A fundamental value of the MICAS ethos is a clear commitment to social inclusion, by working to provide opportunities for wide access and participation in the arts. Participation in the arts helps to redress inequality while it increases social engagement and wellbeing. Art can help interpret the world we live in even during times of adversity. As a champion of creativity, inclusion and children’s rights, MICAS highly values the perspective of children as valid contributors to their communities. We are passionate about celebrating children’s creativity and making sure that their voices and experiences are heard. We want to celebrate children as proactive social actors, seeking to engage with them as knowledge bearers and meaning makers. In this spirit and in order to showcase and document the remarkable work created by children in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, MICAS is proud to host an online gallery exhibition of all the artwork received for the MICAS Design a Mask Challenge.

‘MY MASK & ME’ is an exhibition that showcases this wonderful body of 730 works. The exhibition provides a glimpse of the aspirations and concerns of children living in Malta as they experienced the challenging times of the pandemic during the Winter of 2021. These children aged between five and sixteen years of age, creatively expressed through art, their reflections on the new realities and the significant disruptions they were experiencing in their daily lives. This impressive display of creativity is certainly a cause for celebration and MICAS is equally committed to showcase children’s art as a valued part of its programme content.

As a startup public cultural organisation, MICAS has been working steadily to communicate with children and build a valued partner relationship with them and their educators, school communities, families and caregivers since its concept launch in 2018. Education is at the heart of the MICAS mission and we intend to further this engagement as we grow.

Dr Georgina Portelli
MICAS Creative Committee