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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 19 JUNE 2016 40 THE 2016 edition of the Presi- dent's Award for Creativity – a fund with a strong social and community emphasis – was launched earlier this week. The launch, which took place on Wednesday, also showcased the work being carried out by An Empowering Art Journey, a project which regularly brings together a group of teenagers residing at Mount Carmel Hos- pital's Youth Residence, to cre- ate clay artworks in a communal and interactive setting. The pro- ject, one of the recipients of last year's edition of the Award, aims to bridge therapy and creativity by facilitating expression, intui- tion and regulation of emotions of young people, as well as social interaction. The potential of art and crea- tivity in fostering social and cul- tural change and regeneration has been shown and proven in a number of contexts, includ- ing those characterised by so- cial challenging environments, poverty and exclusion. This un- derstanding is the basis for the President's Award for Creativity. The Award provides recogni- tion and support at the highest level of the State to organisa- tions, especially those working with vulnerable and disadvan- taged groups, to engage those groups in creativity and arts- driven projects and thereby in- crease their level of integration and engagement in society. The amount committed to this year's Award is €65,000. Each selected project may receive up to €6,000, with the possibility of €8,000 in the case of a collabora- tion between two organisations. The Award may cover up to 100% of eligible project costs. Last year, 40 projects competed for the prestigious Award and the initiative invested in an eclectic mix of 11 projects. The President's Award for Cre- ativity is linked to the implemen- tation of the Arts Council Malta's goals outlined in the Council's Strategy2020, with a particular focus on providing more oppor- tunities for people to engage in creativity. The Award aims to support or- ganisations and institutions that target the social needs and well- being of the community at large, especially the more vulnerable sectors and hard-to-reach groups – with a special emphasis on children, young people, minority groups and the elderly, through creativity and art. It also aims to provide acces- sibility to disadvantaged groups to a wide range of quality art ex- periences and art-engagement activities, as well as a platform for young promising talent. The Award also aims to incentivise the contribution of arts organi- sations towards community de- velopment and collaborative arts projects. Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Stefan Buon- tempo said that the arts and cul- ture are at the heart of successful economies and happy commu- nities, and that it is uplifting to see the community celebrate by coming together and organise activities which enrich the com- munities and nourish the poten- tial of children and youth. "The sense of belonging to our com- munities and the strengthening of their identities are further nourished through creative pro- cesses which emerge from the voluntary work of members of our communities." "This initiative can be re- garded as a huge success," said President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. "Every year, whenever we see the works that are created, I always re-confirm the skill, dedi- cation and determination of the Maltese people, who can instil a creative idea to provide the opportunity for an individual's complete development, while of- fering an inclusive environment which imbues a person with con- fidence." The President's Award for Creativity is coordinated by Arts Council Malta under the patron- age of President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. Applications will be received by Arts Council Malta until July 20, noon. The guidelines and regula- tions as well as the application form are available on http://arts- councilmalta.org/funds/il-prem- ju-tal-president-ghall-kreattivita This Week Curating the new Ahead of this year's edition of the Curatorial School – a one- week lecture programme for arts practitioners and students organised by Valletta 2018 – TEODOR RELJIC spoke to visiting curator Fumihiko Sumitomo BASED on your experience, how do you think Malta could contribute to this discussion, as an island with its own particular cultural dynamics? As a director of an art museum located in a rural area of Japan, also an island in Asia, I believe the global art history is fabricated by hundreds of regional art histories. The story of modern art needs to be carefully examined through the perspectives produced by them. Both exhibitions and museums fa- cilitate the "new" as the dominant subject in the art world. We should rethink and discuss how this subjec- tivity can be turned, shifted or shared. How did your experience in Tokyo colour your perception of contem- porary art? Would you say that there is a 'globalised' trend that has risen to the fore, or do national boundaries still somehow make a difference? The late-capitalism influence on art in Tokyo is unique when we look at the contamination of different gen- res, including music, dance, various subcultures and media communica- tion. The individual identity shaped after 1990 is global through media information but local in its cultural hybridity. However, it is still not globalised, especially in the way the discourse of contemporary art is ap- proached here. This is a result of the language barrier, but also down to the sluggish rise of the market. What do you hope to achieve dur- ing your stay in Malta? I am interested in how regional culture will bring up the new idea to what we know as contemporary art. If there are more comments or exam- ples I can learn from the participants, it would be an important opportunity for me to share in. The Curatorial School 2016: Curat- ing the New will take place between August 29 and September 2. Registra- tion closes on June 24. More informa- tion: http://valletta2018.org/curatori- al-school-2016-curating-the-new/ Fumihiko Sumitomo President's Award for Creativity 2016 launched The Award aims to support organisations and institutions that target the social needs and well-being of the community at large President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca described the award as a "huge success" • Photo by Jennifer Mallia