So Long Arts Support - 1

The French system of government arts support can be an extraordinary lifeline for festivals and centers for production and presentation…that is until the funding stops. Such was the case for IMEM (the Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique / Bourge) in Bourges, France, about 2.5 hours south of Paris. Founded in 1970 by French experimental music composers Françoise Barrière and Christian Clozier, IMEM was originally known as GMEB (Groupe de Musique Expérimentale de Bourge). IMEM was one of the well-known Centers of Musical Creation in France. The organization encompassed music research, education, publishing, archiving and dissemination of electronic and electro-acoustic music. One of its major projects was the annual Bourges International Festival of Experimental Music, which attracted composers, musicians and listeners from around the world. The “Bourges Prize” was a highly competitive and desirable recognition for composers of contemporary experimental music: there was considerable financial reward as well as exposure at the prestigious Bourges Festival.

In 2009, signals were coming from the French Ministry of Culture indicating that IMEM, along with the Bourges Festival, would lose their annual funding and be closed down. A committee was formed and reached out to many of us in the international community who knew of the people and projects associated IMEB. They requested letters of support that would be directed to the Ministry of Culture, conveying the necessity of continuing IMEB and its projects for the good of electronic/electro-acoustic composers, performers and fans around the world. Over 2500 letters were received from 63 countries, but the Ministry did not change its mind. The support committee requested and received a second round of letters from the community, but the effort was not fruitful and the Bourges Festival was canceled as of 2010.

The long-term implications are not clear at the moment, but many people believe that this withdrawal of long-term government funding for established arts organizations and festivals is s sign of the future. Many of the remaining Centers of Musical Creation are working hard to solidify their presence in their local communities to avoid the next round of reductions, should they be announced by the government.