Artist Working in Schools (AIMS)

The objective of AIMS is to train young creators in school-based intervention while allowing them to develop their personal projects. Each selected resident receives a residency grant of €12,000. Conducted in partnership with municipalities in Île-de-France and local National Education inspectorates, this program is a one-year, post-master's degree-granting course and is integrated as a 6th year of study.

The AIMS program is implemented with the support of the French Ministry of Culture, the Fondation Culture & Diversité, and five major national higher education art schools in Paris, which are component members or partners of PSL: Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique (CNSAD), Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP), École des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, Beaux-Arts de Paris, and La Fémis.

Each selected artist will lead a creative and artistic project with a primary or middle school class in Île-de-France, in coordination with a designated reference teacher. The artist will be provided with a workspace to develop their own creative projects, while fostering interaction and building connections with teachers and students. They will commit to 20 hours per week of presence at the school (divided between workshops with the children and the artist residency).

The program concludes with a public presentation of the artistic project and the writing of a research thesis on artistic practice in school environments and the concept of transmission, which will be defended before a jury. Joint training is organized for all residents across partner schools to help them acquire the necessary knowledge and familiarize themselves with the tools required for intervening in a school setting.