L'Art Rue’s stated mission is to innovate through arts, culture, education, and cross-sector collaboration for social change and a more equal and open society.
L’Art Rue’s programmes focus on two main components:
1. Creation - to consolidate and strengthen the organisation’s current work when it comes to the implementation of the contextual creation methodology and community-based approach as well as to deepen even more the social impact of the cultural process on the target groups and the territory of intervention.
2. Transmission - to transmit L’Art Rue’s unique methodology, know-how, and accumulated knowledge on the contextual artistic work and community engagement with other actors, individuals, and organisations, operating in regional Tunisia, the MENA region, and the African continent via a sub-granting mechanism, mentorship and guidance.
Dream City:
The 9th edition of the Dream City festival, held from September 22nd to October 8th, 2023, delivered more than 130 presentations of 43 different artworks, 13 of which are new creations. Out of the 43 artworks included in the festival program, 13 were new creations developed by Tunisian, Arab, and international artists as part of L’Art Rue’s artistic residency program. Throughout the festival’s 17-day duration, this edition reached more than 27,900 audiences. 87 Tunisian and international artists presented their multidisciplinary artworks in 36 different spaces/venues, and more than 81 cultural professionals representing 65 organisations attended the festival. The artists involved 161 collaborators in their creative process, and the festival production was delivered by 248 team members, including 76 Medina residents. The program of this edition brought to the forefront questions and concerns of the public as it delved into pressing regional, African, and international concerns, including climate justice and ecological transition, accessibility and inclusion, migration, and decolonisation.
The dialogue and exchange between audiences and artists, this proximity, is what makes Dream City unique. This was reinforced by 6 artists’ talks, and 6 artworks presented in 5 public squares including 3 concerts at the public square of El Hafsia. Many artists were also present at the venues where their exhibitions/installations were set and had direct conversations with the public audiences. The impact of this interaction is not only enriching for the audiences but also for the artists themselves.
The workshop and conferences program of the festival this year “Les Ateliers de la Ville Rêvée (Dream City Labs - AVR) “gathered activists and experts active in the field of the ecological transition. From the 2nd until the 6th of October, a group of 9 young Tunisian activists took part in a 5-day closed workshop at the La Khaldounia library and 3 public conferences, with the aim to exchange their experiences, practices, and ideas on climate justice, the fundamental right of access to a healthy environment, water stress, the concept of the commons and the equitable sharing of resources, social and popular ecology, living in the city sustainably.
Through Dream City, L’Art Rue engages with young Tunisian undergraduates, activists, aspiring cultural professionals and inhabitants of the Medina in multiple ways; it offers multiple learning-by-doing opportunities for young people while sensitising them to artistic creativity. In 2023, 250 young people were engaged in the festival in different capacities; whether as part of the festival team through recruiting them, offering volunteering opportunities, or paid jobs. 34 training sessions were conducted for volunteers, depending on the role assigned to the volunteer, the topics of these sessions included cultural mediation, developing their knowledge as tour guides, children's rights and non-violent communication. In 2023, 9 of these young people were engaged through the annual L’Art Rue internship programme, with 2 interns joining L’Art Rue as staff members after their internships.
L’Art Rue published a total of 374 posts dedicated to the festival on its social media platforms reaching 237,000 people. With more than 85 videos produced for the festival between teasers, weekly recaps, and artist interviews, L’Art Rue gained more visibility, and its website was visited by more than 23,000 users during the festival period. Additionally, more than 12 mailings were sent to their database of more than 5,500 contacts about the festival.
