Nothing predestined Loïc Chevrant-Breton to become a figure of social action through art. A high-flying engineer who worked for major IT multinationals, he left everything behind to set up on the sidewalks of Marseille with paintbrushes and easels. Invited to the microphone of Laurent Coureau on Maritima Radio, the author looks back on twenty years of street workshops in the northern districts of Marseille, a human adventure that he recounts in his book “Engineers arts and suburbs”.
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From the world of IT to the sidewalks of Castellane
Loïc Chevrant-Breton had an early life as a manager. But the need for meaning won out.“At one point I thought I could do better. I was interested in the social question »he confides at the Maritima microphone. After joining the ATD Fourth World movement, he made a simple observation: art is a vector of universal encounter.
In 1990, he entered the Beaux-Arts in Marseille and founded the associationArts and Development. His idea? Install painting workshops directly in public spaces.“We set up on the sidewalk with all the equipment. Children don’t need to be asked to get to work. It is this natural pleasure that ends up attracting adults, who are amazed at how much it appeals to their children. HAS”
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Art as a “lure” to recreate a connection
For this engineer by training, putting the artistic and the social into music was a structuring challenge. We had to convince landlords, social centers and institutions. In Marseille, its action began in three emblematic neighborhoods:Font-Vert, Castellane and Saint-Joseph.
“The principle is to come every week. At Castellane, I came for 10 years »remembers Loïc Chevrant-Breton. Beyond painting, these workshops are anchor points.“Art is not just a struggle between artists, it is a know-how for organizing cultural mediation where childhood is mistreated. HAS”
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A model that is spreading throughout France
Twenty years after the first brushstrokes in Marseille, the model has proven itself. Today, the Arts and Development association is present in68 districts in Francefrom Hauts-de-France to ÃŽle-de-France, via the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.
In his book published by Vérone, Loïc Chevrant-Breton asks a fundamental question:« Art, out of primary necessity? A”. For him, the answer is in no doubt. The artist must be on the front line, alongside other social actors.
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Call for volunteers: “The association needs you”
The adventure continues and the association, victim of its success, is constantly looking for new forces.“The association is looking for volunteers. She is ready to intervene in all neighborhoods where she is asked.”launches the author as an invitation to Maritima listeners.
Engineers, arts and suburbs, by Loïc Chevrant-Breton, is available from Éditions Vérone.
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