How do cultural policies shape (and/or constrain) artistic creation in public space? How can we avoid the instrumentalisation of art for the purposes of urban regeneration, territorial branding, or the symbolic management of social conflict? In this masterclass, Claudine Dussollier - cultural consultant and training coordinator - offers a strategic and critical reflection on the institutional and ideological frameworks that regulate access, legitimation, and public funding for artistic creation in public space. Drawing on her experience across diverse European cultural contexts, the session will present examples, models, and alternatives aimed at strengthening more rooted, transformative, and equitable cultural policies.

Topics to be addressed:

The instrumentalisation of art in public space.

Local cultural policies and spatial justice.

The role of the arts in the symbolic reconfiguration of territories.

Artistic creation as an agent of cohesion, conflict, or resistance.

Trained in Geography and specialised in cultural engineering, Claudine Dussollier has built a distinctive career that bridges social development, international cooperation, and artistic creation. After holding responsibilities in the fields of immigrant integration and urban and social development, she began her journey in the cultural sector in 1993 as advisor to the president and director of the Parc de la Villette in Paris, a position she held for five years. Since then, Claudine has been developing projects in cooperation, training, publishing, and cultural development across France, the Mediterranean region, and West Africa, always guided by a humanistic and place-based vision of culture. Her main fields of interest are art in public space, digital creation, and dramaturgical writing, areas in which she explores the intersections between art, space, and citizenship. She is currently a member of Transverscité and editorial director at Éditions Deuxième Époque and L’Entretemps, while also teaching in several master’s programmes and working regularly as a consultant and expert in cultural strategy. Between 2017 and 2021, she collaborated with the Circostrada network on the implementation of KAHWA#, a cycle of Euro-Mediterranean encounters dedicated to reflection on culture, public space, and international cooperation.

TARGET AUDIENCE: curators, artists, cultural policy-makers, municipal officers, researchers, and cultural producers.

LANGUAGE: English.

LENGTH: 6 hours.

MAXIMUM CAPACITY: 20 participants.

REGISTRATION: free upon prior registration (HERE).

PROMOTER: Bússola

SUPPORT: República Portuguesa Cultura, Juventude e Desporto | Direção-Geral das Artes, Fundação GDA, Teatro Municipal de Matosinhos Constantino Nery