France Opens 50 School Artist Residencies for 2027

France's Création en cours programme is inviting primary schools to host a young artist for a six-month residency during the 2027 school year. Run by Les Ateliers Médicis with support from the Ministry of Culture and in partnership with the Ministry of National Education, the programme places artists in CM1-CM2 classes in rural areas and other territories with limited access to cultural resources. Each residency includes 20 transmission sessions in which the artist works with pupils on an original research and creation project.

Fifty residencies will be deployed between January and July 2027, mainly in priority territories: rural zones, zones de revitalisation rurale, priority urban districts and France's overseas territories. Schools can apply through the ADAGE platform from 22 June until 30 September 2026.

To be eligible, a school must be in one of those priority territories, must not have taken part in Création en cours since 2020, and must not have hosted an artist in residence during 2025-2026. Selected schools also agree to provide a space at or near the school for the artist's creative work and to help the artist settle locally, including accommodation and introductions to local actors and professionals. For 2027 the programme no longer guarantees one residency per department; allocation is adjusted across academies.

How Création en cours Works and Who Can Apply

Why the eligibility window targets schools left out since 2020

The explicit exclusion of schools that have already benefited from Création en cours since 2020, and of those that hosted a residency in 2025-2026, is a deliberate access mechanism. It spreads limited resources toward schools in priority territories that have not recently had an artist in residence, rather than rewarding the same institutions repeatedly.

What a school is really committing to

The residency is not a one-off workshop: it is six months of sustained contact and 20 transmission sessions. The school must provide a usable creation space and support the artist's integration into the local area, including accommodation and connections with local professionals. That makes the host school a local partner, not simply a venue, and requires staff time and planning beyond the classroom sessions.

The shift from one-per-department to academy-based allocation

The programme has moved away from a rule requiring one residency per department. This gives academies more flexibility to match residencies to strong applications and the most relevant priority territories, but it also means a well-prepared school in one department may be selected while another department receives none. Schools cannot assume a local entitlement to one of the 50 places.

What Schools Need to Check Before the 30 September Deadline

  • Confirm eligibility before investing time. Your school must be in a priority territory, must not have participated in Création en cours since 2020, and must not have hosted an artist residency in 2025-2026.
  • Apply on the ADAGE platform by 30 September 2026. The application window opened on 22 June 2026, so do not leave submission to the final days.
  • Identify a suitable creation space. Be ready to describe a space at or near the school where the artist can work immersively, not just run a classroom session.
  • Plan the artist's local integration. Outline how the school can help with accommodation and introduce the artist to local actors and professionals.
  • Do not assume a departmental quota. For 2027, residencies are distributed by academy without a guaranteed one-per-department rule, so make the strongest case for your school's priority-territory need.
  • Use the éduscol materials to shape the project. The pedagogical objectives, specifications and detailed calendar are published on éduscol, and the project should align with the three pillars of artistic and cultural education.