A new chapter for the Art for Science Museum
Opened in December 2024, the Living Museum, run by the Art For Science association, celebrated its first anniversary on 25 April. This was an opportunity to take stock of its first year, but also to announce its first development and unveil the magnificent mural created as part of the Mix’Art project.
By 2023, there were 41 ‘Living Museums’… the 42nd was established in 2024 in Saint-Martin, the first to be set up in France. These spaces for artistic expression, located all over the world, are reserved for people with mental health issues, ranging from mild to severe. This is not the core focus of the Saint-Martin branch run by Art for Science, which caters to a much wider audience. Indeed, this innovative third place, which uses the seven major arts as a tool for healing, welcomes people suffering from stress, burnout, various traumas and addictions, as well as those in precarious situations, just as readily as it does working people who come there simply to unwind. It is this diversity that makes it a success. Since its creation, it has welcomed 1,500 visitors, 608 of whom are from the city’s priority neighbourhoods. 41% of visitors are women, 16% young girls, 21% men and 22% teenagers. A full year that has allowed us to gauge the effects of art on people, whatever their reasons for coming, and it is these exchanges between people from all walks of life that ensure everyone leaves a changed person. The name ‘Living Museum’ will therefore be dropped in favour of ‘Art for Science Museum’.
A mural to mark the occasion
To celebrate this anniversary, the works produced by all the budding artists who frequent the venue were on sale at a symbolic price to raise funds for the association, but also to provide meals for those in greatest need. The anniversary ceremony concluded with the final touches being added to the mural that now adorns the wall at the entrance to the venue… a depiction of the island by Dominique Louisy and Martine Beldor, a green oasis for the Prefect, and graffiti in the form of messages for all contributors. The last of the four murals in the Mix’Art 2026 project, created under the guidance of Nicolas (Espa), it symbolises diversity, inclusivity and the hope that everyone can see life in a better light through art.
