The Minister for Gozo, Giovanna Debono has presented 384 Gozitan students with course certificates after they successfully completed  art and craft related courses held during the last scholastic year at the Wistin Camilleri Gozo Centre for Art and Crafts, in Ghajnsielem, Gozo.

During the ceremony, which was held in the Centre’s newly opened Conference Hall,  Minister Debono said that the local authentic art and crafts industry found in Gozo forms part of a unique and long-established culture. As such, it is essential that this sector is recurrently supported and given the financial aid it needs to flourish, not only in Gozo and Malta, but also beyond our shores.

Minister Debono also said that the Ministry for Gozo believes in providing the younger generation, as well as the more mature section of the population, with the opportunity to practice and learn a craft in a professional way. As such, the investment of €850,000, specifically under the European Regional Development Fund, was targeted at the implementation of a project which included the extention of the existing Wistin Camilleri Gozo Centre for Art and Crafts together with the construction of the first Incubation Centre in Ghajnsielem. All of this was done to encourage more members of the Gozitan public to attend such courses, as well as to support existing talented artisans in their endeavours to create and promote genuine Gozitan artefacts.

This certificate-giving ceremony was followed by the opening of an International Lace Exhibition put on by the Artofil Lace School situated in Temse, Belgium with distinct guests, including Ms. Nadine Pawles, Head of School, as well as a number of the school’s teachers.

The International Lace Exhibition is to remain open to the public from Saturday 26th to Tuesday 29th April. On Saturday it will be open from 9am to 12.00pm, on Sunday from 4pm to 8.00pm and on both Monday and Tuesday from 9am to 12pm as well as from 4 to 8pm.

At the moment, the Wistin Camilleri Gozo Centre for Art and Crafts is attended by around 1,081 students, ranging from the age of 7 to 87, and it currently offers 45 different courses. New courses, such as Interior Design, Textile Artefacts, Landscaping and Sugar Craft, are also to be included in next year’s (2008-2009) scholastic programme.

The Centre is also to participate in this year’s Gozo 1234 events and will be open to the public from the 1st to the 3rd of May from 4.00pm to 6.00pm. Members of the public will be able to visit an art exhibition consisting of various paintings put on by students with special needs in addition to a Papier Mache’ Exhibiton. They will also be given the opportunity to have first-hand experience at creating different craft works using various materials, including traditional pottery ware.