FROM THE PORTRAIT TO THE SCOOL PHOTO

‘Clicks and Classes’ is a nationwide program aimed at increasing young people’s awareness of photography. For the seventh year in a row, the program has been conducted by the National Centre for Educational Documentation (CNDP), with support from the Ministry of Education. On the theme ‘From the portrait to the class photo’, schools were invited to work on projects drawing on works by pupils and artists alike. From kindergarten to high school, the pupils spent several weeks working alongside a photographer or a sculptor, analysing and reinventing the traditional class photograph, that obligatory feature of school life ever since the creation of photography.

Having photographers participate in the project is a way for the pupils to better appreciate the particular features of their school environment from an artistic point-of-view. For the pupils, it is an innovative experience, an opportunity to connect with a photographer and better understand the stakes and parameters of photographic portraiture.

Each year, these photographic works are presented all summer long at the Rencontres d’Arles; they are subsequently shown throughout the school year at the participating schools.

‘Clicks and Classes’ is a program initiated and coordinated by the Scérén–CNDP (Arts and Culture Section), through its network of regional centres (CRDP) present in each school. The program is supported by the HSBC. The program has also received generous assistance from the City of Paris; Citoyenneté Jeunesse; the town of Lièvin; the Rencontres d’Arles and others. Finally, thanks to Culturesfrance, the program will take on an international flair this year, through the Season of Turkey in France and the Year of Russia 2010.

Clicks and Classes in numbers: More than thirteen schools were involved in the 2010 edition of the project, in Russia end in Turkey with the participation of 60 photographers and 1400 pupils.

Participating artists: Maryka, Laetitia Legros, Remi Guerrin, Olivier Despicht, Yeung-fun Yen, Denis Bourges, Pascal Aimar, Pierre Fabris, Emile Loreaux, Gilles Coulon, Virginie Pougnaud et Christophe Clark, Laurence Leblanc, Aurore Valade, Bertrand Desprez, Igor Sorokhin, Pavel Miroshnikov and Ilnar Salakhiev, Serguey Ostmatchkine, Sergueï Tatarintsev, Evgeniya Ubaydulaeva, Andreï Koukouchkine, Lionel Roux, Emmanuelle Germain, Caroline Chevalier, Stéphanie Lacombe, Laïla Muraywid, Christophe Beauregard, Mathias Olmeta, Christine Patuel, Eric Sinatora, David Samblanet, Sylvie Romieu, Lucien Pelen, Nicolas Pinier, Dominique Marchès, Sophie Elbaz, Claude Pauquet, Frédérique Massabuau, Francis Goeller, Claude Postel, Caroline Pandélé, Anna Rebinder, Svetlana Loboff, Gabriel Desplanque, Tina Mérandon, Laurent Chemin, Christophe Galatry, Martine Mougin, Evelyne Coutas, Arnaud Meyer, Cécile Roque, Didier Gauducheau, Caroline Roumagnac-Garcia, Estelle Fenech, Amélie Cabocel, Aurore Le Maître, Laurence Reynaert, Guillaume Pallat, Olivia Fryszowski.

Participating bodies: Les ateliers de l’image, Centre méditérranéen de la Photographie, Centre Photographique d’Ile-de-France, Musée Nicéphore-Niepce, Espace 36, GRAPH, Supervision, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, L’Imagerie-Lannion, Appel d’Art, Centre International de la photographie de Lectoure, Centre Arc en ciel, Images Buissonnières, Par ce Passage Infranchi, Tendance Floue, Alliances françaises de Russie, Les Rencontres d’Arles.

Participating education authorities: Aix-Marseille, Créteil, Corsica, Dijon, Grenoble, Lille, Nancy, Orléans Tours, Montpellier, Paris, Poitiers, Rennes, Toulouse, Lycée Pierre-Loti Istanbul, Lycée français Alexandre-Dumas in Moscow.

Contacts: CNDP, Délégation à la communication : Nathalie Col / Séverine Harrison / delcom@cndp.fr