News

Bernard Faivre D’Arcier: “A festival is to help artists to dare, to engage in new projects”

13 November 2017

22 young festival directors from all over the world are about to take part in the Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Merano, Italy. For them, it is the opportunity to exchange with experienced presenters. One of them is Bernard Faivre D’Arcier, President of the Lyon Biennial and former long-standing Director of the Festival d’Avignon.

Bernard Faivre d'Arcier studied Economy, Business Management and Political Science. He decided to work for the Ministry of Culture rather than for the Ministry of Finance. Cultural policy, in his opinion, is just as important as economic policy. He was leading and advising boards of directors in numerous art organizations in France and across Europe.

He was Deputy Director of the National Audiovisual Institute, Deputy to the President of the National Centre of Cinematography, Director of the Centre National du Théâtre, and Culture Advisor to the French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius. He also worked with the biggest festivals all over the world. He was the Director of the Avignon Festival (1979-1984 and 1993-2003) and Consultant of festivals in Houston, Tokyo and Rome. With consulting and designing clear artistic visions he influences political strategies of arts. Furthermore, Bernard Faivre d'Arcier was Head of the Cultural Development Department at the Ministry of Culture in France (1984-1986), Chairman of the International Fund for the Promotion of Culture (UNESCO), and Commissioner for the Hungarian and the Polish Cultural Season in France.

He launched the television channel La Sept, now Arte, and is a founder of the European Theatre Network Theorem.

Currently, he is the President of the Lyon Biennial in France, the Carolyn Carlson Company, The Domain and Gardens Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire, and the public Theater of Sceaux.

“Bernard Faivre d'Arcier gave us a strong sense of the story of European festivals, in particular the Avignon Festival which was started by gallerists in post-war France. Bernard, as with the other mentors, went into what it has to be a festival. The question in this is: when is something a festival and when is it a season of programmed events? What makes a festival a festival?”   Summa Durie, participant Atelier EDINBURGH 2014.

Renowned mentors from all over the world will guide the participants throughout the seven days of the Atelier Merano 2017 under the coordination of Hugo de Greef (Atelier Coordinator, former EFA Secretary General, Director European Capital of Culture Bruges 2002m Co-Founder Kaaitheater Brussels – Belgium), Bernard Faivre d’Arcier, (President Lyon Biennal -  France), Rose Fenton, (Co Founder and Director LIFT Festival 1980 - 2005; Director Free Word 2011 - 2016,  Co-Founder of The Festival Academy – UK),  Nele Hertling, (Member Strategy Group “A Soul for Europe”, Former Vice-President of the Academy of Arts Berlin, Former Director Hebbel-Theater Berlin – Germany), Marta Keil (Curator, dramaturg and researcher – Poland), Gundega Laivina, (Director New Theatre Institute of Latvia, Curator – Latvia), Michał Merczyński, (Director Malta Festival Poznan and Nostalgia Festival Poznan – Poland), Roberto Naccari, (General Manager Santarcangelo Festival – Italy).

More information about the Atelier Merano 2017 can be found on the Atelier website.

Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter using #AtelierMerano