Les Arts Foreztiers

Les Arts Foreztiers: Contemporary Creation in the Heart of Forez

Since 2010, the village of Chavaniac-Lafayette, the birthplace of the Marquis de La Fayette in Haute-Loire, has hosted the contemporary creation festival Les Arts Foreztiers every summer. Born from an initiative by the Institut Charles Cros led by Sylvie Dallet, a university professor of arts and a painter, this unique festival explores the links between contemporary art and the forest environment within the Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park.

An Artistic Route for Free Exploration

The festival unfolds in several emblematic locations in the village: the Ferme Saint Éloi, the association's headquarters and a place for artist residencies, the Garages du Prévent transformed into ephemeral galleries, and the Salle des Fêtes for conferences and screenings. The works—paintings, sculptures, ceramics, textiles, photographs, installations—take over public spaces, creating an accessible discovery route from 10 am to 8 pm. The artists install their creations themselves and remain present throughout the festival to interact directly with visitors.

Poetic Themes Centered Around the Forest

Each edition revolves around a poetic and symbolic theme: "Les Quatre Vivants" (2010), "Orient-Occident, des passerelles Arc en ciel" (2013), "L'Arbre du milieu du monde" (2015), "Botaniques célestes" (2016), "Le Bestiaire enchanté" (2018), "Forêt nourricière" (2020), "Raconter la forêt" (2022), "Peuples Racines" (2023), and "À la grâce des forêts" (2025). These themes invite artists from all disciplines to question our relationship with the living, nature, and the forest ecosystem.

Multidisciplinarity and International Encounters

The festival brings together about sixty artists from various disciplines: visual arts, contemporary dance, photography, video, installations, land art, electroacoustic music, and poetry. Since its creation, it has hosted creators from China, Haiti, New Zealand, Iran, Russia, and Taiwan, alongside French artists from the Auvergne and Île-de-France regions. Artist residencies at the Ferme Saint Éloi and in surrounding villages foster immersive creation time connected to the territory.

Concerts, Conferences, and Nature Walks

Beyond exhibitions, the program includes electroacoustic concerts in the evenings at the Ferme Saint Éloi, dance and singing performances, conferences on forest and environmental issues, botanical walks organized by the National Botanical Conservatory of the Massif Central, guided tours offered by the Pays d'Art et d'Histoire du Haut-Allier, and creative workshops for children and adults (cyanotype, dreamcatcher making, visual arts).

A Committed and Accessible Festival

As a non-commercial festival, Les Arts Foreztiers offers completely free access to the entire program. The association, established in September 2017, is chaired by Sylvie Dallet and supported by the municipality of Chavaniac-Lafayette, the community of communes des Rives du Haut-Allier, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, and numerous local partners. The annual festival posters have been created since 2018 by students from the Institut Universitaire Technologique of Université Gustave Eiffel.