Become a patron
The New Patrons’ action
Initiated in the early 1990s by artist François Hers with the support of the Fondation de France, the New Patrons’ action allows anyone who wishes so, preferably in association with others, to take responsibility for the commissioning of an artwork.
With more than 400 projects in Europe and around the world, these are students, teachers, merchants, physicians, academicians, workers, technical staff, sportsmen, pensioners, employees, manufacturers, artisans, associative workers and many others who felt authorized to
Make the invisible visible
Bring life to the hospital corridor
Replace the high school ringer
Take ownership of the market place
Make hear the sound of bees
Break the silence and cry our dead
Introduce new forms of social housing
Invent new rites of passage
Design a monument to the injustice of justice
...
Reclaiming art, reshaping democracy
To make this possible, they could count on a European network of mediators - approved by the Fondation de France and gathered within the Society of New Patrons - who enabled them to commission projects to internationally recognized artists multiplying practices ranging from painting, sculpture, video, music to architecture among other things like Daniel Buren, Luciano Fabro, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, Ettore Spalletti, Xavier Veilhan, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Wim Delvoye, Wesley Meuris, Christian Boltanski, etc.
Thanks to this mechanism governed by a protocol that defines precisely the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder - patron, mediator, artist - any citizen who wants to can make their voice heard and propose a new vision of society to bring out a committed contextual art responding to real social issues.
The process of the commission
1. The commission’s purpose
The mediator meets the patrons to help them define throughout several reunions the nature and content of the commission they wish to make to an artist. The mediator is listening and assessing with the patrons the feasibility and relevance of their request. Together, they will define a set of specifications that will then allow the mediator to propose a suitable artist willing to engage in the adventure.
During these interviews, the patrons are asked to formulate a project that addresses their concerns but also concerns of general interest to ensure the integration of the artwork within the community.
2. Dialogue with the artist
The artist submits a preliminary project which is discussed with the patrons. They then specify, with the help of the mediator, the technical and administrative constraints as well as the financial framework that the artist will have to take into account. If the preliminary project is approved, the artwork enters the production phase.
3. Project completion
The commission is then executed. The mediator supports the coordination of the project, with the help of the patrons, and ensures the search for sponsors and funding throughout the production phase. The mediator, as well as political or administrative officials, helps to ensure a good inscription of the artwork in the context for which it is intended.
4. Inauguration
The artwork is inaugurated and becomes a full participant in public life.