The ChiFouMi association is working on the recognition and on promoting the news forms or sequential narrative art, either in its editorial field or in its upcoming progressists forms.
Why ?
After a long, long time having to justify that no, comic-books aren’t “those kind of infantilization vector”, the most curious readers knows today that the wide area occupied by this medium is so affluent that anyone ca find its own multiples reasons to focus on. However, cartoonist recognition, as for publisher’s one, or even reader’s one, keep on being a sensitive topic : often seen as step/transition or as a cheap substitute for “real books”, he got to fight on many grounds to prove that comic art is legitimate and well-founded, as many other artistic writing.
Why ? Suffice to check what is currently happening on the “indy/alternative” corner of your local bookstore (let’s say there’s some relevant one) to see the fullness, the richness, the creativity that works there. It’s this very observation that made us create the ChiFouMi Association.
Who ? How ?
Today, ChiFouMi, that count a very short collective of actives members but more than one hundred members and volunteers, offers professional formations and traineeship, produce exhibitions and educationnal tools, organise public meetings, talks and lectures, and drive many projects to serve the cause.
What is Pierre Feuille Ciseaux (“PFC”) ?
Back in 2009, ChiFouMi offered the very first edition of its biggest project : Pierre Feuille Ciseaux was a collective residency for +20 creators who leaved their very personnal and lonesome, recluse condition to experiment, to try, to seek and dig new things, around a few constraints, used as a frame for this experiment.
For one week, practices and ideas went in all directions before a massive and public restitution weekend, complete with meetings and lectures, exhibitions and guided tours, all-ages public workshops, screenings and more. The friction went good, coupled with enthusiasm and emulation, and made us reiterate the adventure a few times : Pierre Feuille Ciseaux is probably the more significant of all the ChiFouMi projects ; creators that came told us how important it was for them to get such a playground, and that beyond the social experiment, curious understood that the very big construction yard which is “la bande dessinée” deserve people to lean differently when it comes to think about it… Precisely what we are trying to do modestly with this articulation.
A few books/objects even finally came out from nowhere after those residencies, and the international aspect of Pierre Feuille Ciseaux leads us to work outside of our quiet french countryside on many, many projects to come : under constraints collective workshops, there should be some boiling events here or there in the months to come… The support we receive from some of the major players in this effervescency scene (creators, publishers, distributors, critics, observers) leads us to think about that PFC could maybe be some precious object (an event ? a meeting place ? an exchange spot ?), that we’ll carry on as much as we will be able to.
• joining the ChiFouMi association : know more.
• they worked with us : know more.
• any infos :
Association ChiFouMi (main offices), 3 rue Mégevand, 25000 Besançon
– France
Association ChiFouMi (west offices), BP 10034, 17670 La Couarde – France
associationchifoumi@gmail.com
The coordination ChiFouMi team :
Charlotte Alibert, Fabien Amiot, Mathieu Bouillod, Marina Courtois, Ivan Faucogney, Mathilde Harmand, Nathalie Maraux, June Misserey (with the help from Adeline, Alcor, Auria, Bibi, Brice, Bruno, Charline, Christophe, Emeline, Jean-Christophe, Joseph, Julien, Lionel, Marc, Marie, Mathieu, Mathilde, Pablo, Sébastien…).
The north american team : Mandie Brasington, Barbara Schulz, Kevin Huizenga, Anders Nilsen, Zak Sally, Jaime Willems.