Head of the Creative Europe Desk in Malta, Lisa Gwen Baldacchino’s heart belongs to the creative sector. She is a true lover of the arts, deeply passionate about the discipline and seeing it given due prominence in Malta.
After studying a B.A. (Hons) in History of Art at the University of Malta, she briefly held the post of sub-editor and features writer at the Times of Malta. This honed her skills and prepared her for her M.A. in Cultural Heritage Management, during which her thesis explored the idea of having a permanent contemporary art space for Malta.
While public infrastructure projects like this have not yet made it through the pipeline, Lisa does not think this limitation should stop artists in their tracks, 'Exhibitions do not require strict museum or gallery spaces. Artists need to organise themselves and start working together, setting up artist-led spaces and organisations.' She also emphasises the need for higher education to produce the expertise and human-resources to drive those projects forwards, creating arts managers and curators by providing courses on art writing and art criticism.
Outside of her job at the Creative Europe Desk Lisa works as a curator, taking pleasure in collaboration with artists and the relationship that often evolves as a consequence. 'Through much creative dialogue and engagement, the one feeds off the other, and to a certain extent I feel like I become enmeshed in the process and layers of the artwork.'
Lisa also runs her own social-media based whimsical photography project called MaltaDoors. This urge to capture elegant entrances emerges from her love of 'exploring every little nook and cranny of this tiny island.'
Looking to the future, Lisa wants to become more engaged in creative outlets. As well as continuing to support artists, she wants to be more involved creatively herself. And for anyone else pursuing such aspirations in this dynamic and challenging sector, she has some advice 'Go for it. It is consuming, it will leave you breathless, but every project is so rewarding – it will ensure that you sleep and wake up with a smile on your face'.
The full article is available on the THINK website at:
The full article is available on the THINK website at:
