Launch of an Initiative Award, mobility grant, new member cities… the Association of Puppet Friendly Cities (AVIAMA), which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2022, continues to strengthen its support for the puppetry arts worldwide.
President’s Moral Report
This year, the World Festival of Puppet Theaters, celebrated its 60th anniversary! It is in this spirit of celebration and reunion, after a global crisis that unfortunately did not spare the cultural sector that the member cities of AVIAMA were able to meet for their general assembly, on September 19. Welcomed in the premises of the City Hall of Charleville-Mézières by Nathalie Robcis, deputy mayor delegated to Culture, and under the presidency of Claudine Ledoux, representatives of the cities of Bialystok, Ghent, Saguenay, Liberec, Pilsen, Tournai were able to make the trip. Mrs. Olatz Peon Ormazabal, mayor of Tolosa, Mrs. Josée Néron, mayor of Saguenay, Mr. Jae-Soo Lee, mayor of Chuncheon, Mr. Takeshi Sato, mayor of Iida as well as representatives of the cities of Segovia, Seville, Outremont and Tournefeuille joined them by videoconference. The moral report of the president is available here :
AVIAMA shows solidarity through the Puppet and Mobility Grant
During this GA, AVIAMA renewed for the 4th consecutive year the Puppet and Mobility grant, which will allow to help 5 projects with a global envelope of 10000 euros. The president, Mrs. Claudine Ledoux, in the name of the Board of Directors, proposed from now on to reserve one of the grants to an Afghan artist in 2022.
The AVIAMA International Initiative Award
The AVIAMA International Award for Initiative was launched during the FMTM 2021. By creating an Initiative Award in the field of puppetry, AVIAMA wants to reward on an international scale those who by an innovative action contribute to highlight the puppetry arts, to defend their development and to encourage their recognition by a large audience.
Every other year it will be for a local government or official structure. The following year it will be awarded to an association or individual(s). Candidates for both awards are presented and supported by one of the cities in the AVIAMA network.
The city of Saguenay has launched a call for applications from artists in its territory for the realization of the trophy. The first prize will be awarded to a local government or an official structure, during the General Assembly of AVIAMA 2022 in Chuncheon.
The jury of the International AVIAMA Award for the first two years will be chaired by the city of Chuncheon, and composed of the cities of Saguenay and Liberec, as well as two representatives associated for their expertise, Mr. Dadi Pudumjee, Honorary President of UNIMA and Mr. Luk de Bruycker, founder of the company Theater Taptoe.
Two new French cities have joined the network
Mr. Pierre Mouraret, mayor of Dives-sur-Mer, located in Normandy, accompanied by Mrs. Danièle Garnier, deputy to the culture, made the trip to Charleville-Mézières to present the candidature of their city, which counts about 6000 inhabitants. Since 1986, the city has hosted a festival of puppets and animated forms, the Festival Récidives, whose professional and institutional recognition has helped spur the creation of a National Puppet Center (CNMa label), Le Sablier, bringing together the Festival of Dives-sur-Mer and the Jean Vilar Theater of Ifs near Caen.
Mrs. Monique Le Miniez, deputy for culture of the city of Mirepoix, in Occitania, with 3300 inhabitants, also presented the candidature of Mirepoix. This medieval city, located in Ariège, hosts every year in August since 1988, the international festival of puppetry arts Mima, organized by the association Filentrope. Throughout the year, the Mima team also develops actions to support contemporary creation and awareness-raising actions for the territory’s audiences.
The members voted unanimously to include the two French cities in their network.
Mirepoix 
Dives sur Mer
Presentation of the Cité des Arts de la Marionnette in Charleville-Mézières
The new director of the FMTM, Mr. Pierre-Yves Charlois passed during the meeting to introduce himself to the members of the AVIAMA. Mrs. Carole Marquet-Morelle, director of the Museum of the Ardenne, also presented the project of the City of the Arts of the Puppet which was launched during this edition of the festival.
Upcoming events
In 2022, AVIAMA will celebrate its 10th anniversary. The city of Chuncheon will host the General Assembly.
In 2023, AVIAMA member cities will meet in Saguenay, Quebec as part of the FIAMS in July. As a reminder, the GA in 2021 was supposed to be in Saguenay. This trip was postponed because of the health crisis.
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