Social Solidarity in the Heart of the Appalachians

Saint‑Venant‑de‑Paquette’s poetry walk breathes new life into the region

For close to 15 years, the hundred or so inhabitants of the tiny village of Saint‑Venant‑de‑Paquette have worked together to create a poetry walk and save their historic church. The poetry walk is a trail connecting some ten sites featuring works by local artist Roger Nadeau, writings by Quebec poets and interpretative elements about the surrounding forest and horticultural environment. Local residents and visitors gather at the poetry walk’s tree house or church-museum for performances, lectures, plays or creative workshops or come to lend a hand during work bees.  >> Read the article

Agir par l’imaginaire

Artistic expression helping women in the justice system

In a joint project undertaken by the Société Elizabeth Fry du Québec and Engrenage Noir / LEVIER, two women’s prisons, a psychiatric hospital and a halfway house invited artists to lead multidisciplinary creative workshops to reveal the inner world of female inmates. >> Read the article

The right to cultural development

In 2009, to mark the 15^th anniversary of the inclusion of the right to cultural development in the Belgian Constitution, the organization Culture et Démocratie is encouraging people to think about the meaning and application of this basic right. As part of this campaign, it has published Culture et vous?, a comprehensive information kit on this crucial issue with relevance far beyond the borders of Belgium.

Art & the Public Purpose: A New Framework Launches

An American Working Group on Cultural Policy was created in May 2009, following a White House Briefing on Art, Community, Social Justice, National Recovery. This stellar group of founding endorsers has released a proposal calling for “a bold new investment in culture, a policy recognizing that culture holds the key to a future we can believe in.” The new Framework proposes five key concepts to support art’s public purpose. (Visit the website)