Espace Malraux and Cultures du Coeur

 

Coffee in the meeting room.

As part of my role to organise social and cultural outings for 'our' displaced Ukrainians on behalf of the Association d'Accueil et d'Accompagnement des Réfugiés en Sud Touraine (AARST) I was invited to participate in a meeting of Cultures du Coeur 37. They are an organisation which acts as an intermediary to facilitate access to cultural and sporting events in Indre et Loire. Joining Cutures du Coeur had been suggested to me when I got in touch with the Musée des Beaux Arts in Tours about the possibility of organising an outing to the public fine arts gallery.

Main entrance to the Espace Malraux.

Espace Malraux is a municipal multi disciplinary events and performance facility in Joué les Tours. It comprises three types of spaces -- a 1000 seat auditorium, a 250 seat room that can be adapted to many different arrangements and functions, and meeting rooms or work spaces. This allows the facility to simultaneously fulfill a regional role, with big events and well known artists, but also have a programme for families and the youth audience in the smaller rooms. Some events, especially those for children, are free.

Grand piano in a corridor.

Cultures du Coeur can organise their own events using Espace Malraux as a venue and working with them, or issue invitations to their partners and those their partners work with to existing scheduled events. Cultures du Coeur also works with many other cultural institutions such as museums, sports clubs and theatres in similar ways. Volunteer associations and those working with the disadvantaged join the Cultures du Coeur network and then work with the museums, sports clubs and theatres to create events, outings and workshops attended by people in difficulties, such as 'our' Ukrainians. Some of the possibilities they mentioned for Espace Malraux, beyond scheduled performances, was behind the scenes visits or workshops with the artists.

A meeting room.

The one disappointing feature of Espace Malraux is that getting there by public transport is complicated if not impossible.

Discussing the adaptability of this room.

The room that can be adapted to many configurations.