Educators + curators + communicators = powerful effects
An exhibition, ten days “behind the scene”, a festival and works across the entire city

Before the opening of the exhibition Wall Drawings Icones urbaines, the macLYON opened its doors for 10 exceptional days. From September 19th to 28th, more than 2500 people had the privilege of discovering the exhibition in preview, to see the works being created directly on the walls and to exchange with 11 street-artists from all over the world! Many of them came several times during these 10 days, to be witnesses of the evolution of the works. A street-art festival took place on Sunday during these “10 days”, gathering the art scene in Lyon and “our” artists from abroad. They painted on the walls of a previous school, currently disused.

“Wall drawings” artists also created works within the public space: metro stations, squares, cinemas, cemeteries… We all experienced very popular moments, which have greatly contributed to raising the profile and commitment of the exhibition to the public.

Education, exhibition and communication teams worked closely together to organize these 10 days and address the widest audience : persuading the artists to work in public, contacting individual & group audience (even school teachers wanted to be part of these days, although it was just at the beginning of the school year), teasing on social networks, contacting bloggers, updating the map of the works in the city, etc.

It was the first time our museum opened widely during the installing period, and this invitation to come and see “behind the scene” was acclaimed and generously shared by the public. It gave a real boost to the opening of Wall Drawings’ exhibition. Everyone in Lyon had heard of the exhibition through relatives, blogs, media, social networks…