The working life of a painter or sculptor is, of necessity a solitary one. The rather clichéd image of the struggling artist slaving away in his studio has given the lie to visualising artists in general as rather anti-social beings. So it came as a very pleasant surprise when no fewer than 14 of them turned up at the St James Centre for Creativity a few months back, (For which we must thank general manager Chris Gatt for making space available) for an informal evening discussion on the lot of the visual artist in Malta.
The discussion was the idea of Showtime, but the actual organisation was undertaken by artist James Vella Clark. And, at the outset it must be said that the atmosphere engendered by this disparate yet supremely talented group was both positive and far seeing.
Obviously, some of the more mature members of the group contributed greatly to the discussion, but nobody was either left out or bypassed. Democracy ruled. The main aim of the meeting was to try to find out the current state of art and artists in European Malta - and also to attempt to discover just what was lacking in our island's infrastructure, to benefit art and artists in general.
At the outset the observation was made that these days artists get together and cooperate much more than they used to. A meeting, such as the one under discussion could not, it was felt, have been held even as little as five years ago. In other words, there was a greater sense of maturity among artists today.
From Showtime's perspective, the overriding impression was that everyone present took a very positive stance. Nobody whined about a lack of government support or sponsorship. Although James Vella Clark did observe that sponsorship is probably necessary for artists just starting out. This point was underlined by young artist and photographer Sergio Muscat, who felt that maybe established artists could do more to help young artists when they are beginning their careers.
Just about the only negative comment on the local art scene was articulated by established Gozitan artist and lecturer in history of art at the university Mark Sagona, who expressed disappointment that as yet, there is no fine arts degree course at the university. There was general agreement on this subject, with film animator and university lecturer Mark England making the point that children must be properly taught about art, rather than left to fend for themselves.
Another subject debated was the quality - or otherwise - of some local art exhibitions. Sculptor and member of the committee of the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts Francesca Balzan, felt that establishment sites like the Fine Arts Museum usually mount good quality exhibitions. This was mainly because every exhibition staged there is curated by an expert, who can evaluate the exhibits.
James Vella Clark agreed, but stated that when he wanted one of his exhibitions curated, the curator wanted to charge him €920 for the privilege. So he curates his own showings.
There was, however, a general consensus on the fact that foreign critics and curators of local work would be a good thing. Although, Kenneth Zammit Tabona warned that, if this were done, there was a danger that the critic/curator in question would be elevated in stature to that of a godlike being.
The need for more studio space was debated at length. Several people aired the view that, with so many vacant dwellings in Valletta rotting away, one old Valletta residence could house four or five artist's studios. Mark England agreed and felt that this would also serve to foster a community spirit... a sort of social space.
The need for a museum of modern art was also felt, possibly under the auspices of Heritage Malta. While this was being discussed, the idea mooted a few years back of turning Fort St Elmo into an artist and artisans village was discussed. But it seems that the government has concrete plans for the fort, which don't include an artist's village.
Several people observed that in Malta, we tend to confuse artists and artisans. An artist's village would - it was felt - soon become not only a repository of works of art, but become expanded into a site where all kinds of artifacts were available. As photographer Chris Sant Fournier put it: "There needs to be a distinction between art and crafts."
Many more subjects were touched upon and indeed the discussion could have gone on into the next millennium. But it was most refreshing to record the vibrant and committed mentality of the artists present. It is good to report that art and committed artists are alive and kicking in the Maltese islands.
The discussion was the idea of Showtime, but the actual organisation was undertaken by artist James Vella Clark. And, at the outset it must be said that the atmosphere engendered by this disparate yet supremely talented group was both positive and far seeing.
Obviously, some of the more mature members of the group contributed greatly to the discussion, but nobody was either left out or bypassed. Democracy ruled. The main aim of the meeting was to try to find out the current state of art and artists in European Malta - and also to attempt to discover just what was lacking in our island's infrastructure, to benefit art and artists in general.
At the outset the observation was made that these days artists get together and cooperate much more than they used to. A meeting, such as the one under discussion could not, it was felt, have been held even as little as five years ago. In other words, there was a greater sense of maturity among artists today.
From Showtime's perspective, the overriding impression was that everyone present took a very positive stance. Nobody whined about a lack of government support or sponsorship. Although James Vella Clark did observe that sponsorship is probably necessary for artists just starting out. This point was underlined by young artist and photographer Sergio Muscat, who felt that maybe established artists could do more to help young artists when they are beginning their careers.
Just about the only negative comment on the local art scene was articulated by established Gozitan artist and lecturer in history of art at the university Mark Sagona, who expressed disappointment that as yet, there is no fine arts degree course at the university. There was general agreement on this subject, with film animator and university lecturer Mark England making the point that children must be properly taught about art, rather than left to fend for themselves.
Another subject debated was the quality - or otherwise - of some local art exhibitions. Sculptor and member of the committee of the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts Francesca Balzan, felt that establishment sites like the Fine Arts Museum usually mount good quality exhibitions. This was mainly because every exhibition staged there is curated by an expert, who can evaluate the exhibits.
James Vella Clark agreed, but stated that when he wanted one of his exhibitions curated, the curator wanted to charge him €920 for the privilege. So he curates his own showings.
There was, however, a general consensus on the fact that foreign critics and curators of local work would be a good thing. Although, Kenneth Zammit Tabona warned that, if this were done, there was a danger that the critic/curator in question would be elevated in stature to that of a godlike being.
The need for more studio space was debated at length. Several people aired the view that, with so many vacant dwellings in Valletta rotting away, one old Valletta residence could house four or five artist's studios. Mark England agreed and felt that this would also serve to foster a community spirit... a sort of social space.
The need for a museum of modern art was also felt, possibly under the auspices of Heritage Malta. While this was being discussed, the idea mooted a few years back of turning Fort St Elmo into an artist and artisans village was discussed. But it seems that the government has concrete plans for the fort, which don't include an artist's village.
Several people observed that in Malta, we tend to confuse artists and artisans. An artist's village would - it was felt - soon become not only a repository of works of art, but become expanded into a site where all kinds of artifacts were available. As photographer Chris Sant Fournier put it: "There needs to be a distinction between art and crafts."
Many more subjects were touched upon and indeed the discussion could have gone on into the next millennium. But it was most refreshing to record the vibrant and committed mentality of the artists present. It is good to report that art and committed artists are alive and kicking in the Maltese islands.