Rouages: “Serving art and culture”
Éléonore Szturemski and Louise Robert are the two architects behind the implementation of Montpellier University's cultural policy. Organizing events, artistic workshops, residencies, and hosting artists are all part of their mission within the art and culture department.
A mission that has been affected but not sunk by the health crisis, which they present to us this month as part of the "Rouages" video series produced by UM.
Some eagerly await every piece of news about it, others confuse it with the scientific culture department, while still others are unaware of its existence. "It's true that an art and culture department within a university without an arts program may seem surprising at first glance, but in reality it is absolutely essential that the dissemination of culture and the arts be at the heart of educational and research institutions," explains Éléonore Szturemski, head of the art & culture department.
Under the leadership of the Campus Life Department, the Art and Culture Service was created in 2009 with the aim of encouraging and developing openness to contemporary art and culture among staff and students. "Our ambitions are to reduce cultural disparities, help build a common identity at UM by creating social ties, promote individual fulfillment, and, of course, foster the acquisition of skills," explains the department head. These ambitions are in line with Éléonore's career path. Before joining UM in 2010, she had already cut her teeth in the Parisian audiovisual industry before moving to Montpellier to join the Bande-annonce association (Occitanie Films), then coordinating the Kawenga multimedia cultural space.
A program in four acts
Today, there are three people responsible for this mission within the department, with the help of two civic service volunteers and two student employees for part of the year. "Our program is financially supported by the student and campus contribution (CVEC) and is divided into four main areas," says Louise Robert, cultural project manager trained at the Institut d'études politiques de Grenoble. The first area is multidisciplinary artistic workshops. Available throughout the year upon registration, the workshops cover a wide range of practices, from computer-assisted music (CAM) to poster design, botanical drawing, jewelry making, stained glass workshops, and physical expression.
"Our second area of focus is welcoming and hosting artists on campus so that they can work on artistic projects while interacting with students and staff," explains Louise Robert. " We are currently hosting comic book author and illustrator Émilie Plateau, as well as visual artist Ganaëlle Maury ." Before them, illustrator Aya Kakeda and artist Caroline Muheim, to name but a few, were also welcomed at UM.
The various events organized on campus also punctuate the art and culture season. "The week against homophobia, Women's Month with Donner des Elles à l'UM, Heritage Days, and Nuits de la lecture are all invitations to open-mindedness and artistic curiosity," emphasizes the project manager. Initiatives such as Culturesponsable and Pass'Yoot complement this offering by enabling staff and students to meet artists in various theaters across the region. "We carry out all these activities in close collaboration with our many partners, including the various departments and services within the UM, as well as the CROUScultural service and the support of the DRAC Occitanie," continues Éléonore Szturemski.
Culture and Resilience
At the university, as elsewhere, culture has naturally suffered from the tense health situation we have been experiencing for nearly a year. However, the director and her team have not resigned themselves to waiting and are coming up with new ideas that take these constraints into account."Like our artists, we are experimenting and testing. The goal is to maintain ties with staff and students, even and especially at a distance." The Jungle intérieur de nos plantes(The Inner Jungle of Our Plants) drawing contest, launched on Instagram, follows on from the Vues Intérieures (Interior Views) photo contest, which was very successful during the first lockdown.
"We are developing our online presence via our website and social media," says Louise Robert. " We are producing webinars, booklets, videos, and all kinds of creative and digital formats that enable us to continue our cultural activities. We are organizing events around musical creations such as Dwichs confinés, and offering online readings such as those by the Muerto Coco collective on the theme of poetry and cross-cultural revolutions." This adaptation requires inventiveness, perseverance, and resilience on the part of the team in a context where culture seems more than ever to be a window to the outside world. "We mustn't forget that what we offer is above all exploration, new encounters, emotions, and above all, shared pleasure," concludes Éléonore Szturemski.