Cultural silver linings

It has been a year since COVID-19 hit Malta

Since that day, it’s been a journey of resilience, adaptation and hope for everyone, but especially for the cultural and creative sectors. Culture and the arts, traditionally, have always depended on live events and socialisation. The pandemic is the worst kind of disaster that we could have imagined for the industry.

This is how the majority of artists, art practitioners and cultural organisations viewed COVID-19, initially, a disaster. But thankfully, twelve months down the line, as the Minister responsible for the Arts, I can confidently say that, together, we have managed to turn a massive challenge into a series of opportunities.

At a time when some were questioning the relevance of the arts in times like these, not only have we proven otherwise, but as a Ministry we have also strived to make sure that the drive towards the professionalisation of the sector (which was actually initiated via several Arts Council Malta initiatives even before COVID-19 onslaught) continued on a stronger footing, now when this was needed more than ever before.

I am proud to say that the figures show we have succeeded. The most recent NSO data shows that full-time employment across the arts, entertainment and recreation sector has remained stable over the past year despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, with over 10,800 individuals in full-time employment across the sector as of September 2020. Specifically, full-time employment in creative, arts and entertainment activities increased from 797 to 958 between September 2019 and September 2020, and that in libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities increased from 444 to 552 over the same period. Part-time employment also increased, with 134 new part-time jobs related to creative, arts and entertainment activities over the same period (1,171 in September 2019 to 1,305 in September 2020).

One of the priorities I immediately set forth was ensuring that those who were self-employed in the creative arts were eligible to receive the COVID-19 Wage Supplement. With many events cancelled, many artists were facing tremendous loss of income.

The Ministry – through Arts Council Malta and the various Public Cultural Organisations - has always adopted an open / collaborative approach and together with the industry including the newly established MEIA pushed such proposals that were accepted by Central Government. In fact, there are now a number of artists and arts practitioners who are benefitting from this scheme, allowing them to survive these challenging times without losing their profession. We believe in the positive impact the culture sector has on the economic landscape of Malta across the spectrum – its substantial contribution to the country`s state of wellbeing and the employment sector. This was the message we sent out with my Ministry`s timely action when all was gloom and doom.

The next step taken by my Ministry was to set about sourcing additional funding to the schemes that were already available via the ACM. Within weeks, we launched a Special COVID-19 funding call, offering artists the opportunity to finance new projects at a time when everyone was struggling. A recordbreaking number of 95 artists applied, with 11 projects awarded €75,000.

The Ministry followed this with even further funding, the RESTART Schemes that sees 3.62 million euros pumped into twelve arts investment and support schemes. This hefty amount of public money is being invested in the sector because we strongly believe that cultural and the creative industries have an essential role to play within our society.

COVID-19 happened right on the cusp of finalisation of the draft National Cultural Policy. As a Ministry, we decided to take a step back and look at the sector in a holistic manner, devising a cohesive Policy, to work in a complementary manner that responds proactively to this pivotal moment in the process of defining the articulation of the nation`s cultural and artistic voice in the context of a Covid and postCovid environment.

With this in mind, my Ministry has approached the new National Cultural Policy with a streamlined vision that takes into account wellbeing, accessibility and participation, heritage, governance, infrastructure, education, international relations and all the other aspects brought about by this holistic perspective.

And, in the background, the massive drive towards digitalisation of the arts has been ongoing. Again, this is something that was already being rolled out with a longer term target. But the pandemic showed us the importance of accelerating the digital shift, working together to acquire and transmit the necessary skills and tools to the cultural and creative industries.

Something else that we have encouraged throughout these times is a stronger collaboration between different areas of the sector. We are seeing more cross-sectoral collaborations, more unity and networking, a stronger artistic expression and even the launch of various cultural collectives like MEIA – all goals that the Ministry has been working on, but which are now being fasttracked. Finally, using mainly the international network at the Arts Council`s disposal, all our action is underpinned by a knowledge of how culture and the arts are being managed by the international community in this time of crisis. At a time like this, it`s deadly to try to function within an insular silo: the celebration of community is the only cure for isolation.

We have achieved a lot during these past months, and we intend to do a lot more to support the creative industries, ensuring that the needs of the cultural and creative sectors are addressed, and remain relevant, thanks to proactive policy.

Facts and figures speak for themselves – COVID-19 didn’t halt the professionalisation of the arts. Rather, it placed it on a fast track, enabling us to address issues like diversification of audiences, participatory outlets and other needs that suddenly became more evident.

With regards to Heritage Malta, the COVID 19 pandemic challenged their mission to make cultural heritage accessible, forcing the agency first to close its doors completely and later to restrict admissions and opening hours. However, the agency adapted very well to its new scenario.

The agency fulfilled this requirement thanks to its investment in technology and digitisation, which enabled it to make our heritage accessible to the public virtually.

The months of complete closure were put to good use, as Heritage Malta seized the opportunity to boost works on several major projects, such as the Grand Master’s Palace, Għar Dalam and the Maritime Museum projects.

Heritage Malta employees played an important role in the upkeep of museums and sites during the temporary lockdown months. This resulted in a greatly improved visitor’s experience upon reopening. In spite of the past year’s challenges, Heritage Malta is optimistic and determined to keep living up to its motto of Ensuring a Future for our Past.

Despite all the challenges the pandemic threw at us, the future for the creative arts looks bright.

“Creativity takes courage”.

Dr José Herrera is Minister for The National Heritage, The Arts And Local Government