What is a Frac?
The Regional Contemporary Art Funds (FRACs) are institutions whose mission is to build public collections of contemporary art in the regions, to make them accessible to all audiences, and to devise ways of raising awareness of current artistic creation. Established in 1982 as part of a partnership between central government and the regions, they have been fulfilling their remit of supporting contemporary artists for over thirty years, as part of an artistic and cultural initiative that operates at regional, national and international levels.
THE FRACs TODAY
Today, the collections of the 22 FRACs comprise more than 35,000 works by 6,000 artists of various nationalities. As independent organisations with a focus on forward-looking and experimental approaches, the FRACs fulfil a mission to support emerging artists, often being the first institutions to acquire their works.
Find out about the FRACs’ projects: www.lesfrac.com
THE FRAC GRAND LARGE
The Frac Grand Large has a collection of contemporary art and design dating from the 1960s to the present day, which reflects the international mix of its sources.
Throughout the year, it organises exhibitions across the region and beyond its borders. Its partners include established arts venues and non-arts venues, such as media centres, schools and community centres. It prioritises collaborative development and fosters synergies to reach audiences who might otherwise be hard to reach. The Frac offers opportunities to explore the major themes of its collection and is open to the various topics proposed by its partners.
The presentation of the collection is accompanied by an initiative to raise awareness amongst all audiences, through guided tours, talks, workshops and participatory projects. Among the various initiatives, ‘Élèves à l’œuvre’ is run in partnership with the French Ministry of Education and enables around twenty schools each year to host works from the Frac and study them in relation to the school curriculum.
In 2013, the Frac Grand Large opened a new museum building in the Grand Large district, on the site of the former Dunkirk shipyards. A translucent structure facing the sea, it houses exhibition spaces and communal areas designed to offer an immersive experience of art. Its rooftop viewing platform offers breathtaking views of the coastal landscape and the original industrial hall, whilst the storage areas in the rear half of the building facilitate the display of the collection on a very large scale.
In the Hauts-de-France region, the Frac Grand Large and the Frac Picardie Hauts-de-France carry out their outreach activities in a complementary manner. Both are members of the Platform association – a network of regional contemporary art funds – and of 50° Nord – a cross-border contemporary art network.