On Saturday, September 15 at 6:30 pm, the municipality of Basse-Terre and the association Jipé F’Awt, had invited the public to the opening of the news premises of La Maison de l’Art, on the occasion of the European Heritage Days.
La Maison de l’Art which was founded in 2012 was first set near the bus station, a minute’s silence was observed to the memory of doctor Fassih who had put a room at the disposal of the association. Then in 2014, it occupied premises on Baudot Street, since october 2017, it is located at the number 13 of doctor Pitat Street.
This saturday night, a large public – with important persons like Marie-Luce Penchard (Mayor of Basse-Terre) and Lucette Michaux-Chevry (ex Mayor of Basse-Terre and current President of the Conurbation Grand Sud Caraïbe) – attended this cultural event.
Democratizing culture
“The association Jipé F’Awt, chaired by Odile Cladier, and La Maison de l’Art want that this place we open tonight to be unique, to be a real area dedicated to exhibitions that will be more contemporary than those we are used to seeing and to become a new anchorage point in Basse-Terre cultural life (…) Culture must be for the great majority of people. Today, there are too many Guadeloupeans who do not dare to open the door of a museum or a gallery to visit an exhibition because they are afraid of not understanding, because they think it’s not for them”, said Jipé Fronton who founded La Maison de l’Art.
The only gallery in the city of Basse-Terre wishes to increase the standing of artists from Guadeloupe, especially those from the capital, without forgetting those from the Caribbean.
Culture, road to freedom
The visual artist, Jipé Fronton, announced that there will be various exhibitions in this new place during these months to come, the meetings with the artists who exhibit their works in the gallery and which are a great success will continue, the 12th edition of the big artistic fair “Chèz an nou bèl” will be organized with the participation of many artist and craftsman collectives and will offer workshops to children and adults.
During this party, the guests visited a beautiful exhibition on families from Guadeloupe, in particular from the Basse-Terre region, as well as a collection of old photographs made by famous Guadeloupean photographer, Catan.
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“Culture is the most fundamental of the emancipations because it’s the road to Freedom. Culture everywhere and for everybody, this is the shared and displayed ambition of La Maison de l’Art and Jipé F’Awt”, said Jipé Fronton who thanked all those who are working to make this cultural area very attractive, in particular the contributors who teach arts (painting, pottery, woodcarving etc.) to the members.
