The mission of Centre ARTENSO is to promote the general interests of and issues specific to research and innovation in art and in social engagement in the field of cultural mediation.
The centre’s area of research and intervention is cultural mediation, understood as a professional field of cultural action in which strategies, mechanisms, and tools are formulated to foster the transmission and appropriation of culture by citizens.
ARTENSO is a centre of reference and convergence that activates a network for mobilization and transfer of knowledge about cultural mediation in Québec. Drawing on leaders and its partners, ARTENSO generates benefits for college education, as well as for the community and the fields of professional arts and culture.
Principles
ARTENSO bases itself on the philosophy, values, and principles conveyed by both its strategic plan and that of the Cégep de Saint-Laurent community, with which it collaborates closely. As an organization, ARTENSO operates according to the principles of participatory management, emphasizing exchanges, a search for consensus, debate, innovation, creativity, and cooperation.
Innovation and creativity
Innovation and creativity refer to the capacity to invent, imagine, and produce something new. For the members of Centre ARTENSO, this means doing research differently by exploring new methodologies, and doing intervention differently by opening a dialogue among arts, cultures, and living environments.
On the art level, innovation refers to methods and types of research linking theories and creative practices. On the social level, innovation is synonymous with transformations and benefits for all actors engaged in the research and intervention projects.
Engagement and collaboration
ARTENSO supports the culture of community engagement among the teachers and students at Cégep de Saint-Laurent. This engagement is conveyed by a desire to explore new paths, notably interdisciplinary exchanges, that contribute to the advancement of knowledge. The centre is also involved in the cultural, social, and professional development of its community. In a perspective of research and training, this commitment is made evident by the establishment of participatory and collaborative approaches.
Diversity and inclusion
Diversity means something that is different, that presents a plurality of perspectives. For Centre ARTENSO, this is conveyed by a desire to adopt the principles of equity and representativeness in order to increase inclusion and diversity within its processes and at the heart of its practices. The centre wants to foster cultural and intergenerational diversity, gender parity, and inclusion of people from socially underrepresented groups. ARTENSO will deploy particular attention and effort to diversifying its board of directors, committees, and work teams.