Implemented in schools with diverse profiles (in rural areas, REP zones, and general and vocational tracks), PEGASE aimed to create the conditions for the widespread adoption of arts and cultural education at the school level. Each project combined several disciplines and was based on close collaboration between teaching staff and local cultural partners. Over the course of five years, the program engaged nearly 10,000 students, more than 100 teachers, and about 50 cultural organizations in projects combining visual arts, performing arts, writing, music, science, and digital culture.
Within schools, the PEGASE projects have made it possible to experiment with teaching methods based on hands-on learning, engagement with artworks and artists, and the collaborative construction of knowledge. Over the years, this has led to the creation of plays, podcasts, films, exhibitions, escape games, and sound installations. The program has also helped strengthen students’ engagement, autonomy, and self-confidence, while fostering new collaborative dynamics among teachers, artists, and local cultural stakeholders.
From its launch, PEGASE was accompanied by an independent research and evaluation study conducted by a university team to analyze the program’s effects and identify the conditions conducive to the widespread adoption of arts and cultural education. This effort was based on several years of field research, interviews, and surveys conducted with students and educational staff. The results highlight, in particular, the program’s positive impact on the school climate, students’ cultural openness, and the quality of regional partnerships. They also emphasize several key levers for success: involving students more in project design, increasing cultural field trips, and supporting collective dynamics within schools.
Beyond the projects carried out in the field, PEGASE has helped foster a broader discussion on the role of art and culture in educational pathways. The lessons learned from this pilot project are now contributing to debates on public policies for arts and cultural education and on the conditions necessary for their large-scale implementation. The discussion event held in April 2024 at the Gaîté Lyrique built on this momentum by bringing together researchers, teachers, artists, and institutions around a common goal: making arts and cultural education a reality accessible to all students.
The PEGASE program has produced several resources designed to share the lessons learned from this pilot project: publications, a logbook, research summaries, videos, and recordings of meetings. These materials help document the program’s impacts and inform discussions on the broader implementation of arts and cultural education.
