The Arts in Schools Scheme is one of Arts Council’s Malta tools to sustain and support the cultural and creative ecology, with a focus on arts education. The Scheme forms part of the Council’s commitment to engage educators and creative practitioners in dialogue and collaboration. The aim is to encourage students and educators to engage with the creative and cultural sectors and to explore innovative pedagogical approaches for the application of the arts in schools. The scheme is also in line with Arts Council Malta’s objective of advocating for a broader inclusion of creativity and the arts in education strengthening further 21st century education and skills.

The scheme encourages collaborations between an educational institution and a creative practitioner for each project.

The objectives of the scheme are:

• To bring creative practitioners into schools and education institutions to work with educators and students to inspire, learn and create in a collaborative and innovative way
• To support projects that engage with the schools’ local community and the Maltese artistic scene
• To support projects which complement the curriculum for early years up to secondary education and strive to add value to the learning experience and to the institutions’ environments
• To champion innovation and collaboration across fields and encourage students to push the boundaries of creative arts within post-secondary and tertiary institutions
• To encourage collaboration between educational institutions, the culture and creative industries, and other relevant sectors such as science and technology.

Requirements in line with Arts Council Malta’s ongoing Strategy

In line with its commitment to supporting the arts through its sustainable and accountable approach to public investment, ACM draws applicants’ attention to the following in line with its Strategy 2025.

Applicants are required to consider the Right to Culture – Resource Pack when developing their proposal in relation to how they engage with communities and the considerations of everyone’s cultural rights in their work. The resource pack is aimed at increasing awareness regarding inclusivity and supporting the implementation of cultural rights in our day-to-day practice. 

Applicants are also required to consider the Charter for the Status of the Artist when proposing their operational and programming activities to ensure acceptable and decent working conditions for artists and creative practitioners which embraces artistic freedom, accessibility, formal/informal/non-formal skill recognition, decent socio-economic conditions, non-discrimination and equity, ethical considerations and adherence to intellectual property rights and international labour law. The Charter for the Status of the Artist is meant to provide a dynamic frame of reference for any legislation, policy, or initiative which directly or indirectly impacts artists and cultural and creative sectors, ensuring that any action is aligned with the ultimate long-term vision of elevating the status of artists in Malta in line with their tangible value to society. 

Arts Council Malta is organising a matchmaking session on Tuesday, the 24th of March, between 8:30 and 12:30, at the Malta Crafts Foundation, Ta’ Qali Crafts Village. Register now here.