Artistic dynamics at the heart of the territories: our Learning Notebook

In the Hauts-de-France, in 2020, we supported 13 innovative projects that explored the place of art as a driver of social and territorial transformation. These initiatives have rethought the dynamics between artists, citizens and communities to make culture a lever for emancipation and cohesion. By putting mediation at the centre of their actions, they have reinvented artistic practices to respond to various local issues: inclusion, citizen participation, revitalisation of rural territories and the reappropriation of public space. Today we are publishing this Notebook which offers an analysis of the conditions for carrying out these “Mediations and Cultural Democracy” projects, the challenges encountered and the key learnings, to inspire actors to develop ambitious projects in the territories.

Citizen Art as a lever for transformation

As part of our Citizen Art axis, we support artists, mediators, institutions and associations that place culture at the service of society. By launching a call for projects in 2020 in the Hauts-de-France, we had several ambitions: to rethink the place of art and artists in the territories, to encourage cooperation dynamics and to strengthen the power of action of the inhabitants. The challenge was to create spaces where culture becomes a tool for social transformation, where initiatives go beyond the traditional frameworks of mediation to invent new forms of citizen participation
In order to document the modes of action and the benefits of the projects which, depending on the case, took place over 3 or 4 years, we mobilized a team of experts and researchers. The qualitative approach adopted is based on the realities on the ground and the concerns of the actors. This study highlighted the many challenges of collective action: the participation of residents, especially for people in vulnerable situations, the artist’s posture and conditions of engagement, the upheaval of public action, etc. This Notebook thus offers ways to strengthen and develop these experiences more broadly.

“This collection of testimonies, reflections and lessons learned from 13 projects supported by the Foundation in 2020, is aimed at you, associations, institutions, artists, mediators, local authorities, who play a central role in supporting and accompanying citizen artistic approaches.”

The Citizen Art team

Projects that shape a collective and united future

The testimonies and analyses gathered here illustrate the richness of the interactions between artists and citizens, while highlighting the conditions necessary for the success of such initiatives: local involvement, adaptation to the specificities of the field and willingness to go beyond the usual frameworks. These issues were shared in June 2024 during a day dedicated to artistic and civic experiments carried out in the Hauts-de-France, which we organized with the École Supérieure d’Art | Dunkirk-Tourcoing.
The projects reveal a strong potential to strengthen the links between cultures, territories and citizens. This is why the Foundation has decided to expand its action on a national scale in 2024, targeting rural areas: 8 new projects have just been supported.
Beyond reconstructing local experiences, this Notebook invites us to imagine cultural projects that strengthen the links between communities and territories. Experimentation, dialogue and cooperation remain at the heart of the solutions to meet today’s challenges.

“We really wanted to start from the needs, desires and uses of the inhabitants. The first year, we took a long period to go and meet them, get to know them better and know in which direction to go. »

Mediator, André Malraux Cultural Centre Hazebrouck (Nord)

“I believe that we get involved in a project not with abstract discourses on the interest of participating but when we are valued, when our skills are recorded and recognized by others. If we don’t take these elements into account, we recreate a sense of self-isolation. »

Director, Kraft Merville Association (North)

Presentation of the Notebook

• Context: A call for projects for cultural democracy
• Panorama: 13 inspiring projects in the Hauts-de-France
• The 13 projects in action
• Teachings: Combining artistic interventions and the making of territories
• Conclusion: Drawing inspiration from the robustness of living things to think about the future
• Resources