Setting up a museum of modern and contemporary art in Malta

Abstract

The subject I decided to focus on for this dissertation was the proposal of a museum of modem and contemporary art in Malta. This title and subject was chosen because it is one which is close at heart. After graduating in History of Art from the University of Malta, I have felt drawn towards this period in art history; more precisely to the 20th century up until the present 'post-modem' age. Moreover, in recent decades in Malta there has been quite a flourish of artists working in the contemporary genre - in spite of this, save the numerous spaces available as exhibition venues for temporary use, there is no specific museum for this art genre. In my dissertation I consider several aspects which I feel are paramount to the success and sustainability of a museum. The location is of utmost importance; thus, the locality chosen, is central and somewhat commercial, in order to be readily available to tourists and locals. I also discuss the utilisation of an already available structure for the museum - although the construction of an entirely new edifice was also considered. Therefore this study deals with various aspects and elements in relation to the proposal of a Museum, such as facilities and accessibility, marketing, human resources and individual spaces needed within a 21st century museum, whilst also bearing in mind the types of spaces present in Malta which are vacant or which could be developed for such purposes. This dissertation also keeps in mind the international aspect and discusses several examples of successful and not so successful museums and galleries abroad whilst another portion has been dedicated to the analysis of audiences attending temporary exhibitions in Malta. However, the crux of this dissertation is a case study which discusses the main aspects behind the transformation of a specific existent space into a museum. For many reasons, the costings of this proposal have been omitted from this study, which ultimately aims to present a plausible scenario for the setting-up of a museum. The expenditure, budget, investments and analysis of costs for a museum although duly mentioned, deserve a separate study.