The Art of Shaping Society: a Collective Project!
The New Patrons initiative enables citizens to partner with artists and commission works of art that address issues that are important to them. It is open to everyone, residents of small or large towns, rural communities or major cities, regardless of their age, background, where they live, etc. It is based on highly specialised support from trained and accredited mediators.
Launched in the early 1990s by the Fondation de France, the New Patrons art protocol proposed by the artist François Hers has enabled the creation of more than 500 artworks in France and around the world, in a wide variety of contexts and disciplines: visual arts, design, theatre, literature, cinema, music, architecture, science and even comic books.
Since 2020, the not-for-profit organisation la Société des Nouveaux commanditaires has been coordinating the network of mediators and promoting the development of this initiative with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Fondation de France, the Fondation Daniel et Nina Carasso and the Fondation BeLonging.
