About

In 2011, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication purchased the Utrillo tower situated between the towns of Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil. The aim of the town halls of these two locations, as it is the case for the Ministry, is to set up a world-renowned artists’ residence at the heart of such districts labeled as ‘‘priority zones’’ in a highly stigmatized area, particularly following the social conflicts of 2005. The State and its territorial partners have committed to designing, building and utilizing new wide-scale cultural facilities, to open in 2024.

Founded in December 2015, the objective of the Public Cultural Cooperation Establishment (EPCC), called in its first phase, ‘‘Médicis-Clichy-Montfermeil’’, is to get ready to set up this major cultural venue at the dawn of 2024, to take root locally, acting at the Grand Paris, national and international levels.

The future facilities will be in the immediate area of the Grand Paris Express metro station (Line 16), representing, once in operation, an emblematic gateway to Grand Paris. Its focus will not only be of a cultural and artistic nature, but of an educational, social and economic nature as well.

This grand cultural project also sees into the future. It will come about through an innovative preparation process via experimentation by way of new engineering and by implementing a program with the creation of a temporary location, a flagship of the project.

The team will come together at the site in 2016 for a true opening in 2018, before walls begin to be erected, in the aim of, prior to the engineering and prefiguration phase, creating and setting up an in-situ laboratory to pave the way for preparation of an ambitious architectural, scientific and cultural project.

The strategic framework of this benchmark establishment includes creation, production, research, education, training, artistic and cultural education phases as well as related functions to be rolled out in line with the territory and future Grand Paris Express train station, the project called on to be implemented in a singular and progressive manner.

Striving for true action for a Grand Paris of culture, the Ateliers Medicis Establishment intends to engage in its activities and missions while paying special attention to usage, the inhabitants and territories concerned. These factors will endeavor to comply with a permanent principle, that of bringing quality to the core of the territories, combining metropolitan exposure and social and cultural innovation.

The aim of this facility is to welcome artists in residence, and departing from this main function and linked to the territory, to roll out a strong cultural project based on sharing, setting up and passing down resources.

In 2016, an operational phase to define and roll out the project in all its dimensions is already under way.

The project falls within the scope of a strong partnership rationale. It is associated with the State, the towns of Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil and the Établissement public territorial Grand Paris - Grand Est. The City of Paris, Grand Paris, Regional Council of Greater Paris and the Departmental Council of Seine-Saint-Denis wished to take part in the project’s governance, as active partners of the project starting at the end of 2016.