the Arcad association gets a makeover

“Today, we act in favor of artists, professionals only, from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine territory. The spirit of Arcad is always the same, but our line evolves with the socio-economic context. The artist is invisible, we have to fight for him to be recognized in society as a strong economic and innovator,” recounts the director, Agnès Zimmermann.

A new team now surrounds her: Léa Lermet is in charge of the development of plastic and visual arts, Chantal Dutrey of accounting, and two freelancers are in charge of communication (Camille Davy) and graphics (Lucie Lachat).

Hybrid approaches

If the organization of the Anglet Jazz Festival is still a string to its bow, Arcad’s action has refocused on the plastic and visual arts and on hybrid approaches. Thus, a whole part of this place offers a workshop to artists, selected by a permanent call for projects. “The goal is to offer artists who have a project in progress or emerging the possibility of having a space for creation and support over a maximum period of one year”, explains Léa Lermet.

At the beginning of May, Isabelle Vialle and Christina Manolagas thus undertook a four-handed work on roots and identity. For his part, Nicolas Bibette wonders about art by mixing chemistry and electronics. These three artists take advantage of their “capsule workshop” to develop their project, from its first idea to its completion. In addition to the equipment and the space, they benefit from support to be guided in their development and to structure themselves.

An exhibition space will present to professionals invited by Arcad (broadcasters, gallery owners, programmers) a “work in progress” during the duration of their stay, up to a short final exhibition, a kind of springboard towards professional development. Arcad of course has its own offices to pursue its other missions, such as supporting artists benefiting from the RSA.

A resource center

The hundred or so members can also take advantage of a resource centre, with documentation space, photo studio, borrowable equipment, computer stations integrating creation software and access to call for projects platforms (usually chargeable). A program open to all is set up, where speakers offer information or training time, on themes such as “Writing your artistic approach” or “Responding to a call for residence”.

“We wanted to accentuate the logic of the nursery of artists”, sums up the president of Arcad, Anne Grussner-Weiss. This new address at the entrance to the Jorlis industrial zone is like a symbol of this desire to engage artists in a professional world. “Artists must be able to move from a sustained status to a status of leading players. »

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