NOTour country is preparing to close seven public high schools in Paris. Has France decided to save money on the backs of young people? Among the condemned high schools, three welcome students with an artistic project: Brassaï, Brassens and Lucas de Néhou. Created in 1993, the Brassens high school was an educational innovation allowing young artists from very diverse backgrounds, professionals and high-level amateurs, to be educated.

It offered everyone an adapted public education: strict half-time, a small structure, reduced numbers and an educational project consistent with their artistic work. The only high school to host only double courses, the Lycée Brassens is the symbol of the State’s commitment to the cultural life of France. Since 2016, dual-curriculum classes have closed one after the other. There are only twenty left in all the public high schools in France.

These classes have been closed, excluding pupils from the suburbs and peri-urban areas. How can a discourse on cultural democratization be justified if young people engaged in intensive artistic practice are denied access to the same public lessons as their peers of the same age, under conditions compatible with their art, whether they come from Paris or Seine-Saint-Denis?

The lost sense of diversity

Because finally, it is this diversity, whether geographical, social, of artistic practices that gave all its meaning to the Lycée Brassens. France is proud to train excellent dancers, musicians, actors, lyrical singers… They were able to benefit from a French model who watched over their intellectual formation.

To stand in front of you, on boards, these children have provided colossal efforts: three to five hours of daily practice. And, before sharing their creative worlds, they were students trained in citizenship and our common culture, that provided by the school of the Republic.

A serious renunciation of the values ​​of the Republic

Has France decided to give up its cultural influence? It sacrifices the budgets of artistic training, for example of the Louis-Lumière Institute, the Higher School of Art and Design (ESAD) of Valenciennes, the Duperré school, the National Center for Circus Arts (CNAC ), regional conservatories. Students see their working conditions deteriorate, their professional project is threatened.

We, artists and players in the world of culture, some of whom have had the chance to attend dual-curriculum classes, ask to recognize the unique nature of these studies and to take it into account before further weakening artistic education.

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Since 2017, 12 structures established in the Hauts-de-France region exchanged regularly – sometimes with the help of external speakers in charge of leading Forums – on their practices related to ecological and sustainable development imperatives within a informal network baptized the Culture and Sustainable Development Circle. The referent designated by each location then shared these reflections with the other members of the team, in order to initiate change management. Anxious to structure its action, the Cercle conducted two audits (an HR audit and a CSR audit) which concluded that it was necessary to create an association under the 1901 Law and to hire an employee to coordinate the new entity, named ECHO-Collective of sustainable culture Hauts-de-France. “This person will manage the meetings and the website, list all the useful resources and relay the information to cultural establishments”, explains Sabrina Verdoucq, project manager in relation with the public and the artists at Vivat, stage approved by Armentières. .

By giving it an official framework, ECHO members intend amplify their approach by obtaining subsidies or funds dedicated to sustainable development allocated by the State and local authorities, but also have more influence on political decisions. All of them are indeed confronted with problems – thermal insulation of buildings, energy sobriety, development of soft mobility for the public, etc. – the answers to which are not always their sole responsibility. “Bringing them in the name of a collective will, we hope, convince the public authorities to act”, underlines Sabrina Verdoucq. At the same time, ECHO will continue its met (one every two months), open to members of the association, and is currently setting up thematic committees. It will raise staff awareness of ecological issues, sustainable development and corporate social responsibility before, in the longer term, proposing a training offer, on the model of those operated by Afdas. Finally, individual meetings will be organized for structures wishing to join the collective. This one has in fact vocation to expand to all the cultural venues in the Region. “Today, the majority is established in the North, and some in Pas-de-Calais. We would also like to welcome some from Aisne, Oise and Somme,” says Sabrina Verdoucq. The call is launched!

THE 12 members from ECHO:

• L’Aéronef, contemporary music scene in Lille
• The Ballet du Nord-National Choreographic Center of Roubaix
• La Cave aux Poètes, stage under agreement in Roubaix
• The Roubaix Colosseum
• Le Grand Bleu, contracted stage of Lille
• Le Grand Mix, current music scene in Tourcoing
• The National Gymnasium-Centre for Choreographic Development of Roubaix
• Lille Opera
• Le Phénix, national scene of Valenciennes
• High Fidelity, center of contemporary music in Hauts-de-France
• The Théâtre du Nord-National drama center Lille-Tourcoing-Hauts-de-France
• Le Vivat, approved stage of Armentières

Contact: coordination@echo-culturedurable.fr

Renowned novelist, Goncourt Prize in 1933 and creator of the Maisons de la culture, André Malraux is Minister of State for Cultural Affairs under the General de Gaulle between 1959 and 1969, responsible for the influence of cultural policy in France and beyond its borders. Between the October 7 and 15, 1963the leading politician and writer visits Canada, between Ottawa and Quebec. During his trip, he gave several public speeches and tackled the themes that are dear to him, around the issues of civilizations, education and culture.

Ode to culture

On Saturday, October 12, in France, the 07:15 Inter News antenna broadcast a piece of speech delivered across the Atlantic by Malraux, which begins with “culture is the heritage of the nobility of the world”. This extract is kept in the archives of the INA:

“Culture is the heritage of the nobility of the world. The only strength we have against the element of night is precisely everything that, in us, escapes death. definition of a work of art is that which has escaped death. Understand, Canadian youth, that the destiny of the mind throughout the world will be played out now, in the next twenty or thirty years. otherwise, civilization will agree to be nothing more than a reflex stimulus. With the idea that what was the leisure of bourgeois society will be the leisure of proletarian society. In which case, that by which man is man , can perfectly disappear or dwindle in such a way that civilization changes its nature. Or, on the contrary, those who have in mind the responsibility which is yours, since you are in this house. Those will have understood that they are guarantors and witnesses of human greatness and that it is in their poor hands that the des end of the world.” Speech by André Malraux in Quebec

During this trip to Quebec, this speech was most likely delivered during the day on Friday, October 11, in a more general way aimed at motivating young people and bringing the two sides of the Atlantic closer together. If the precise origin cannot be established with certainty, the elements brought by the writings of the academic Claude Corbo – author of Malraux in Quebec: words and speeches, 1963 -, the INA, and the daily newspapers retain this date of October 11, during the inauguration of the French industrial exhibition or during the state dinner that followed. In fact, it is possible that some of André Malraux’s remarks on the occasion of the inauguration of the exhibition could have been recorded and then broadcast the next day on the radio without being recorded in the written journals.

Earlier in this day of October 11, 1963, the Minister had already delivered a speech defining culture and transcribed in the pages of the daily The duty on October 15, with elements of language announcing the themes of the passage broadcast on the air: “Modern civilization does not know why it exists. The machine leads man never to think of himself but to think of what he is doing. (…) To be a man is not to think about what one does, but to think about what one is (…). To simplify, either all the dream factories (cinema, radio, literature, etc.) will make humanity enslaved to the powers that are behind these dreams, or else humanity will choose from what has survived its most important part. high, because, if culture has a meaning, it is very simply the nobility of the world.”

These remarks will be repeated until the end of his stay in Quebec, since the October 15, 1963during a conference at the University of Montreal, he uses elements of this speech on art in front of a packed room of students and professors, reaffirming his beliefs on the capital importance of art which, in its words, represents “something which has survived, and which is situated in a kind of eternal present. (…) Ultimately, art is all that in us escapes death.”

Sealing France-Quebec relations

In this month of October 1963, the trip of General de Gaulle’s minister was dense and punctuated by numerous dinners, receptions, openings and inaugurations, a reflection of the political action initiated by the President of the French Republic. The arrival of this French emissary is driven by the desire to start talks and achieve protocol between the two territories, solid collaboration and a strong representation of France in Quebec.

The undisguised objective of this official visit is to bring French Canadians closer together and to reaffirm and remind the population of General de Gaulle’s interest in the province of Quebec. “He arrives here, charged with a heavy reputation, also charged with a mission by General de Gaulle, who told him: ‘One day, Malraux, we must take care of Quebec.'” Claude Corboauthor of Malraux in Quebec: words and speeches, 1963 (VLB Editions).

Directly invited by the Quebec government, André Malraux made this trip in a completely official capacity: he was first received in Ottawa, then in Quebec. In the eyes of foreigners, he is perceived as one of the most prestigious ministers, enjoying his position as the right arm of General de Gaulle’s culture. On the spot, it is Georges Emile Lapalmewho is none other than his Quebec counterpart, minister-creator in 1961 of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, who welcomes him. The two men already know each other personally, after a first meeting three years earlier.

“If France really wants to take an interest in the Francophonie, it seems to us that it must begin to act where, outside of France, there is the most important, strongest and best organized island, but also the the more attacked, the more threatened by daily erosion.” Georges-Émile Lapalme to André Malraux, October 1963.

On the other side of the globe, if the future presence of André Malraux in Quebec reassures certain nationalist circles in their cultural affirmation, his official stay will not cause popular enthusiasm with regard to his person. At that time, Quebec experienced an important period of reform and modernization, called the “Quiet Revolution” and which took root in the 1960s, under the Quebec government of John Lesagethen Prime Minister. This revolution is part of a current of national affirmation, especially abroad, where Quebec wishes to be recognized more as a nation and hold a place of choice on the international scene. At the same time, the establishment of the Maison du Québec in Paris played a crucial role in this affirmation of identity.

If André Malraux will disengage from Quebec after the resignation of his Quebec counterpart Georges-Emile Lapalme in 1964, this visit of October 1963 will have been an important turning point in the establishment of relations between Quebec and France under the mandate of Gaulle. A few years later, in 1967, the general on a trip to Montreal will in turn deliver a strong speech that provokes a deep crisis with Canada, calling on Quebec to gain its independence, in a famous and unambiguous speech: “Long live the free quebec !”.

Micro-Folie is a digital museum that allows free and free access to great works: painting, architecture, dance, music, scientific culture, in excellent conditions, with state-of-the-art technological tools. screen
in the service of culture. Successful test during the inauguration in Castillon.

Nothing will replace the emotion that one can feel at the proximity of a work of art, a symphony orchestra, a dance performance in an opera or the visit of a masterpiece of ‘architecture. Micro-Folie does not replace, Micro-Folie invites you to travel, to discover, to knowledge. Supported by the Ministry of Culture and coordinated by La Villette, this highly supported system as part of the Small Towns of Tomorrow was inaugurated in the Salle Cascante in the presence of all the partners and some of the future prescribers and users. Jacques Breillat, the mayor, recalls the richness of the device: “On site you navigate between the giant screen, tablets, and virtual reality headsets by drawing from the content offered by 12 national establishments according to your desires. Children, adults, novices, amateurs, all audiences are invited to immerse themselves in art thanks to digital technology”.

The month of February will be devoted to the advanced discovery of this beautiful tool by the associations, teachers, and above all the agents of the media library who will bring it to life now and during the creation of the ludo media library.

Water Lilies, Monet and more

The large screen makes it possible to project the works and to comment on them if necessary, certain modules then make it possible to refine the subject on the tablets, to propose games, exercises, new experiences. Virtual reality headsets propel the user to the chosen location: museum, Versailles gardens, etc.

True tools for artistic and cultural education, the regularly renewed collections offer an infinite source of interest. It is enough to quote the contributors to guess the extent of it: The Center Pompidou, which will remain accessible even when it is closed for works, the Palace of Versailles, the city of music-philharmonics in Paris, the Avignon festival which allows you to rediscover the greatest plays played in the city of the popes: Antigone, King Lear, Henry IV, the Arab World Institute presents several works from its permanent collections and tours. The Louvre Museum with its 460,000 works from the Middle Ages to 1948, has found a wonderful playground in Micro-Folie, to the delight of virtual visitors, The National Picasso-Paris Museum presents L’Autoportrait, Les Demoiselles d ‘Avignon, Portrait of Dora Maar and Guernica, for an experimental approach accessible to all.

For the period 1848-1914, discover the marvelous Musée d’Orsay, another precious partner of this system which offers an opening with drawers via 34 works and a journey on a tablet for teachers. The Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac museum invites visitors to discover the arts and civilizations of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, through jewelry, sculptures, photographs, textiles, masks… The Paris Opera presents the great ballets of the repertoire but also a guided tour of Swan Lake by a first dancer from the opera or a Degas journey, a danced journey over the centuries. Rmn_Grand Palais also participates, like Universcience which brings together the Palace of Discovery and the City of Science and Industry which wishes to promote scientific and technical culture.

Wonderful !

The inauguration made it possible to experiment with all the facets of Micro-Folie, broadcasting to the general public, the presentation of a work of art, on the big screen and on tablets for a group, with interactions, and reality headsets which will allow all art lovers but also all players to enter a universe of culture.

Convenient

The opening to the public will be on March 1st.

For group reception or special requests: 05 57 69 35 79 / 05 57 56 40 30.

Groups will be able to reserve slots: associations, training center, municipal structure, leisure center, school, etc.

For the second year, the call for projects is dematerialized. The form to be completed by partner applicants will now be accessible online via simplified procedures.

This tool will allow candidates, after opening an account, to complete the file online, until closure. After the closing, the DRAC and the ARS will receive an extraction in the form of a table bringing together all the applications

Context of the call for projects

The ARS and the DRAC pursue a common policy aimed at promoting and strengthening the development of a cultural and artistic policy for the benefit of people received in Ile-de-France establishments (healthcare, including military and medico-social), their relatives, of all staff and beyond, of their local territory.

The foundations of this common policy are based on a shared desire to contribute to cultural democratization, the defense of the citizenship of people weakened by illness or disability and the creation of new areas of cooperation to improve the quality of relations professionals as well as the registration of health structures in their local area.

Who is this call for?

To healthcare establishments, including military ones, in the Île-de-France region as well as to the following six categories of medico-social establishments in the “elderly people” sector and the “disability sector” falling within the scope of competence, exclusive or shared, the Regional Health Agency: EHPAD, accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people; Establishments for children with disabilities: Motor Education Institutes (IEM), Medical-Educational or Professional Institutes (IME, IMPRO), Institutes for the Hearing Impaired (IDA), Institutes for the Visually Impaired (IDV) and Therapeutic, Educational and Pedagogical (ITEP) and Establishment for Polyhandicapped Children or Adolescents (EEAP); CAMPS (Early Medico-Social Action Center) and CMPP (Medico-Psycho-Pedagogical Centre), MAS, Specialized Homes; EAM, Medical Reception Establishments; ESAT, establishments and services for help through work.

Projects must be designed in close collaboration with an artistic and cultural structure.

Calendar

Closing of the call for projects: March 13, 2023 at noon

Application conditions

• They must enroll in a dynamics of openness to the outside (in accordance with HAS-ANESM recommendations) And territorial network (time open to the inhabitants of the territory, partnership with a local cultural facility, etc.). In this respect, concerning the projects led by a medico-social establishment, at least part of the artistic proposal will take place in mix of audiences. Several establishments and medico-social services may be involved in the proposal (with the same manager or not);

Applications must be sent electronically, via the simplified procedures platform. Access the application platform