Par
Laurent REBOURS
Published on
Twenty years of artist residencies in agricultural education are worth celebrating. And it will be celebrated this Tuesday March 31, 2026 at the agricultural high school of La Saussaye in Sours (Eure-et-Loir) with representatives of the Centre-Val de Loire Region.
Delphine Benassy, Vice-President for Culture and International Cooperation, will participate in the celebration of these “20 years of artist residencies in agricultural education in the Centre-Val de Loire region” and will attend the restitution of a project of Podcasts – sound documentary in eight series – produced by Pauline Maucort and Rémi Dybowski Douat, carried out as part of a specific residency of research and artistic creation around these twenty years.
Projects that encourage meetings between local students and artists
The event is planned on the Campus Natur’Alim de Chartres – Home for students and apprentices from La Saussaye in Sours. All the podcasts can be found on the Region’s YouTube channel which is committed to artistic and cultural creation and education.
As part of its commitment to artistic and cultural education, the Centre-Val de Loire Region supports projects “promoting encounters between students and artists within the region’s educational establishments, with particular attention paid to access to culture for young people in rural,” she communicates.
These artist residencies offer young people, often little exposed to art, the opportunity to discover new forms of expression, to go beyond traditional school frameworks and to engage in a sensitive dialogue with their environment and their territory. This agricultural high school residence system is celebrating its 20th anniversary in this 2025-2026 school year.
Each year it is the subject of a tripartite agreement concluded between the DRAAF, the DRAC and the Regional Council.
Three agricultural education establishments host a residency
Every year, three agricultural education establishments in the region welcome visual artists for three creative and mediation residencies – specific to the region – over a period of three months.
Each year, the Region grants financial support in the amount of €3,500 per artist, or aid of €10,500 for the three artist residencies. “In twenty years, this represents regional support for €210,000 for artists and young people in agricultural establishments« .
Some key figures and elements
â– In operation, the Region devotes an overall budget amounting to 27.78 million euros in 2026:
24,478 M€ under the Culture Budget • 1.8 M€ under CAP’ASSO (a unique system in France to support associative employment) for the cultural sector • 1.5 M€ under regional cultural and tourist programming Les Nouvelles Renaissance(s]and its Contemporary Art Festival Ar(t)chipel.Â
â– En investissement, le budget régional s’élève à 19,385 Millions d’euros en 2026 :Â
5.885 M€ in its Culture budget • 9.6 M€ for culture under its territorial development policy within the framework of the CRST (Regional Territorial Solidarity Contracts concluded with the territories) • 3.9 M€ (11.7 M€ out of 3 years) for Bourges European Capital of Culture.
Support for festivals: more than 230 events supported
Support for performing arts institutions: €5,250,000 • Support for city theaters: €233,000
Policy for intermediate locations: €365,000
Support for artistic diffusion in the territory: €2.9 million under PACT + €5.6 million under other schemes
Shared culture(s)!
The Region’s cultural policy has set itself the objective of “boosting local life, strengthening links between residents and adapt to current challengeswhether social, environmental or economic.” An approach which above all aims to enable everyone to fully participate in cultural and artistic life in our region.
Since June 2022, with the “ Shared culture(s) “, the Centre-Val de Loire Region is committed to putting residents, artists and territories at the center of priorities, by breathing new energy into the entire cultural sector.
This plan, in continuity with past actions, explores innovative avenues to encourage creation and the participation of all in diverse experiences, accelerate the ecological transition, promote equality between women and men, support young people and pay particular attention to the most vulnerable in deploying concrete measures to implement cultural rights.
Culture “makes the territories vibrate”
The PACT (Territorial Artistic and Cultural Project) a local regional cultural system. For almost fifteen years, the Centre-Val de Loire Region has supported culture thanks to these PACTs.
“The objective is to help communities to offer, in cooperation with artists, associations, residents, varied artistic programs, accessible throughout the season,” she further communicates. PACT is open to all areas and all types of programming: exhibitions, shows, artist residencies, artistic and cultural education projects or even discovery of heritage.
By supporting these initiatives, the Region wishes to “strengthen social bonds and enable everyone to discover, get involved and contribute to local cultural wealth. In Centre-Val de Loire, PACT supports nearly 2,300 events each year, including more than 1,300 shows and 160 festivals.
Personalize your news by adding your favorite cities and media with My News.
