The Malta Society of Arts (MSA) will open six days a week from next month to provide 104 sessions in 50 art courses each week as part of its winter 2014-2015 programme. All sessions will be held at its premises, Palazzo de La Salle, Republic Street, Valletta.

A major innovation is the introduction of Matsec certification courses in visual art leading to ‘O’ level, intermediate level and advanced level certification. The MSA is also introducing a 30-hour preparatory art course for ‘O’ level.

There are also 15 non-certification courses in this subject area aimed at different audiences and age groups. In addition there are 22 courses in the applied arts and seven courses in the performing arts. All courses are taught by qualified tutors.

The MSA is keen to attract students interested in the arts from an early age, according to society president Vince Briffa: “We wish to entice young people to the arts and give them the opportunity to discover their talents and further develop them here, thanks to our comprehensive programme.

“Creativity has no age. Some very young children are able to develop a certain appetite for art and an aesthetic awareness, so it is our role as a centre of excellence in the arts to foster them and give them the highest standard of education possible. They may be tomorrow’s talents, but if Maltese society wants to retain its relevance, it needs to seek them out and allow them to flourish,” he said.

The ‘O’ level course is delivered over 96 contact hours between October and May, spread over two four-month semesters, as with all the other MSA courses. The first semester is between October and January; the second between February and May.

Intermediate and ‘A’ level courses in fine arts are offered in five subject areas: creative processes, history of art, human figure nude, ways and methods, and working from observation.

For details call 2124 4339 or 2124 4400.

www.artsmalta.org