Archive for the Joseph Casha Category

04 05 2009

Joseph Casha at 70

Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in Blogroll, Joseph Casha
Sculptor Joseph Casha is celebrating his 70th anniversary and 50 years in the field of sculpture with an art exhibition entitled “Small is Beautiful”, consisting of 40 miniature sculptures in painted terracotta made during the last three months. The exhibition which is being inaugurated on the 21st of May is being held at the Malta School of Art to coincide with the Prize Giving Ceremony of the school. It will remain open till the 12th of June. Joe at work
Casha has always had a creative relationship with the Malta School of Art that has developed and changed over five decades. He enrolled as a student in the late 1950’s in the modelling class under the supervision of George Borg and studied drawing under Vincent Apap, obtaining a four year scholarship to study abroad. On his return he was appointed art teacher in Government Secondary Schools. In 1983 he started teaching sculpture at the School of Art and in 1995 he was appointed Head of school. He retired in 2000 but he is still in charge of the popular 3D sculpture class.
This is Casha’s first exhibition since his retrospective organised by the Bank of Valletta three years ago, curated by Mr Louis Saliba.

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31 12 2007

Interviewing Joseph Casha

Posted by: Emmanuel Caruana in Joseph Casha
Could you please describe your childhood?
I was born in Cospicua in 1939; at a very young age my family had to move to Rabat due to the Second World War air raids on Cottonera. I always enjoyed sketching and drawing. My friends use to ask me to sketch for them images of St. Joseph or St. Paul whose saints’ feasts are celebrated in Rabat.
There were two sculptors in my neighbourhood well known for their religious decorative work in wood. They inspired me towards woodcarving.
When I was 14, I started an apprenticeship at the Malta dockyard. On a particular occasion, an instructor on seeing some of my drawings encouraged me to register at the Malta School of Arts in Valletta. I took his advice and I started attending the well-known school immediately. I started wood carving under the tutorship of Samuel Bugeja. Later on, I had to stop the evening classes due to my GCEs examinations. Once I had completed these exams, I started attending school once again, this time in the modelling class under the tutorship of George Borg.
After just two years, in 1961, I was awarded the sculpture scholarship after finishing first in the annual examination; I chose the Accademia di Belle Arti, Rome as my destination, where, I attended also for ceramics lessons at the Istituto Statale d’Arte and Scuola dell’ Arti Ornamentali, all found in the eternal city . I started the diploma course by being admitted in the second year and therefore I obtained the diploma in just 3 years. I finished my fourth year in the United Kingdom where I completed successfully an Art Teachers’ course at Brighton College of arts and crafts. During this course, I specialised in modelling, wood carving, etchings and lino prints apart from educational weekly visits to London’s art galleries and museums.
When I returned back to Malta, I was offered a job as an art teacher at St Theresa Girls’ Secondary School, Mdina which later became known as Junior Lyceum for Girls, Mriehel.
In 1983, the director of education Mr Reno Borg expressed his desire that I should start teaching sculpture at the Malta School of Arts, a part-time job I’ve been doing since then.
Which are your favourite materials in sculpture and painting?

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