“It’s the coup de grace,” says the director of the Tony Garnier Urban Museum (Lyon 8), Catherine Chambon. This Thursday, she told AFP that she had received a letter from the Region forty-eight hours ago, informing her that a grant of 35,000 euros, expected “for the current financial year”, would not be available to her. paid.
The Region confirmed to AFP the “non-renewal” of its subsidy to the Tony Garnier museum, arguing for a “rebalancing towards territories where the cultural offer is less important than in the large metropolises of Auvergne-Rhône- Alps”.
It “intends to devote a larger part of its cultural budget to promoting initiatives and projects with residents far from major cultural institutions”, we add, referring to “festivals carried by small associations”.
The derisory sacrifice of a heritage museum
The Region, by removing its subsidy, condemns the museum “to close next month and to lay off its employees”, reacted in a press release Sarah Peillon (LREM), candidate for the legislative elections in the 3rd district, where the museum is located. .
Sarah Peillon accuses the LR president of the region, Laurent Wauquiez, of “sacrificing, for a derisory sum in view of the regional budget, a museum anchored in its territory and its history, but which shines far beyond”.
Labeled “remarkable heritage”, the Tony Garnier museum, which is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary, ensures that it receives 35,000 to 50,000 visitors each year. Despite the health crisis, from which the establishment emerged “correctly” thanks to various aids, the “activity turnover has risen since January higher than before the Covid”, assures its director.