The MCAST Strategic Plan 2022-2027 establishes twenty Smart Targets, amongst which the College commits itself to “plan, construct, and operate new buildings for the Institute for the Creative Arts” (ST01), apart from other Institutes and sectors. This direction reflects both one of MCAST’s main values, that is, “celebrating the success of our staff and students” (p.1), and the esteem it attributes to this Institute.
The end-of-year exhibition of the MQF Level 6 students of the Institute for the Creative Arts scheduled between 6 and 30 July 2023, will provide these very promising artists coming from eleven different undergraduate courses with the opportunity to exhibit their works and projects as a testimony of their efforts, talent, and their individual intuitions.
The seventh edition of this exhibition, which has already gained the admiration of all its visitors in the previous years, is above all a celebration of youngsters who, under the wise guidance of their administrators, lecturers, and ancillary staff, transform their inner dreams into creative artworks, performances, designs, and projects. MCAST fully supports this exhibition to enhance the public appreciation of its students’ works and encourage them to extend further their potential in various creative ways, each according to the student’s area of specialization.
This end-of-year festival helps all the stakeholders in the creative industry to evaluate the creative gifts of the individual exhibitors. The exhibits offer these stakeholders a well-set platform of so many projects for their assessment in view of potential employment opportunities for our College graduates.
One notes that this exhibition revolves around the fictitious figure of Don Quixote, whose character was immortalized by the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. From this parody of chivalric romances, which many times brings smiles to its many admirers, the Creative Arts students drew their inspiration to incorporate in their exhibits the great and significant values of imagination, creativity, and authenticity. On their reflective journey to the completion of their exhibits, students sought to reveal their emotions, feelings, imagination, and the mysterious paths pushing for the much-desired self-fulfilment in a creative manner.
When creative persons take the challenge of transcending tradition, breaking old barriers, and producing what is not yet known or esteemed, they are courageous, ambitious, and valuable. They are capable of providing society with new insights, new visions, and may be enhancing their society’s life through their creative fabric. Then, they manage to transform parody into real-life projects, designs, artworks, and so many other artistic achievements. Theirs is a world of unbridled imagination that allows them to let nothing restrain them from leaping to the unknown creative world.
We augur that all visitors are enthused by these students’ works. This is the most suitable time to bring together the artists’ work and the appreciation of visitors, industry stakeholders, and the public. Don Quixote decided to become a knight-errant. These students decided to let their imagination float amidst their dreams to share with us all their admirable artistic strengths. Let them always bear in mind what Cervantes states: “To surrender dreams – this may be madness.”