Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/329964
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 15 JUNE 2014 14 News 'Artists are not lunatics' New university course offers 'bite-siz ed' education A year into his – initially controversial – appointment as Valletta 2018 Foundation chairman, the head of One TV, Jason Micallef, tells TEODOR RELJIC that collaboration and tolerance are a key priority, as Malta gears itself up for 2018 THOUGH it may sound a bit cal- lous – or, at least, somewhat mis- chievous – I have to admit that the most fun I've had writing an article last year happened when what was supposed to be a relatively straight- forward Valletta 2018 news confer- ence turned into newsworthy mate- rial at a moment's notice. In May of 2013, as the Founda- tion – which is charged with ensur- ing that Malta's cultural engine is in tip-top shape come 2018, when Val- letta will officially take on the man- tle of 'European Capital for Culture' – called in journalists at their HQ within the Malta Chamber of Com- merce premises in Republic Street, the brief was that they would simply be announcing the next event in the V18 agenda. Instead, the conference was domi- nated by one bombshell of an an- nouncement: that David Felice's contract as V18 chairman would not be renewed in the coming year, with One TV head and Labour candidate Jason Micallef taking on the mantle. Public reaction was swift and brutal, with online commentators lamenting the appointment as yet another betrayal of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's meritocracy pledge, while others expressed suspicion at Micallef's apparent lack of creden- tials within the culture sector. But a year on, Micallef appears nei- ther defensive nor uncertain about what his role is, and he is quick to expand about the role of the Foun- dation, shrewdly singling out the fact that key structural changes and a holistic vision are what's needed to steer Valletta – and, by extension, Malta – into the right direction for 2018. When I ask him to pinpoint the most important development to V18 that he has overseen since first stepping into the chairman's – erm – chair, he mentions an adminis- trative development: removing the seven Artistic Programme Directors in favour of a more inclusive Board of Governors. "The previous structure failed," he tells me in no uncertain terms. "We used to spend thousands and thou- sands of euros on the Artistic Pro- gramme Directors which ultimately went to waste. I wanted the new Board of Governors to be a realis- tic cross-section of Maltese society. For example, if we have the Univer- sity Rector [Prof. Juanito Camilleri] on board, then why not also have the Principal of MCAST [Stephen Cachia] on the board – an institution which is such an important incuba- tor for local talent?" Perhaps the final piece in the V18 administrative puzzle will click into place come October, when the Foundation finally appoints its new Artistic Director. What kind of candidate would be ideal, in Micallef's view? "I think they should have an in- ternational perspective, but I would also wish for them to be Maltese. But most of all I want a passion- ate artistic director… I don't want someone who's just here to collect a paycheque, but who would deem the Foundation as family… and take pride in their work accordingly." When it comes to sourcing local talent, Micallef is concerned that culturally speaking, Malta has been suffering from something of a brain drain for quite some time, and that enticing Maltese artists to remain in their home country is a key priority for the Foundation. "MCAST is one way we're doing this; the Valletta Forum is another," Micallef says – in reference to a Valletta-based think-tank headed by graphic designer Pawlu Mizzi. Micallef agrees that there remain key problems in the local cultural sector, and reassures me that steps are being taken to remedy them when I confront him with two per- ennial concerns by local cultural practitioners: a lack of viable per- formance spaces for musicians, and the fact that art is, by and large, not professionalised in Malta. "These are some key concerns for us as a Foundation, and we've been racking our brains about them for a while. I don't want to say that the government has not spent money on tackling these issues over the years; perhaps it didn't always spend it ju- diciously, but money was spent. TEODOR RELJIC WANT to go back to university without committing to one set course of study units? - the newly-launched Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sci- ences may just be the path for you. Under the direction of philoso- phy lecturer Jean-Paul De Lucca, the course will offer students the possibility to sign up for individual courses and tailor-make their own academic path, instead of signing up to a course wholesale. The study units within the course are also widely varied: with eve- rything from Byzantine history to beekeeping and photography being offered. "The programme offers an alterna- tive and more flexible path to univer- sity education for those who might not wish or not be able to commit themselves to three or five years of full-time or part-time study," de Lucca said. "It neither replaces nor competes with existing courses, but brings an innovative addition to the many op- portunities offered by the University of Malta by targeting especially – al- though not exclusively – adult and returning learners who might wish to study subjects they're interested in at their own pace, be it for personal growth or professional develop- ment." Covering a broad spectrum of sub- jects which incorporate, for the most part, areas related to art, culture, history, science and psychology, the Programme for the Liberal Arts and Sciences (PLAS) can supplement any number of academic or professional interests that its students may be otherwise pursuing on a 'full time' basis. De Lucca said that the 'Liberal Arts and Sciences' banner that the course is held under is linked to an old tradi- Jean-Paul De Lucca speaking at the launch of the Centre for Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Malta