A valuation of the artist’s profession and an innovative production method
Article by Justine Laplace, European and International Projects Manager at Pôle emploi (ARA), interview with Antonia Vitti, artist and regional coordinator of OH AURA.
For more than two years now, the association Ouvrir l’Horizon Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has been proving its worth; an innovative artistic device determined to promote artists and their work. The exemplary dimension of this scheme is that it recognises all the artistic, technical and administrative work required to create an artistic encounter.
For regional coordinator Antonia Vitti, the promise is now fulfilled thanks to the artistic baskets that are at the heart of this associative initiative. These artistic baskets allow for the collaborative and coordinated work of two to three local artists from different disciplines with the aim of creating an original short form of 20-30 minutes, the result of their creativity and their encounter. This scheme highlights many advantages for the participating performing arts professionals, including the trust given to them during the entire process and the infinite freedom in the choice and design of the stage spaces and the artists’ encounters with the audience.
Inspired by the model of circular economy, this mechanism makes it possible to establish the performing arts professions in a sustainable and rewarding way.
These artistic baskets also represent an enormous creative and innovative pool, an intermediate solution to work for these professionals and a possibility of returning to direct employment. Indeed, it is a proposal aimed at meeting and enabling artists to continue to live from their professions, they will be able through this process to leave their comfort zone while being accompanied and recognised for. They particularly emphasize the self-esteem and self-confidence that they acquire throughout their activity within the association; “Artists only need to be artists! For the rest, they are accompanied by a stage manager and a territorial production manager”, Antonia Vitti.
Employment is also a huge benefit resulting from this scheme for the selected professionals. The artists will exercise their activity legitimately and freely, an activity highlighted in their career path and the recognition of employment by the French public employment service (Pôle emploi ARA). Described as “a new lease of life” for these artists, the artistic basket represents more than 100 hours of valued work. This association makes it a point of honour to have the work carried out recognised as the true exercise of the artist’s profession and thus return to the essence of artistic production.
Ouvrir l’Horizon Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes also gives rise to some very beautiful stories. The artists are recognised for their work and skills, which increases their self-confidence and their collaborative work with the other artists involved in the scheme. All of this creates a real team spirit that leads to new collaborations within the artistic baskets.
It is an original, creative, artistic and supportive scheme.
The link between employability and creativity is therefore at the centre of the association’s activity, as is the profession of artist recognised as such. These art baskets are above all an inspiring and successful good practice to enhance the professional activity of artists.
Valuing artists for what they do by allowing them to return to direct employment, a promising regional good practice initiated by the association Ouvrir l’Horizon Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Finally, it is a regional concept that is appreciated and strengthened through the different territories with the desire to deploy these participative and collaborative baskets to the greatest number in France and abroad.
