THE COMPANY 

ARSEC : a pole of resources at the service of arts administration

Established in 1983, ARSEC's mission is to help in the professionalisation of arts administrators, to participate in the deployment of current cultural politics, and to analyze the economic dimension of the arts field. Aware of contemporary cultural dynamics, and with an open, inclusive approach, ARSEC considers itself a forum for encounters, for the exchange of knowledge, and a place to debate. Our team of 25 full-time professionals, whose skill and experience combines with their familiarity of regional, national and European networks, to simultaneously develop four key areas of intervention : counseling, training, information, and observation.

Counseling

This service is proposed to professionals in a position of artistic or cultural responsibility who are confronted by difficulties in the elaboration of their projects. Taking into consideration the wide variety of actual situations, this service can respond to questions in areas covering arts jurisdiction, fiscal issues, social organization or management.

In addition to such specific areas of counseling, ARSEC offers its qualified skills toward putting into practice different political directives concerning the cultural and artistic sector. This is the case, for example, in the area of territorial cultural organization, through its mission to assist local authorities and the actors in this field.

Training

This service is addressed to those persons responsible for or who collaborate with cultural enterprises and appropriate government services, as well as to elected officials who wish to acquire or solidify their knowledge and increase their reflection in matters of the arts.

To this end, ARSEC offers different training and educational programs :

- A 3rd cycle university program : the Master 2 professionnel, or « Cultural development and project direction », in collaboration with the University of Lyon (Université Lumière Lyon 2),
- A program of continuing education for cultural administrators and management,
- A training program designed for local authorities,
- A training program designed for an international public.

Such educational and training programs must naturally be in constant evolution in order to face new challenges and new dynamics to which the professional arts fields are confronted. With this in mind, and with a spirit of awareness, ARSEC is particularly interested in developing partnerships with other institutions or administrations.

Information

The professionalisation of arts management combined with territorial restructuring require forms of exchange and information allowing a complete overview of the types of projects put into place.

With this in mind, and in order to create a complete archives of documentation, thoroughly covering the needs of arts administration as well as public and private management in the artistic and cultural domain, ARSEC continues to develop its Documentation Center. Taking into account the evolution of different modes and forms of cultural activity, the Documentation Center seeks to cover the relationship between artistic creation and social activity, a wide reflection on different publics and geographical areas, new cultural practices, economic gains and losses, the enhancement of heritage and cultural identity, internationalization of artistic exchange.

ARSEC continues to develop tools for the exchange of information in the arts fields :

- Ticket Rhône-Alpes, a monthly newsletter with information directed towards professionals, giving perspectives on different projects and their outcome,
- ARSEC Gestion, a monthly newsletter covering legal, social and fiscal information.

In addition to this information, ARSEC maintains different professional networks :

- A public relations and communications network
- A network for directors of cultural affairs
- An administrators' and managers' network
- A network for persons in charge of cultural development

The maintenance of these different professional areas, beyond the ongoing distribution of information, contributes to a structuring of these professions on a regional level, and encourages a collective reflection.

Observation

Guidance for local political institutions, a necessary reorganization of the cultural fabric on a local level, a wide variety of publics, a diversity of arts related fields, and an efficient management of public financing, all require an in-depth understanding of different cultural practices and their economics.
To respond to these needs, ARSEC strives to develop a structure for observation, analysis and decision-making, which should in the end allow :

- A relatively comprehensive view of the cultural sector in terms of activity development, employment, work, training and education,
- To formulate an overall view, shared by the government at a national and regional level, as well as by actors in the arts professions, in order to diagnose certain needs and to engage forms of action whose purpose is to encourage development in the arts.

ARSEC receives funding from the French Minister of Culture and the Rhône-Alpes Region

Site Internet ARSEC : http://www.arsec.org

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