From the Squat to the Public Tender

How does a collective of artist-squatters find itself in charge of managing a former artists’ squat under contract with a municipal government? This initial question runs throughout the article. The occupation and management of artistic places by collectives of “fringe” artists has become a modality both of the management of vacant spaces and of support for artistic creation, which contributes to the professionalization of the operators of “fringe” locations. Through the history of the AlphArt collective, the authors of this article follow the career path of these operators’ professionalization and decipher it by cross-comparing the interests and constraints of the artists themselves, the municipalities concerned, and the owners of the places they occupy. This history reveals the steps of the professionalization with which the collectives are confronted, as well as the underlying learning and the conflicts that they trigger. The unfolding of a “fringe” site manager’s career follows a path that starts with the formation, organization and structuring of a collective. It continues with the occupation of a place, is publicized and exposed in the negotiation with the owners, and is put to the test in competition with other such places. It is built up through tests that constitute the steps in the career of an operator of a “fringe” artistic site who, starting from a practice considered as deviant, assumes a professional position with specific competencies, as a reliable partner for the public authorities.