s life... always on the go, always working hard until your ideas become reality,” Culture Minister Mario de Marco said.

Since the launch of the Malta Arts Fund in 2009, some 176 projects have benefitted from a total of €752,000 allocated through the programme, which was set up by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts and the Ministry for Culture.

Dr de Marco insisted that the fund did not subsidise artists.

“In reality, we’re investing in artists while it’s the artists who subsidise our quality of life,” he said, comparing art to a country’s “life barometer”.

The funds awarded were a fraction of the expense that the artist had to fork out, he said, adding that he hoped this fraction could help the artist breathe life into his ideas, challenge frontiers and overcome them.

Drama, Dyslexia and Self-esteem was one such idea, which helped 14 youths overcome societal and physical frontiers. Through the project, which has benefitted from the Malta Arts Fund, the adolescents found their own space to get to know themselves and nurture their self-esteem through drama. Other beneficiaries included the first edition of the Malta Ceramics Festival and Architecture Project’s documentary of the fall of Valletta City Gate, shot by Bettina Hutscheck.

The Malta Arts Fund will be helping the 36th edition of Għanja tal-Poplu “publish its commentary about Maltese life through song”, according to Prof. Manwel Mifsud, from Youth Travel Circle, organisers of the festival since 1973.

Funds are also awarded to ease mobility for short training courses, workshops, participation in artistic activities abroad and international collaborations.

More information about the Malta Arts Fund, including guidelines and application forms, is available at www.maltaculture.com.