This Saturday February 24, between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm, the Jipé F’Awt association organized ArtBrocante in front of Basse-Terre town hall in the allée des Tamariniers. This fair, which brings together artists, craftspeople, individuals and buyers, has become an unmissable event in Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe).
The person behind the event is well-known painter Jipé Fronton. “ArtBrocante has been in existence since 2018, except that we started with a Brunch Brocante that we made in front of La Maison de l’Art on Rue du Docteur Pitat. There were food stands, art and brocante. It took place on Sundays. We organized it for two Sundays, but the exhibitors told me it was fine, but that they would have preferred a highly frequented area. I decided we would do it in front of the town hall, in the Allée des Tamariniers, and on Saturdays, the exhibitors agreed. I also thought I should change the name to ArtBrocante. There were private individuals who wanted to take part, so I decided to mix them with creators to make an exchange of dialogue and knowledge”, he explains.
Since 2019, the event has been held every month, but there was a stop period due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “In the beginning, we organized it once like that then, the association partnered with the Union des commerçants du Sud Basse-Terre and we organized ArtBrocante for all the major occasions such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas etc. I invited the artists, I was in charge of all the logistics, I put the exhibitors in the pedestrian street and they stayed there for six days”, says Jipé Fronton.
Given the success of the project, the exhibitors asked Jipé and the members of his association (including Jérôme and Émile) to organize this fair more frequently: “I presented the exhibitors’ request to the mayor, who agreed, and I thank him for that. Now ArtBrocante is held every month. Exceptionally, for the month of February, exhibitors wanted two dates, February 10 and 24 (beginning and end of the month), in order to compare public attendance and sales. Otherwise, Art Brocante takes place on the first and second Saturday of the month”, says Jipé.
Today, their WhatApp group brings together 80 exhibitors (artists and craftsmen) as well as individuals who come to sell things they no longer need…
Jipé Fronton and the members of his association are confident about the future of the event, because two Martinican women, also organizers of brocantes on the sister island, came to meet them on Saturday, and exchanges are now being considered…
Next ArtBrocante, March 9, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
