Somerset / Vendée Cooperation
Somerset County Council and the Conseil Général de la Vendée signed an official “Charter of Cultural Cooperation” in August 2003, with a view to the two areas, so similar in landscape, size and character, working in partnership to learn from each other’s strengths in cultural heritage delivery and education.
Initial activities under this cooperation were funded by the EU in the shape of a 15-month project called Cultural Heritage Action Zones (CHAZ) that ran from November 2004 to February 2005 and had a total spend of €116,924. The two pilot actions undertaken concerned the virtual exchange of information which resulted in the creation of a tri-lingual website and the involvement of young Europeans from partner regions in experiencing the potential of the educational programmes at heritage sites in the Vendée.
From 20 June–27 August 2006, Somerset and the Vendée exchanged exhibitions as part of their joint ambition to develop a European approach to ‘cultural mediation’. The ‘Four Seasons in the Vendée’ exhibition was displayed in the newly refurbished Abbey Barn at Glastonbury and received in excess of 8,000 visitors. In return, eight “Willow” prints by local artist Kate Lynch were purchased from the artist, framed and shown in the Vendée during the same period.
Somerset hosts regular placements of higher education students from the Institut Catholique d’Etudes Supérieures in the Vendée and there are plans to make it a reciprocal arrangement in the future.
Other possible future plans include involvement in Somerset’s 2012 Strategy (including the Tour of Britain/Tour de France) and the development of Somerset’s “Waterlinks” project.
Word document of a Statement by Alan Gloak for 4 seasons opening 16/06/06
[ 24.0k]
PDF document of a Statement by Alan Gloak for 4 seasons opening 16/06/06
[ 14.2k]
|
