IT’S ONLY BEEN A COUPLE OF MONTHS SINCE LUKE DALLI HAS STEPPED INTO THE ROLE OF EXECUTIVE CHAIR AT ARTS COUNCIL MALTA – BUT HIS ROADMAP IS CLEAR. THE PURSUIT OF PROFESSIONALISATION, WITH SIGHTS SET FIRMLY ON EXCELLENCE. INTERVIEW BY RAMONA DEPARES
There’s an undeniable buzz of energy surrounding Luke Dalli’s office, as I step in to conduct this interview. People are keen to discuss ideas, share thoughts, and generally jump on this wave of enthusiasm that defines the recently-appointed Executive Chair at Arts Council Malta (ACM). Clearly, the ship is already running at full steam, with none of the lull that some new appointments bring with them.
Dalli laughs when I mention this, and doesn’t disagree. After all, this is a particularly pivotal moment for ACM, as consultations for Strategy 2030 are about to kick off. So what are his plans?
“Before getting into that, let me make one thing clear: I am not a standalone. I didn’t step into the role, and suddenly ACM came into being. I’m part of a 10 year long process that has led us to where we are today. My plan is to take all the many positives that Albert Marshall, my predecessor, achieved, and which have brought so many amazing results. I will be building my tenure around this, adding future projects and aspirations with energy and enthusiasm. Ultimately, I’m working towards a legacy of excellence within the cultural and creative industries,” he starts off.
Excellence has become something of a buzzword among contemporary leaders. For Dalli, however, the term represents a tangible journey, with the Council’s individual goals built squarely around it.
“Excellence is the endgame. It is not necessarily something that will be achieved during my tenure, but something that we are already working towards. I will continue strengthening those efforts, and every single one of the Council’s ongoing goals will be based around getting closer to this result,” he tells me, candidly adding that we are still not there yet.
A corollary to excellence is the professionalisation of the sector, the other pillar upon which he plans to base his legacy. He has followed this guiding principle throughout his various roles at ACM, including Head of Legal. Now, as Executive Chair, he’s set to take things a notch higher.
“For too many years, we’ve viewed the creative sectors as something to enjoy after your day job, a side hustle perhaps. This needs to change. My mantra, going forward, is that the cultural and creative sectors are professions like any others. Professions that many artists rely on for their livelihood. And I intend to create a level playing field with other industries, so that today’s young artists and practitioners can follow their chosen profession without having to worry about surviving.”
For Dalli, this is personal. He remembers how, as a young man, he was faced with deciding whether to pursue his passion for theatre, or to sign up to law school.
After careful consideration, he picked the latter purely for practical and financial reasons. To date, it still grates.
“Don’t get me wrong, I found a passion for law as well. But back then, the arts as a profession were not a priority. Today, I want to make sure that artists don’t have to make this choice. This can only be achieved by strengthening the professionalisation of the sector,” he maintains.
It all stems from his belief that the arts should not be something you do after a long day at work, fitting in rehearsals late at night, when you’re already spent.
“I have so many memories of going off to rehearsals after a long day spent in court. We’d be there till one in the morning, and then the next day it starts all over again. That’s not the way artists should have to work. And the only road that can take us there is professionalisation.”
That road is paved with numerous endeavours that Dalli has already ensured will be driving the Council’s strategy in the upcoming years. One such example is the ongoing work on the Charter of the Status of the Artist. For some, the latter is a vague phrase. For him, it’s a means to an end.
“Professionalisation and the status of the artist are not two parallel roads, to be followed separately. We professionalise the sector by working on the status of the artist. The latter is a way of achieving the former,” he states.
The process for the upcoming Strategy 2030 is a reflection of this belief. And Dalli is determined that it won’t be built and decided by technocrats, but by the stakeholders themselves in collaboration with the Council.
“Too often, strategies are built by technocrats. What we are working on here is a collaboration between ACM, the technical executives, but most of all the stakeholders that make the industry possible. This synergy will help us achieve a strategy that is sustainable.”
Sustainability is another very important principle for the Executive Chair. He tells me that it’s the foundation upon which professionalisation is built.
“I believe in combining the technical aspect with the practicalities. Reading law taught me the technicalities, but the world then taught me to be practical. My aim for Strategy 2030 is to source the technical data and adapt it to the sector in a practical manner,” he explains.Inclusion and accessibility are another two core values that will be leveraged to support professionalisation. Dalli’s first act as the new Executive Chair was to launch the Right to Culture Campaign, an ambitious initiative that lays down the foundation to inclusion.
“Inclusion is in my blood – I was brought up believing that everyone has a right to participate, to create. Art does not belong to the elite. It is everyone’s – from the elite to the people in the street. The foundations of the Right to Culture campaign are the blueprint for the way we want to work towards inclusion,” he continues passionately.
This practical, goal-oriented approach is a breath of fresh air from the way many public organisations are run. It’s a deliberate approach that Dalli tells me he has consciously espoused.
“Every action I intend to take during my tenure will be strategically planned to achieve our deliverables. In my life I’ve never done anything by chance and I’m not about to start now. The strategy to keep pushing, to not settle for the status quo, is part of this strategic plan,” he says.
As is the decision to base the Council’s operations on the way the private sector operates, creating goals for every single member of the team to ensure that everyone is working towards the deliverables.
“I am removing the laissez faire mentality and giving motivation to the creative workers to take the leap. All our roads, including this one, lead to the endgame of excellence.”
In the end, it all boils down to Luke’s determination to give the current and upcoming generations of artists the future and the choices that were not available to him when younger.
“As a Council, the aim is to offer these artists the support they need. The arts are not just a hobby, something we love. They are a profession that puts food on the table. And we are here for those who view this as their livelihood. The means to achieve it is by taking the good that has already been done in the past and adding to it in a way that always gets us closer to excellence,” he concludes.
