Arts Council Malta’s Strategy 2030 places the focus squarely on professional development, cultural rights and internationalisation. Ramona Depares finds out how this is expected to impact the sector directly from those who are driving it.
It’s been just over a month since the launch of Arts Council Malta’s (ACM) new Strategy 2030, a national framework that sets out the direction for the country’s cultural and creative sectors between now and the end of the decade. The theme — Valorising Passion. Strengthening Profession. — is simple, but also revealing. Built around professional development, cultural rights and internationalisation, the strategy signals a sharper institutional focus on the conditions that allow the sector to thrive.
For Dr Luke Dalli, Executive Chair at ACM, is a confirmation that the cultural and creative sectors are no longer what he refers to as “the cinderella of the economy”. Rather, it points towards a healthy sector that contributes economically, socially and emotionally to our country’s identity, with over 40,000 people involved.
“This means that culture is not peripheral. It is central. A centre of diligence, artistry and excellence. And at the heart of this, we find a simple truth that passion and profession do not follow separate paths, but intrinsically complement one another. Of course, not everyone wishes to be a professional in the arts, but everyone should have access to creativity, and everyone has the right to express themselves. On the other hand, those who do view this as their profession have the right to sustainable structures that support them throughout their career,” he starts off emphatically.
Thus, the new strategy is not simply a document, but a decisive step towards a stronger, more sustainable and inclusive cultural ecosystem, built on the right to culture, professional development and internationalisation.
“Strategy 2030 recognises that the arts are not decoration, but a central pillar that shapes our country’s identity, wellbeing and economy and that creativity should be accessible to everyone. Above all, it is a collective invitation for us to build together a future in which culture truly belongs to everyone, a sector that embraces its potential, grows with a clear vision and places Malta confidently on the international stage,” he continues.
The document sets out a broad vision for the industry, while underlining the function of ACM as going beyond simply distributing funds or supporting individual projects. Organised around three pillars — professional development, cultural rights and internationalisation — it places the working life of the artist, public access and Malta’s international cultural presence on equal footing, arguing that the sector cannot be strengthened through visibility alone, nor through idealistic rhetoric about the value of culture.
For Daniel Azzopardi, Director of Strategy at ACM, Strategy 2030 is a reflection of the understanding that a strong cultural sector needs more than goodwill.
“Every day, we see how artistic life is sustained by passion, commitment and community. But passion alone is not enough. This is why Strategy 2030 is designed to help create a more sustainable environment in which artists and organisations can move from precarity to long-term professional development, while continuing to strengthen the link between local cultural life, cultural rights and international exchange,” he says.
Although the three main pillars will provide direction to the sector, Azzopardi insists that this, alone, is not enough and that the strategy also needs a practical way of operating. For this reason, the document is organised around the Council’s five functions: public investment, development and support, research, promotion and collaboration. These functions address fair and strategic funding, skills and professional pathways, ensure that policy and the use of technology are informed by data-based knowledge, strengthen the value of the sector in society through ethical practices and foster the partnerships and cooperation needed for it to grow.
“From here, the strategy identifies four areas of strategic importance: fair practices, community and inclusion, wellbeing and international exchange. These help us shape a sector that takes working conditions seriously, broadens access and participation, recognises culture as part of quality of life and opens up business opportunities beyond our shores,” Azzopardi continues.
One of the document’s strongest currents is the importance it places on labour. It is clearly informed by the Charter for the Status of the Artist, while also taking into account the precarity of the sector, with short-term contracts and irregular income being a reality all artists grapple with.
“As we launch this vision, our work is already guided by an implementation plan aimed at aligning our priorities, teams and resources through a series of organisational enablers. Our aim is to continue strengthening collaboration with stakeholders and social partners, and implementing our work through clear phases and mechanisms that allow us to monitor progress and achieve the targets set,” Azzopardi affirms.
His words are echoed by those of Professor Valerie Visanich, who co-authored the document. For her, Strategy 2030 is not just an action plan, but a living framework built on active listening, ongoing research and co-creation with the sector.
“It’s a strategy that recognises culture as a complex social ecosystem, and which adapts dynamically to reflect and support the realities, challenges and potential of artists and communities,” she says, adding that the strategy is the result of a deep process of listening, reflection and research.
“The process began with a simple but essential question: How can we better understand the cultural and creative sector, especially from a sociological perspective? We did not view the sector solely as a market, but as a social ecosystem. The methodology was designed around an understanding of how the sector lives and works, in everyday practice, in the experiences of artists, cultural operators and communities.”
She emphasises that the process was a collaborative one, with co-creation at its heart. Stakeholders were active participants in the production of knowledge, and their contributions were documented and analysed thematically, to ensure that the strategy reflects concrete realities.
“Focus groups were organised with stakeholders and with the Council’s staff, allowing space for reflection and structured internal discussion. The process also included an analysis of the ACM’s previous strategy and the current National Cultural Policy. Each meeting gave rise to new questions, and each observation led to further reflection. The research was not merely support for the strategy; it is its framework,” Visanich confirms.
I turn back to Dalli with a final question: how does he expect to see strategy unfolding within the sector? His reply harkens back to the spirit of collaboration upon which the document was built.
