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Michaël Delafosse, Mayor of Montpellier, President of the Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole and Nicolas Dubourg, Artistic Director of Montpellier 2028 visited Tartu, European capital of culture 2024 at the conference: How borderless is Europe? organized as part of the fourth international Kultuurikompass.

An opportunity to participate in the « Mobility as a driver of creativity » workshop and open up the dialogue between the two cities around the issue of international mobility and European cooperation for cultural initiatives and artistic residencies across Europe.

A trip rich in meetings and exchanges on the mobility of artists and cultural professionals around multiple issues: allowing artists from high-risk areas to be hosted in Europe and to be able to continue their work, sharing experience on residencies “in situ” to promote a better encounter between creators and local populations.

It was also an opportunity to discuss the involvement of local authorities in the construction of a cooperative project for the European Capital of Culture with the people in charge of the Tartu bid, to attend exciting presentations of artistic projects carried out in Germany, Finland or the United States and to forge links with future partners for our Montpellier 2028 artistic projects.

Montpellier-Sète, culture for children

On the occasion of the 19th edition of the European Night of Museums, Montpellier and Sète offer a rich program in their cultural establishments for all audiences.

As part of the City of Montpellier’s policy of developing a city for children, specific cultural activities have been designed for them to enable young Montpellier residents to discover art and culture in a fun and creative way and for families to celebrate the European Night of Museums together.

In the same way, the Museums and the Garden of Sète agglopôle méditerranée invite the public to discover their temporary and permanent collections in a new way. This is an opportunity for everyone to experience the museum in a friendly and fun way, with the following program: open house, night and theatrical tours, musical storytelling…
Find here the program dedicated to the young public within the framework of the European Night of the museums, Saturday May 13, 2023.

Les contes en vadrouille at MO.CO.
6:00 pm > 6:30 pm
MO.CO. MONTPELLIER CONTEMPORAIN
In partnership with the early childhood center of the city of Montpellier, the MO.CO. invites “Les contes en vadrouille” for the European Night of Museums.
The storytellers will offer readings in the exhibition rooms.
Parents and children under 6 years old
Free. Reservations required at reservation@moco.art

Workshops: La table de Valentine
7:30 pm, 8:30 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:15 pm
Time : 35 minutes
MUSÉE FABRE
Participants are invited to make an everyday object out of self-hardening clay while experiencing each major sculptural gesture in a serene and meditative atmosphere. But beware, as in a great restaurant, where cutlery has a sometimes obscure use, the audience will have to choose the right tool to use.
From 7 years old
Free. Registration 30 minutes before each session at the museum reception desk (20 people)

Family reading time
7:15 and 7:45 pm
Time : 30 minutes
MUSÉE FABRE
The professionals of the Early Childhood of the City of Montpellier propose to the families times of reading in the rooms of the museum to (re)discover the works in another way.
Two themes are proposed:

• Salle 7 : “Les animaux“, selection of works echoing the works of the Nordic painters presented in the room.
• Salle 39 : « Fleurs et jardin », selection of works echoing the works of the impressionist painters presented in the room.

For children between 2 and 5 years old accompanied by their parents
Free. On registration in the museum hall (20 people)

Family visit : Panique sur l’Olympe
7:30 pm, 8:30 pm, 9:15 pm
Time :1h
LIBRARY JEAN CLAPAREDE DU MUSEE FABRE
After a session of the board game invented by the teams of the museum, the visit continues in the gallery of columns: readings of works on mythology and discovery of paintings are on the program. The history of the Gods, Goddesses and Heroes will no longer hold any secrets for you!
For children between 6 and 10 years old and their parents
Free. Registration 30 minutes before each session at the museum reception desk (16 people)

Family visit : The class, the work !
7pm > 11pm Continuous projection
AUDITORIUM DU MUSEE FABRE ET PETIT SALON FABRE
Discover with your family the projects presented by the students within the framework of “La classe, l’œuvre”, an artistic and cultural education project set up by the Ministry of National Education in partnership with the Ministry of Culture. The main objective is to allow the students to appropriate the common heritage and to participate in its transmission in the form of expression of their choice (texts, photos, plastic productions, dance, performances, theater?)
Theme of the year 2023 at the Fabre Museum “Metamorphoses and hybridizations” around the works: François Girardon, Apollo and Daphne (after Le Bernin, 1690-1710, bronze) – Antoine-Louis Barye, Theseus fighting the Minotaur (1874, bronze)
Parents and children from 3 years old
Free

Dramatized visit : Les Guides contemporains
At 8pm
MUSÉE ETHNOGRAPHIQUE DE L’ETANG DE THAU
Clotilde and Boniface Granjeu, incompetent guides from all eras, offer you to discover the Thau Lagoon Museum as you have never seen it!
A funny and offbeat visit led by the company Art Scène Lutin.
All public
Free on reservation at 04.67.78.33.57 / musee.etang@gglopole.fr

Musical tale : Eros et Psyché
At 8:30 pm
JARDIN ANTIQUE MÉDITERRANÉEN BALARUC-LES-BAINS
A musical tale adapted from “The Golden Ass” by Apuleius (2nd century) where Eros and Psyche are an allegory of the explosive alchemy of human love, of the meeting of feelings and desire, of the alliance of soul and body for better or worse.
Animated by the company l’Oiseau Lyre
From 9 years old
Free on reservation at 04.67.46.47.92 / jam@agglopole.fr

Flash visits: The work of the ancient mosaicist
From 8pm to 11pm continuously
MUSÉE GALLO-ROMAIN VILLA-LOUPIAN
Enlightening glance of the mediator on the techniques of manufacture of the ancient mosaic. At nightfall, discover with a flashlight the shapes and colors of the pavements that decorated the Gallo-Roman villa of Loupian. Continuous tours led by the museum team.
All public
Free access. Information at 04.67.18.68.18 / villaloupian@agglopole.fr

On Wednesday, March 23, the General Assembly and the Board of Directors of the Association “Montpellier 2028 – European Capital of Culture” were held at the Espace Gisèle Halimi in Montpellier.

Located in the heart of the Mosson district, this new 3,000 m² multi-service public facility is open to the residents of the district and aims to provide a multidimensional range of services. It is part of the major urban renewal project of La Mosson, one of the symbols of the action of the City and the Metropolis, which have the ambition to improve the living environment of the inhabitants, to rebalance the city and regain the attractiveness of this district, to facilitate access to employment, the quality of shops or the success of children in public school. A place at the heart of the issues of transformation through culture promoted by the M28 candidacy.

The Espace Gisèle Halimi was thus chosen to host these two assemblies where all the founding members and representatives of the Montpellier 2028 association were present to acknowledge the arrival of a new member within the association: the Communauté de Commune Terre de Camargue. This new member community allows to enlarge the territory of the candidacy which includes 145 municipalities with its three new partners who are : Aigues-Mortes, Le Grau-du-Roi, Saint-Laurent-d’Aigouze.

Founding members, associate members and invited members once again showed their enthusiasm, exchanged new ideas and renewed their support for the final stretch of the bid.

Our bidbook is on line! Feel free to look at it, comment on it, share it.

→ Télécharger le dossier de candidature en version FR
→ Télécharger le dossier de candidature en version EN

We are extremely proud that the bid by Montpellier-Sète to become European Capital of Culture has been selected for the second round, as one of four finalists alongside Bourges, Clermont-Ferrand et Rouen. This is magnificent recognition for the work accomplished by the association’s team and all the local authorities involved in this project (Region, Department, City of Montpellier, Metropolis of Montpellier, Ville de Sète and Sète Agglopôle Méditerranée and their partners, representing 142 municipalities in the Hérault). It reflects the dynamic initiated throughout our territory, which has led to an unprecedented number of actors working together, with impact on national and European levels.

The artistic direction presented around the pillars CONNECT, ACT and CELEBRATE and the transversal theme on the issues of water and change were markers for our project, duly validated by the jury.

Montpellier 2028 has made the question of ‘connection’ the epicentre of its artistic strategy, through three components: connection between space and territory; between time and the future; and between each of us. The artistic and cultural projects put forward in the bid and the prospects for urban transformation related to the title of European capital are our strengths, enhanced by the unity and coherence of a delegation which represents the bid’s objectives of working towards a peaceful, equal, young, urban and rural, artistic, international and innovative territory.

From this evening, a new phase begins. All the forces of Montpellier and its partners will be able to accelerate the dynamic initiated and empower our cultural, political, economic and social actors and more widely the inhabitants of the territory to work ever more closely together. We aim to show Europe that the best of Cities is the one that federates the most widely, the one that has all the assets to promote this continent and that knows that it must, through this bid, invent the culture of tomorrow and new connections between all audiences. A new, even more extensive bid will be submitted in November.

This second round is the first act towards a successful challenge.

Michaël Delafosse: “Montpellier continues to attract attention, full of talent, strong in its convictions, determined to defend culture and Europe. When all the players are united around the same dynamic, Montpellier succeeds. This announcement testifies to the strength of a collective and the power of the imagination to invent a city and a territory that are creative and respectful of their environment. It shows the perspectives offered to a community created around the European values of freedom, tolerance and free movement of goods and people. We will continue to defend culture with our partners on the road to victory.”

On Wednesday, March 1, Montpellier 2028 deputation presented its bid to a European jury. The bid invites us to cultivate a human gesture, that of the imagination, which we want to share.

“Sharing our imaginations” is the meaning of our approach.

Montpellier 2028 and its partners have made the question of the link the epicentre of their artistic reflection, by questioning its three components: the connection to space and territory, the connection to time and the future, and finally the connection to the other. Thank you to all those who contributed to the adventure!

On Friday 3 March, the jury will reveal the names of the pre-selected cities.

Montpellier 2028 European Capital of Culture delegation

Adèle Charvet
Lyrical artist, President of the M28 association

Michaël Delafosse
Mayor of Montpellier,
President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole

François Commeinhes
Mayor of Sète President of Sète Agglopôle Méditerranée

Claire Fita
Vice President of the M28 association,
Vice-President of the Occitanie Region in charge of culture

Nicolas Dubourg
M28 Artistic Director,
Director of the university theatre, La Vignette

Sophie Léron
M28 Strategic Director

Salia Sanou
Choreographer with the Mouvements Perpétuels company,
Director of La Termitière (Burkina Faso)

Toma de Matteis
Deputy Director of France Télévisions, Head of Drama

Chrystelle Montigny
University Professor,
Director of Water Science and Technology, Polytech Montpellier

Elise Armentier
Co-director of the rural cultural centre Bouillon Cube / La Grange

The 35 winners met at the Hotel d’Aurès on 23 February to share their projects and their wonderful energy! From strength to strength in 2023!

This new Call for Projects aims to enrich creation and dissemination as well as to support artistic, cultural and heritage actions that are in line with the bid’s ambition. The proposals should reflect the issues at stake, its concepts (CONNECT, ACT, CELEBRATE) and its artistic directions (Water that connects us, Serial Futures, Trans?). This system is part of the co-construction process of the application undertaken throughout the territory, integrating all the artistic, cultural, educational, social and heritage sectors. Whatever their nature, the selected projects will take place throughout the bid area in 2023. The projects were selected by a jury composed of members of the Association and the Montpellier 2028 board.

The artistic project of M28 is based on a desire to build a project that favours horizontal relations between the different political, citizen and professional actors of our territory. For us, art and culture are powerful vectors of connection, meaning and desire to face the major issues of our time, climate change and democratic challenges. We have made the theme of connections and links the heart of our artistic strategy by imagining its three components: links between space and territory, between time and the future, and between each of us.

On Monday 2 January, the official date for the submission of applications from all French cities applying for the title of European Capital of Culture (ECC), Montpellier Hérault Sport Club team met Olympique de Marseille for a special match.

The last city to have obtained the ECC label met with the next contender at La Mosson stadium, a symbolic venue for the projects supported by Montpellier 2028.

In support of the M28 bid, the players of the Montpellier team wore an original jersey, flocked with the Montpellier 2028 logo.

On Monday 5 December 2022, Michaël DELAFOSSE, Mayor of the City of Montpellier and President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, and Max PONSEILLÉ, CEO of the OC Santé Group, Treasurer of the Montpellier 28 Association and President of the College of Patrons, met with the founding patrons of the Montpellier 2028 bid and together signed the first patronage agreements.

The four founding patrons present were
– Nathalie BULCKAERT-GRÉGOIRE, Member of the Board of La Caisse d’Épargne Languedoc-Roussillon, representing La Caisse d’Épargne Languedoc-Roussillon;
– Bertin NAHUM, CEO of Quantum Surgical, who signed on his own behalf;
– Cyrill MEYNADIER, Director – OPALIA Immobilier et Urbanisme and Mr Luc POURRINET, Pedagogical Director of ArtFX represented the ARTFX Campus – Opalia partnership;
– Nicolas CEYSSON, Regional Director of COGEDIM and Pierre CABROL, Director of the PITCH agency in Montpellier, represented Altaréa (Altaréa being the parent company of Pitch and Cogedim, the two local directors of these developers signed).

These four sponsors represent four economic sectors of the territory: Med Vallée (Bertin Nahum), Cultural and Creative Industries (ArtFX), real estate development (Altaréa) and banking (Caisse d’Epargne). They each pledged 50,000 euros for 2022, i.e. a total of 200,000 euros of sponsorship.

These sponsors are thus committed to the adventure of the Montpellier 2028 bid and their precious support testifies to the importance of our approach for the region, which brings together 142 municipalities and mobilises all its vital forces (local authorities, associations, companies, etc.).

As part of Montpellier’s bid to become the European Capital of Culture 2028, and building on the proposals and enthusiasm generated by the first Call for Projects, the “Montpellier 2028” Association is launching a second Call for Projects with a view to enriching the creation and dissemination of art and heritage in the region.

Connect / Act / Celebrate and Water that connects us / Serial Futures / Trans, the projects should reflect the artistic directions and concepts of the bid to prefigure what 2028 could look like.

→ Download the press release of the Call for Projects 2023
→ Access the Call for Projects 2023

On Monday 17 October 2022, the presentation evening for Montpellier’s bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2028 was held at Fluctuart – a centre for urban arts.

In the presence of numerous personalities from the cultural world, Nicolas Dubourg, its Artistic Director, unveiled the three concepts: Connect / Act / Celebrate and the three artistic directions behind the bid: Water that connects us, Serial Futures, Trans?

To illustrate their richness and diversity, Christian Rizzo – choreographer and director of ICI-ICN Montpellier, Olivier Saccomano – author and co-director of the “Théâtre des 13 Vents”, Jacqueline Osty – landscape architect and Fanta Dramé – author, shared their experience and their vision through a series of interviews.

To show their full commitment, many elected representatives of the territory came to this beautiful Parisian evening… on water.

On Friday 14 October, the second General Assembly and Board of Directors meeting of the “Montpellier 2028” Association was held in Sète in the presence of all the founding members and representatives of the Montpellier 2028 Association.

During this meeting, the partner local authorities – Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, the city of Montpellier, the city of Sète, Sète Agglopôle Méditerranée, the Occitanie region, the Hérault department, the Communauté de Communes du Grand Pic Saint-Loup, the Communauté de Communes Vallée de l’Hérault, the Agglo Hérault Méditerranée and the Communauté de Communes Pays de Lunel – once again demonstrated their full support and commitment to the Montpellier 2028 bid.

The elected Board of Directors represents the vital forces of the region: local authorities, associate members from the economic, educational and cultural sectors, and representatives of the colleges that will actively participate in the association’s activities.
A great mobilisation for Montpellier 2028

On 26 and 27 September 2022, thanks to support from Occitanie Europe, a delegation made up of Michael Delafosse and Agnès Robin for the city of Montpellier, Claire Fita representing the Occitanie region, François Commeinhes for the city of Sète and Zita Chevil-Sandin for the department of Hérault, the Montpellier 2028 team travelled to Brussels to present Montpellier’s bid for the title of European Capital of Culture 2028 to the European authorities.

On this occasion, they had the opportunity to exchange views with Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, Jean Paul Buffat, Head of Cabinet, European Committee of the Regions, as well as Pauline Rouch, Head of Cabinet for Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, Éric Andrieu, Member of the European Parliament and Cyril Piquemal, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the EU.

A life in the city

An episode to discover of the fascinating series on all those who accompany this beautiful collective adventure