The private book collections of the late Dennis Vella and Neville Ferry, including over 1,050 volumes, were donated to the MCAST Institute of Art and Design’s Library, to be used by the college’s art students.
Relatives of Mr Vella and Mr Ferry visited the Institute of Art and Design on Thursday 18 April, to meet the students and to hand over the two collections to the Institute’s Library. Mr Vella’s collection includes approximately 1,000 books and periodicals, while Mr Ferry’s selection includes another 59 volumes. All of them will be available at the Institute’s library, which is visited by an average of 420 students a day.
Mr Vella (1953-2009) was actively involved in the local art scene, through his academic studies of Maltese art, the promotion of Maltese artists and his administrative roles within the sector, including curator of the Modern and Contemporary Section of the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Mr Ferry (1945-2011) was a prolific sculptor and ceramist in Malta and in England, where he exhibited his works and worked as a ceramics lecturer. He also contributed to various prestigious art organisations, including the Milton Keynes Crafts Guild.
The Vella and Ferry families explained that the knowledge and resources, which had helped their late relatives throughout their careers is now available to many other artists. They encouraged the MCAST students to use these books as a source of inspiration in their artistic endeavours.
Joseph Farrugia, MCAST president, expressed the college’s gratitude at the important contributions of Mr Vella and Mr Ferry to the local art scene, particularly in the promotion of new talent. These achievements have now been extended through the donation of their private book collections to the library. “These collections are a treasure which must not be left to gather dust. Every young artist should read and learn as much as possible about art. These books will take them on a journey to many countries and cultures and back in time to different ages to taste a world of art forms, styles and techniques; a voyage that will ultimately help them uncover their own artistic identity.”
Laurence Zerafa, the college librarian, said that personal book collections are a reflection of the tastes of the persons who compiled and owned them. “While cataloguing these two collections, we found out that Mr Vella and Mr Ferry had personalised most of them with related material, such as cuttings from other publications, exhibition catalogues and even personal notes. All these removable items found in the books have been listed in our electronic catalogue. They will be available for viewing through separate files, each referenced with details of the exact page within the volume in which they were placed by their original owners. Our students and researchers looking into the lives and achievements of these two important personalities will certainly find these collections very useful in their studies.”
Stephen Vella, director of the Institute of Art and Design said that this donation will ensure that Mr Vella and Mr Ferry will not only be remembered by those who knew them within the Maltese and International art community, but also by individuals who will be reading their books at the institute’s library. “We are thankful to their families for this generous donation. The MCAST Institute of Art and Design Library is becoming one of the best-resourced art libraries in Malta with a wide range of priceless and interesting books – a specialised library for both students and researchers.”
The MCAST Institute of Art and Design is the main local provider for higher education in the creative arts, giving learners the opportunity to choose among a variety of disciplines, ranging from Fine Art, Graphic Design, 3D Design, Interactive Media, Photography and Media (Moving Image). The Institute has been growing steadily in the past years, with this year’s cohort exceeding 800 students. The Institute’s library forms part of MCAST’s Library and Learning Resource Centre, which includes six libraries at the MCAST Main Campus, in Paola, and at the College’s institutes in other locations. They offer over 55,000 volumes, including books and periodicals, as well as other resources such as films and educational software.