Established by Legal Notice 427 of 2018, the Valletta Cultural Agency was set up in March to sustain and strengthen the capital city’s vibrant cultural life through the creation of an annual programme of creative events developed in collaboration with artists and other public cultural organisations (PCOs).
A legacy of the Valletta 2018 Foundation, the agency is also tasked with upholding standards of excellence in the coordination and organisation of cultural events in the city, while encouraging access and participation by a diverse audience.
The agency’s legal remit falls within the framework of the Arts Council Malta Act (2015) as a PCO and its operational objectives are all centred around Valletta’s continued regeneration based on culture, heritage and the arts.
Valletta is a Unesco world heritage site and contains within its walls over 300 monuments, making it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world. Bearing this in mind, the agency is required to protect and promote the city’s varied heritage.
One way of carrying out this task will be through the creation of a comprehensive cultural plan for Valletta that is sustainable, inclusive and equitable.
Compiled together with local and international experts from various fields, this will be the first-ever plan of its kind for the city and will serve as a roadmap towards more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable cultural events that involve all stakeholders, including residents, visitors, the business community and public entities.
Built on the strength of the city’s rich history, the plan will also seek to articulate the contribution made by the cultural community to the city’s economic vitality, while highlighting opportunities to support a thriving cultural sector well into the future.
Valletta has developed into a hub of activity, collaborations and networking for several cultural and creative organisations
Another of the agency’s main tasks in-volves promoting the city as an international contemporary cultural and artistic hub, rich in heritage and history.
This will be achieved in liaison with an artistic adviser, with whom the agency will develop and produce an annual cultural programme for the city via direct collaboration with artists and PCOs, as well as through a series of open calls for proposals to further stimulate inclusion, access and participation, while enabling the development of creative skills.
The agency will focus on programming that is based on the principles of quality, participation and accessibility, seeking to underline the agency’s values of equity and access to arts and culture for all.
Sensitive to the realities of Valletta’s communities and to the importance – also at Unesco level – of intangible cultural heritage, the agency will also seek to support and enable traditional cultural celebrations as important elements of the social fabric of the city.
Likewise, conscious of the importance that streets and squares have in the city and how such areas are given life and meaning by people, the agency will seek to activate public spaces for cultural purposes.
Vibrant public spaces can serve as powerful drivers of local economic development and improved quality of life for residents, creating thriving communities.
Public spaces are also critical for the interconnected life of a city, providing places for recreation, social engagement, artistic practice and cultural expression.
Besides choosing public venues for its events as much as possible, the agency will also commission temporary, community-engaged works of art for public buildings and sites throughout Valletta in a variety of media by artists whose sensibilities reflect the past spirit and future aspirations of the city.
Over recent years, Valletta has developed into a hub of activity, collaborations and networking for several cultural and creative organisations as well as for professionals, students and visiting practitioners in culture and the arts.
A thriving and sustainable cultural sector fundamentally underpins the economic and social fabric of Valletta, bringing communities together, creating a platform for civic participation, employing hundreds of workers, attracting thousands of tourists, and generating millions in economic activity each year.
Sustaining this level of cultural vibrancy and activity while involving the various stakeholders in the city will be the agency’s main priority.
Catherine Tabone is chief executive officer of the Valletta Cultural Agency.
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece