A Centre for Arts and Culture
The Maison des Savoirs in Brussels
The Maison des Savoirs [1], in its determination to reach out to families in great difficulty, holds workshops not only within its walls but also outside of them.
The fine arts workshop, which has been a fixture in the programme for nearly twenty years now, provides opportunities for participants to bloom and find strength through artistic creativity. Under the supervision of a former professor of fine arts, the workshops are held every Thursday afternoon.
The video workshop, run by the film-maker Manuel Versaen, is an introduction to the language of audiovisual media, to developing a critical view of the use of images, and to constructing and developing a point of view. The aim of the workshop is to produce a documentary film that will focus on people living on the streets.
Since January 2008, the Maison des Savoirs has also opened its doors to a music workshop, which takes place every Monday afternoon. More than an attempt to simply introduce participants to songs and a notion of rhythm, the workshop is a journey in search of new, exciting and broadened musical horizons.
Outside of its walls, the Maison des Savoirs reaches out towards isolated and excluded families in different areas of Brussels. A street library, where time is spent with children around the wonder of books, is held in Schaerbeek. And, since November, a second street library has taken root in Molenbeek, the neighbourhood where the centre itself is located. While still in its formative stages, it has already brought the team into contact with a number of the area’s more disadvantaged residents as well as other social, medical and cultural actors.
Creative workshops aimed at the whole family, co-run by Fourth World activists, supporters and members of the team, take place every week in Marolles and in Ixelles, the latter in partnership with Maître Mot, an organisation that seeks to promote the pleasure of reading, in particular with disadvantaged children and families.
Regular cultural outings are organised in collaboration with a number of local institutions. Through the Sesame programme, families living in poverty are given access to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and, through the A Bridge Between Two Worlds programme, to the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie.
Finally, the Maison des Savoirs is also looking at ways to focus on young people as a way of following up on the passage of the European Solidarity Caravans last summer. In the near future, the goal is to concentrate on the themes of multiculturalism and European-level policy on youth-related issues.
[1] The Maison de Savoirs is a cultural project developed by ATD Fourth World Quart in and around Brussels. The objectives of this centre are: to offer to the most disadvantaged and socially excluded people a place where they can meet others and relax while also engaging in artistic creation and sharing their own know-how with others, including renowned artists; and to provide parents and children with the opportunities to develop their skills. It is through gaining new means of cultural expression that very poor people can become active in the world of culture by producing their own oeuvres and opening up to the world around them.
