M'ARTSY
3210 forest hill
montreal
Morocco
- Arts
- Democracy and community development
- Gender
- Human rights
- Research
The idea of starting M’ARTSY originally stemmed from a simple observation: that the academic and artistic fields remain highly divided and polarized in Morocco. While (academic) research on the arts is almost non-existent in the country, Moroccan artists also lack a coherent discourse around their practice which should be rooted in a specific conceptual and theoretical framework. In addition, there is no single university program in the Fine Arts in Morocco- only practical schools of “Beaux-Arts”- and no academic initiative that accompanies young Moroccan artists in their creative processes. Maha Tazi is the founder and current president of M’ARTSY. She is a University instructor, a researcher and a PhD candidate at Concordia University in Montreal where her research focuses on alternative (i.e. counter-hegemonic) artistic expressions by young Moroccan women. The other M’ARTSY board members are also particularly active in the field and well-equipped with both the academic and the artistic background to execute this program, including Naima Zitane (Vice-President of M’ARTSY), a theatre professor and one of the leading figures of (feminist) Moroccan theatre, as well as Khadija Tnana (Counselor), a prominent feminine figure in the field of visual arts in Morocco and former university professor in Political Science and, finally, Noussayba Lahlou (Treasurer) a doctoral candidate in French literature at the University of Ain Chock in Casablanca, a writer and a feminine icon of Moroccan slam.
The objective of M’ARTSY is to help bridge the gap between academic and artistic practice in Morocco, by forging various collaborations between academics, artists and cultural actors in the country to encourage scholarly publications in the field of arts as well as to build, strengthen and showcase young Moroccan artists’ talents by focusing on both their conceptual and practical assets. To do so, M’ARTSY will focus on street art (the preferred means of expression and creation of young people today), though not exclusively, and on the role of women and the youth in academic and artistic processes.The ultimate goal is to trigger social change and development through the role of arts and culture.
Artistic and Academic Workshops: M’Artsy will organize several capacity-building workshops for young and emerging artists in various artistic disciplines such as rap, slam poetry, comics, graffiti and theatre. These workshops will also include an academic writing aspect (i.e. trainings animated by academics on theoretical and conceptual thinking and academic writing/methodology) to encourage artists to develop a discourse around their work which will not only grounded in a committed (artistic) practice but also in a specific conceptual and theoretical frameworks. The goal of these workshops is to strengthen the emerging artists’ practical skills in their respective artistic disciplines, and to initiate them to write and develop a coherent discourse around their artistic practice. Restitution events: The success of these workshops will be measured by a series of restitution events (i.e. expositions) where the selected artists will showcase their works or do a performance for those who specialize in rap and slam poetry. The restitution events will also feature the artists’ writing on their work where they explain their artistic approach and methodology and share, with the audience, a solid discourse on their practice. Book Publication: The success of the workshops will also be assessed by the publication of an edited volume on Moroccan youth’s creative expressions where each chapter will feature a contribution from an academic who animated and closely followed one of the workshops. The volume will then be edited by the founding women members of the association who also will draft the book introduction and conclusion. Conferences: M’ARTSY will also organize conferences, on a regular basis, by leading international scholars in the field of emerging arts (street art and contemporary art) in the Arab region and beyond. Most of these conference animators will be invited from abroad as current research on street art in Morocco remains very limited. Communication Strategy: Finally, the association will develop a thorough communication outreach strategy which includes the creation of website that outlines the organization’s mission and objectives, presents its founding members and upcoming activities, as well as the program achievements including the artists’ works, photos and videos from the restitution events and a direct access to the edited volume after its publication. A section will be dedicated to M’ARTSY’s partners to outline their contribution and co-achievements with the association. In addition, M’ARTSY will also develop a far-reaching campaign on social media, including on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to keep its partners and the wider community up to date with the organization’s day-to-day activities, events and developments (including announcements, summer schools, conferences, side-activities etc.)