Manager les territoires dans la proximité : approche fonctionnelle des événements culturels

This last decade, we are observing the rise in importance of events in the cultural landscape. However, this recent phenomenon can aim towards an instrumentalizing of culture to the detriment of a real quest of sense, especially at the territorial level. The conceptual framework is thus articulated around (1) territorial proximity, considered as the conjunction of a geographical proximity and an organized one; (2) the nature and stakes of art events. Thanks to a multiple case study, this research questions the territorial added value of three art events produced on the Community Council of Aix-en-Provence, with regard to their capacity to activate the various potential of territorial proximity. The purpose of this paper is to determine to what extent and how the various types of art event activate the potential of proximity. Beyond this first issue, the research analysis the specific strategic functions that can be assigned to these various events (functional approach), considering them as levers in the territorial strategy.