Introducing The Tecan French Alliance For The Arts Tex Mex With A French Touch

One doesn’t often hear the words “Texas” and “France” in the same sentence. And that’s exactly why the Texan French Alliance for the Arts was established. Engaging local Texas youth, the Texan French Alliance for the Arts (TFAA) creates opportunities to enhance Texas communities through an artistic dialogue between the rich cultures of Texas and France.

The TFAA was founded in 2005 by a group of prominent Texas enthusiasts of the French culture, under the leadership of the former Consul General of France. The original aim of the organization was to create a dialogue between France and Texas, primarily through a sharing their cultures of art, literature and music. “Both Texas and France have thriving artistic cultures and a wealth of talent, so we wanted to facilitate an exchange between them to show that Texas is more than Stetsons and spurred boots and France is more than strong cheeses and good wines,” says the TFAA spokesperson.

Over the years, though, the TFAA has recognized more effective ways to engage with the community. Rather than taking a disinterested approach to the sharing of cultures, the TFAA has moved to facilitate interactions between the cultures of France and Texas by creating programs, events and exchanges.

Moreover, the new programs work towards a purpose beyond simple artistic appreciation. “Our creative programs and varied partnerships aim to improve the quality of life in our cities and local communities, especially those that are at-risk or underserved, using art, along with other disciplines, as a catalyst to create positive change,” says TFAA’s spokesperson.

TFAA has expanded with its new mission into a number of different projects, with plans for more to come. At present, TFAA focuses on three programs: educational programs for kids, such as From a Space to a Place, healing arts programs like the Texas Children’s Hospital Mural Project and Open the Door Veterans’ Program, and public art installations like Open the Door. The organization also holds occasional festivals for the public like Once Upon a Door. Each of these programs addresses distinct groups and aims.

The Texan French Alliance for the Art’s festivals can be wonderful opportunities to investigate the intersections between these two cultures. Recently, the TFAA hosted the Once Upon a Door festival in collaboration with Marjon Aucoin, a central figure at Little Wonders Learning Center. “This project created a 360-degree sensory environment where children and adults could explore their creativity,” says the TFAA spokesperson, “using art and playfulness to transform their perception of the world around them.” With music, theatre, visual images and video and a variety of experience spaces, Once Upon a Door brought all the sensory modalities together to enrich and delight.

But the TFAA doesn’t only hold festivals. The bread and butter of the organization is to help people to learn and expand their understanding of the world, in order to thrive within it. TFAA offers a collaborative mentoring program called From a Space to a Place (FASTAP). FASTAP is a partnership between TFAA and a number of other organizations that works with middle and high school students from underserved neighborhoods. The aim of the program is to allow youths to envision beautiful redesigns for shared public spaces and to help them make those visions a reality.

FASTAP engages young people with the larger community and other cultures, especially the French culture, and helps them to learn leadership, discipline and build bridges to the broader world. To facilitate these connections, the program brings together many kinds of learning and content, from STEM to visual and performing arts to project management to mindfulness.

“Giving the youth a platform from which they can express their ideas empowers them and establishes a sense of ownership through the implementation of their own tangible change in the community, be it an urban outreach installation, such as a park or a mural, or an engaging performance addressing social issues,” says the TFAA spokesperson.

Other programs bring together diverse communities to share and learn from one another through collaborative projects. One program brought people together to create murals at Texas Children’s Hospital. Recently, TFAA started an Open the Door program to assist veterans to re-engage with the community. This program brings veterans together with visual artists and community leaders to collaboratively create art-installment doors situated in public places throughout San Antonio. For many veterans who feel isolated from civilian society, these doors create a genuine sense of participation in the larger community, and a means of creating a deeper conversation.

Texas has been exceptionally fortunate to have such a dynamic organization in their midst. The French culture has much to offer, as does the Texan one. Bringing them together has proved a stimulating and fruitful mix for the people involved, regardless of background. With plans for future collaborations and many projects currently running, the Texan French Alliance for the Arts and Texas have much to be excited about.

By David Boegaard