Visual Arts Orientation Diagrams (SODAVI)

Inventory

In the new territorial context, it is essential to renew the engineering of public cultural policies, and in particular the policies towards the visual arts, which, to be 30 years old, could by the very fact of their object, To be museum or to become obsolete in view of the vitality of contemporary creation.

This is why in each region, the Regional Cultural Affairs Directorates have been asked to accompany or initiate the implementation of Visual Arts Orientation Schemes (SODAVI) in coordination with professional actors in the visual arts and local authorities, in order to build shared diagnostics that will lead to coordinated actions. If each SODAVI leads to different observations and recommendations depending on the territory and the actors gathered, the common challenge is to think about mechanisms focused on the professional life of artists and creators as actors of artistic and cultural value, but also economic, territories.

Definition of SODAVI

SODAVI is a tool for the joint construction of public policies in favour of the visual arts, serving professional actors of the visual arts and audiences. It is broken down according to territorial specificities. Its objective is to establish a diagnosis of the existing situation and possible shortcomings, but also to identify and federate the work of all the actors in a process of non hierarchical consultation. It should make it possible to place the promotion and development of the visual arts in the long term and in consultation by identifying priority work themes.

SODAVI’s main objective is to promote the implementation of sectoral strategies that answer two main questions: how do creators live and work in this territory? How do they meet audiences?

Potential actors

SODAVI wants to bring together and work together:

• Subsidized structures and networks for the dissemination and contemporary creation of visual arts;
• national and territorial art and design schools, as well as professional arts training and craft training organizations;
• intermediate sites often unsubsidised (small rural cultural centres and non diploma art schools);
• the collectives of artists, photographers, graphic designers, designers, artisans of art and fashion, and curators, but also independent professionals and qualified personalities;
• professional associations;
• regions (training, vocational integration);
• Departments (artist support policy and RSA management);
• urban communities and municipalities (individual aid, construction policies or the provision of housing workshops);
• private actors: foundations, galleries, fairs and patrons, as well as companies and works councils interested in the "art and companies" scheme;
• The DRAC and the DIRECCTE (the departmental directorates of labour, employment and vocational training) and the rectors, if applicable.

The implementation

As of 2016, a dozen initiatives are reported across all regions on scales ranging from the regional territory to that of an agglomeration.

The key steps on SODAVI are:

• Phase 1: Shared diagnostics
• Phase 2: actions (coordination, implementation of collaborative tools, federative workshops...)
• Phase 3: charters/ agreements, and implementation of public policies shared and financed, contract of function.

List of SODAVI in progress:

• Pays de la Loire
• Brittany
• Nouvelle Aquitaine
• Normandy
• Great East
• Hauts-de-France
• Occitania
• PACA
• Burgundy-Franche-Comté
• Île-de-France
• Centre-Val-de-Loire
• Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
• The Meeting
• Martinique
• Guadeloupe

SODAVI National Day 2018, Palais de la Porte Dorée, Paris

On 20 September 2018, the DGCA brought together 120 contemporary art professionals, artists and representatives of local authorities engaged in SODAVI or wishing to deploy them in their territories for a day of work and exchange of experiences to equip the various initiatives and promote the transition to the stage of contractualization. The format of this working day was welcomed by the professionals and the experience will be renewed by defining different areas of work each year.