WHAT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE DOING AND HOW TO GO FURTHER  

Please note: At times, small municipalities associate to create an administrative entity in order to make it more practical and economical to undertake large-scale projects that would not otherwise be doable for a single small municipality. This phenomenon is known as “intercommunalité.” I will at times refer to these entities. I will cover themes one at a time.

ART AS A RURAL LIFESTYLE

Art is big business in French villages, perhaps because a tranquil, quaint setting is especially conducive to both artistic expression and appreciation.  It may also be that life in a village, with its lower cost of living, lessens the economic pressures that a person dedicated to art might have felt otherwise.   Please note that I am using the word “artist” and “artistic” to include artisans whose specialty includes a great deal of artistry, even though the finished product may be utilitarian.   While many villages have jumped on the art bandwagon, they range widely in how extensively they develop the theme or promote a specific art form.   Consider these two polar opposites:  Moustiers-sainte-Marie, a picturesque village overlooking breathtaking nature, has scores of potters/ceramic artists.  The village is actively promoted through this art form and is undeniably a commercial success.  The place is buzzing with tourists throughout the summer and on Sundays throughout the year.   At the end of the spectrum is the village of Moissac-Bellevue, also a picturesque village surrounded by breathtaking nature.  Its lone art studio, L’art Chemin, specializes in sculpting and appears to be the only business in town, apart from the café/bistrot.  But that has not stopped L’art Chemin from actively and successfully promoting its classes and workshops, if the frequent addition of additional sessions is any indication.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It may come as a surprise that artistic development may be well suited to village life, but that can be explained by a number of factors:

• The French population is increasingly mobile, and rural areas are disproportionally benefiting from this trend.

 

• Artistic activity in a village has been found to create a positive image of the village, both to its own inhabitants and the outside world, attracting a diverse range of people from the outside.

 

• Above and beyond city dwellers moving to a rural area, many choose to retire or spend their weekends in such an environment, blurring the line between the two lifestyles, and bringing with them a demand for/interest in art.

 

• There is an increased sense that art should be an expression of the culture within which it was created. At the same time, there is a renewed awareness of local/traditional cultures in rural areas.  The two developments have converged to bring about an increased interest in the art that is an expression of these rural, traditional cultures.

 

• Perhaps because of all the above reasons, there is an unprecedented number of both artists and artistic/cultural entrepreneurs in French rural areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small municipalities and rural regions regularly help the process by doing the following

Actively encourage the installation of artists practicing the same (or a complementary) craft, thus creating an unofficial theme for the village, which they then help promote.  This is obviously what happened in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (described above).   Sometime, this pattern takes place within a region and includes several villages known for the same art, but each with a slightly different twist from one village to the next.  A good example of this is what is known as “La route des dentelles normandes”, whereas seven villages in Normandy have a traditional history of making lace, but each with a slightly different technique.  Each village promotes it own tradition, but also does so in the context of the “route” and thus helps promote the others as well.

• Seek official recognition for a product, natural resource or artistic or cultural asset that they feel is unique to the village or region and defines it, in order to build economic activity around this recognition.  For example, the United Nation may bestow its “intangible world asset” recognition on a tradition.  When that happens, officials are then required to promote the tradition to insure its survival.  Much of that benefit can also occur while the municipality/region is seeking the official recognition, since it usually publicizes its intention and organizes around its goal.  The lace of Alençon has received this rare recognition.  Other, much more frequent official recognitions include what is known as a “label” in France, a type of trademark that can be bestowed by the French government on an asset or traditional technique, among other things.

 

• Create what is known as a Résidence d’artiste, which consists in providing an artist with a studio and/or housing, and possibly other amenities, in exchange for the artist’s willingness to set up residency in the village for a time – sometime indefinitely.  This usually comes complete with a set of specific requirements and conditions.  It is a growing trend in France, once restricted to areas close enough to tourism hot spots, but recently expanded to other areas as well, and is attractive to even small municipalities, such as Aubure in Alsace.  It mostly works well, although some argue that because the artist is only on location temporarily, he/she does not get a chance to get immersed in the local culture enough to make his/her art reflect it.

 

• Make exhibition venues available to artists.  Most villages welcome an opportunity to host an event simply to bring life to the community and increase traffic from outsiders.  Oftentimes, these events take place in a historical building, thus putting on display, albeit in a secondary role, another part of the village’s history and culture.  Most French villages have a chapelle, (tiny church), that is almost begging for the attention.

 

• Create a yearly festival around an artistic theme, thus attracting outside visitors interested in that art.

 

• View art as a conduit to resolving the practical, social, economic or environmental issues they are facing.  When the community’s officials start with this mind frame, they are more likely to support any art-related project that meets this criterion.  It may sound like a lot to ask of an artistic endeavor, but it has been done with success to the benefit of all involved.  A theater experiment in Cobonne (Drôme département), titled “les 80 ans de ma mère” incorporated the elderly population of the village.  The experience proved successful both artistically and as a way to showcase a demographic segment of the population that tends to feel undervalued and is often socially isolated.  Others have used art as a way to revitalize an ailing economic sector of the village.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Features you may want to look for before choosing the village that will host your art project/endeavor

• If your business plan involves bringing in people from the outside, the village you choose must be quaint and authentic.  This is true whether outsiders would come primarily for your art or the village itself.  I realize that this notion is very much up to each person’s interpretation.  In my opinion, that can include desolate, mildly run-down villages.  I find these inspirational, albeit in a melancholic kind of way, unlike dirty looking villages, or those that have allowed a proportionally significant number of industrial buildings to pop up among their traditional architecture.

 

• At the other end of this spectrum, there may be danger to choosing a village that has become so commercially successful for its art that it has resulted in a “museum effect.”  This is especially true if, through your chosen endeavor, you seek to provide a quiet artistic retreat, or will rely on the authenticity of the place for inspiration.

 

• Speaking of authenticity, the more your artistic activity can be built on a feature or asset that is already inherent to the village, the better.  It could be through your use of local, raw material, or could be by exploiting a local theme or a local technique to which you add your own twist.  It is definitely the current belief system that what defines the village should inspire the art, and in turn, the art should put on display what defines the village.  Sometimes, what defines the village may be so subtle that even the locals may have had a hard time putting their finger on it, and it takes an artist from the outside to see it and bring it to light.  That will then enable officials to promote their village in a specific way.  Gone are the days when art was seen as little more than an esthetic advantage for a village.  In view of that, your first task may be to assess a village’s “inspiration quotient.”

 

• If your vision includes week – long or weekend – long activities, then you must make sure that the village has the required accommodation capacity, unless you are able to provide it yourself.  In addition, you probably should plan on other activity options.  It could be as simple as a few excursions through the surrounding countryside, or a food-related activity.

More specifically, you could engage in one or several (or even all) of the following

• Set up a studio in a village to create and sell your art on location.

 

• Organize week – long or weekend art workshops for groups of outside visitors.

 

• Organize an art festival or one time event.

 

• Teach your art to the local population.  Certainly, la Réforme des rythmes scolaires, by requiring municipalities to provide enrichment, non-academic activities to schoolchildren, has dramatically increased the demand for such services.

 

• Create your own for-profit, Résidence d’artiste, if you have the kind of real estate that might be conducive to this format.  You would host an artist coming from afar, and would then help organize commercial activities around him/her.  The fact that you would do so privately does not exclude the possibility that you might get some form of assistance from the municipality.

 

• Help promote small scale artists found throughout French villages, if you are a businessperson with a sensitivity to art rather than an actual artist.  Many villages do not get enough visitors to support local artists.  In this case, it becomes crucial to get the expertise needed to have an online/foreign outreach plan put in place.

 

• Organize local art tours for outside tourists.  If you do, keep in mind that the profession of “Guide conférencier” is regulated.  Furthermore, French law requires that tour-operators register with the authorities.

HARNESSING THE POWER OF COMPUTER SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY TO WORK IN A RURAL AREA

 

Some villages have created technology centers, where, for a modest amount of money, anybody can rent space for an hour, a day, or a month. Some centers are free to use during the first year. The Cantal, a département in the region of Auvergne, which happens to be the most rural region of France, has been a leader in this respect with seven technology centers (in Murat, Saint-Flour, Ydes, Montmurat, Chaudes-Aigues, Allanche and Aurillac). For the pioneers of this initiative, the goal was two-fold: one was to convince companies from the region’s larger cities that their employees could live in a remote village and telecommute, provided they were given the proper technical and practical assistance. The other goal was to encourage self-employed, independent workers whose job could successfully be done remotely to give village life a try. The former has been assumed to be harder than the latter, because it involves convincing an entire corporate system. With this in mind, le Pays de Murat (a group of thirteen small municipalities in the Cantal) organizes training seminars on telecommuting targeted towards companies and their employees.   Other rural areas of France, such as the département of the Gers, have largely been focusing on independent professionals whose line of work is compatible with telecommuting; and in so doing, has created eight technology centers. Through its network called Soho Solo, the département has created a virtual phone book through which prospective newcomers can view the professional profile of those already settled in the area, and choose to settle near those with whom they wish to establish a professional cooperation. Newcomers are personally assisted through the decision process, the installation, and in getting their professional project off the ground. 47 of the Gers’ villages are set-up to provide these services to newcomers; and another 31 villages assist in making it happen.   Because of the critical mass that this phenomenon has reached in the Gers, some of the villages that did not have high-speed Internet until recently now have it, as is the case of Beaumarchés and Castelnau-Barbarens.   The idea of encouraging the settlement in a given rural area of a cluster of technology professionals with complementary skills is gaining momentum. The officials of the village of Boitron, in the Basse-Normandie region, are doing just that. Even with the greatest technology available, there is something to be said about having a (albeit limited) professional support system.   There are too many villages following these examples to name them all, but the good news is that those that have not yet might be more likely to follow suit when asked, if they can find inspiration from other villages’ success stories.   How can you take this trend one step further to your and everyone else’s benefit? A few ideas to consider, research and possibly implement:

• Besides creating private technology centers where none exists, one could also organize technology-based events in villages that have these technology centers. Of course, the villages would also need the hosting and accommodation capacity for small to moderate-size groups. The Pays de Murat is already hosting technology-related events, but mostly for the purpose of encouraging employers to let their employees live in one of the villages and work remotely.

 

• Help local businesses develop their e-commerce. In order to survive, farms are increasingly diversifying their offerings, and will need to turn to e-commerce to boost their customer base.  It is a definite trend, and one for which some regions, like Poitou-Charentes, have put out some calls for proposals and are potentially offering financing. Artisans are another group that might benefit from such assistance, particularly at the time when a lot of villages are counting in part on local craftsmanship to revitalize their community, many of them going to great lengths to attract such professionals with the hope that visitors will follow. The reality is that artisans whose specialty is more artistic than utilitarian are more likely to succeed economically if they can reach out beyond the confines of their community.

 

• Teach technology classes to the general public, including children. Since the government implemented the school reform known as La réforme des rythmes scolaires, which consisted in shortening the number of hours spent each day on academic work, with the expectation that the freed-up time would then be spent on enrichment activities provided by outside professionals and financed by the municipality. This reform has been particularly difficult for small municipalities, with many of them feeling that they have neither the finances nor the access to the qualified professionals to carry out this reform.

 

• Provide technology/social media coaching to seniors. Seniors are a large part of villages’ population, and a lot of the services that exist in these communities are geared towards this age group. Yet it is a group that is also very much at risk of social isolation anywhere in France, and even more in a remote rural area. In addition to the cognitive benefits associated with learning a new skill, being able to reconnect with the outside world (like far-away children and grandchildren) via social media would be one step in the right direction.

 

• Offer as a service to small rural municipalities to put their events, activities, and assets on social media. The problem of villages is that they can quickly become invisible; and may be negatively affected by the perception that they are many steps behind in keeping with modern trends. Two problems easily resolved by an active social media presence.

 

• For those with experience in telemedicine who might be interested in offering their consulting services to small municipalities, the timing could not be better. There is a severe lack of physicians in much of France’s rural areas, and the issue is very much talked about. And yet, to this day, telemedicine often consists in being able to consult with a doctor via Skype; obviously a far cry from what it could be, and is in other countries. Such a project could be undertaken by a physician, provided that it does not include the actual practice of medicine.

 

• Offer your services as a technology trouble-shooter, going around villages to rescue those who have gotten themselves in a jam. One of the current trends in providing services to villages is to do it as a “business-on-wheels” format. I will revisit this trend in a lot more detail at a later date.

© Laurence Raybois Consulting