After three seasons of off-site exhibitions, the Le Lait Art center in Albi will move into its new premises at the start of 2025. On this occasion, the teams will organize an entire opening weekend on 15 and March 16 and the opening of the first exhibition in these places, Del Otro Mundo by Leonor Serrano Rivas, on Friday March 14.
For three years, the art center has been programming exhibitions and “outside the walls” events in the department, in partnership with museums, associations and communities. The arrival in this new place marks the end of this transition period. Created in 1982, the Le Lait art center stayed at Moulins Albigeois for a long time, before moving to the Hôtel Rochegude between 2019 and 2021.
From now on, it will be at 5, rue Camille Claudel, in Albi that Le Lait will offer its programming. The building, owned by the Department of Tarn, is a former school with typical architecture of the “Jules Ferry” schools of the Third Republic. The rehabilitation operation, carried out by the Toulouse architectural firm Harter, preserves the existing 19th century building and in particular its facade, while integrating thermal renovation and contemporary intervention on the other parts of the existing premises.
The art center will be free to access. It will be open to the general public from Wednesday to Sunday, from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The new place, 550 m², will have four exhibition rooms to discover today’s creations. A workshop room will accommodate school groups and will allow them to practice visual arts. A friendly reception area, a covered terrace and a shaded garden will complete the package. Finally, accommodation will allow the reception of artists: it will be their place of life and work during research or creation residencies. The Le Lait art center will thus be able to develop all of its activities (exhibitions, workshops, meetings, events, etc.) while continuing to invest in the department.
Reopening to the public in March
The new place will open its doors on Friday March 14, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. with the opening of the exhibition Del otro mundo by Leonor Serrano Rivas, a Spanish artist for whom this will be the first monographic exhibition in France. Exhibited in 2022 at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, it begins a new artistic cycle in Albi. His work often takes medieval history as its starting point, and in particular the transmission of knowledge, through songs, intertwined motifs or rituals. In Albi, installations, sculptures and textile works will immerse visitors in its poetic universe.
An entire weekend of festivities is planned for this occasion, Saturday March 15 and Sunday March 16, 2025: concerts, performances, workshops and visits for all ages. Everyone will be welcome to discover their new art center.
More information : centredartlelait.com
Photo: The new premises of the art center – © Vincent Boutin
