Activity 3: Intergenerational Cultural Outreach & Public Exhibitions
Uniting diverse generations through oral history transcription, shared graphic art, and accessible public space exhibitions across Paris.
Bridging Generations Through Shared Visual Narratives
Modern metropolitan environments frequently suffer from generational segregation. Senior citizens living in residential facilities or private apartments often experience acute loneliness, while youth in local schools are detached from the living historical memory of their neighborhoods. Activity 3 was conceived by MATOUTOU as a direct civic intervention against this social fragmentation.
Operating under our statutory mandate as a recognized Association Loi 1901 non-profit, this initiative brings together senior citizens and youth through structured storytelling encounters. In collaborative workshops conducted at neighborhood social centers, public libraries, and municipal senior residences, older participants share historical recollections, personal migrations, and neighborhood transformations. In response, young artists and student participants transcribe these oral histories into visual storyboards, comic panels, and illustrated portraits.
The process is reciprocal: while elders impart wisdom, historical context, and lived perspective, youth introduce senior participants to contemporary visual culture and digital drawing tablets. This mutual exchange breaks down stereotypes, builds lasting bonds of intergenerational empathy, and preserves local working-class heritage that would otherwise disappear from public memory.
Community Impact Indicators
- Senior Centers Engaged: 6 municipal residences across Paris
- Intergenerational Encounters: 24 structured sessions annually
- Exhibition Locations: Public libraries, community centers, and parks
- Admission: 100% Free and open to all citizens
- Oral Histories Preserved: 35+ recorded and illustrated vignettes
Bringing Art Outside Gallery Walls and Into Public Spaces
A foundational tenet of MATOUTOU is that art must not remain confined within intimidating institutional galleries or elite commercial art fairs. True cultural democracy requires placing creative works directly in the path of everyday citizens.
To accomplish this, our association designed lightweight, weather-resistant mobile exhibition kiosks. Fabricated with sustainable materials and fully demountable, these mobile display walls allow our volunteer team to erect professional pop-up exhibitions within two hours inside municipal park pavilions, public library rotundas, town hall foyers, and pedestrian squares.
Each exhibition is accompanied by bilingual descriptive panels in French and English, accessible large-print guides, and QR codes linking to audio recordings of the participating seniors narrating their own stories. During exhibition openings, community members are invited to participate in open drawing tables where they can add their own illustrated memories to an expanding communal tapestry.
Host an Exhibition or Inquire About Senior Partnerships
Are you a director of a senior residence, a municipal cultural officer, or a neighborhood association interested in hosting our mobile exhibition or organizing an intergenerational workshop? Contact our secretariat today.
Contact Secretariat for Activity 3 Collaborations