Through Alliances Foundation, the Group aims to contribute to the dissemination of culture, the preservation of Morocco's architectural heritage and the promotion of access to culture for a wide audience.
Created in 2009, Fondation Alliances promotes accessibility to art by developing a major cultural mediation programme for all social groups. As part of an approach based on transmission and sharing, the Foundation is simultaneously carrying out a number of structuring initiatives that are as unifying as they are inspiring.
With 900 m2 of exhibition space, the Al Maaden Museum of Contemporary African Art offers visitors a genuine experience combining culture, leisure and lifestyle (coffeeshops, garden, concept store & bookstore) through the prism of contemporary African art.
Made from an artistic collection of over 2,000 works of art acquired over more than thirty years, the museum is designed to be a lively and innovative place.
In line with its desire to transmit, share and disseminate contemporary African art, in 2017 MACAAL launched the MACAAL Lab, a space for promoting contemporary artistic practices.
A programme of workshops taking place each time in the presence of a guest artist, these enable participants to tackle the process of creating a work, its realisation as well as the use of new technologies in art. Aimed at professionals, amateurs and budding young artists alike, the one- to three-day workshops provide a fun and educational introduction to contemporary art.
As part of this programme, several artists have led workshops.
Located not far from MACAAL, Al Maaden Golf Resort is home to Al Maaden Sculpture Park: a collection of monumental works of art that make the space and its constraints their own. From Canada to China, via India, Egypt and Argentina, 13 artists have taken over the Al Maaden site, competing in technical prowess to create sculptures, some of which are 8 meters high or 14 meters long.
In 2017, on the occasion of its fifth edition, La Chambre Claire becomes the LCC Program with a new visual identity as well as a revised and improved offer. This innovative programme in Africa aims to give a concrete boost to young photographic creation on the continent and in its diaspora.
Through a competition, the Foundation selects an emerging artist and provides them with personalised support in their creative process, as well as at every stage in the production of their first solo exhibition (from presentation to the development and dissemination of their visual expression).
From now on, the LCC Program will also be offering optimised visibility, with a new digital system tailored to the winners and special mentions (identified by a jury of art world professionals) as well as to all participants in the call for entries.
Convinced that social inclusion can also be achieved through culture, in 2014 fondation Alliances set up the Passerelles programme for young people from peri-urban areas: workshops to stimulate their curiosity and their powers of observation and creation.
As a cross-cutting sponsorship between culture and solidarity, a number of workshops have already been held: introductory workshops in different artistic techniques, guided tours of exhibitions, etc.
In addition to its own projects, Fondation Alliances supports artists, associations and other players in the art world through regular sponsorship initiatives.
Since it was set up, the Foundation has made material, human and/or skills contributions to numerous initiatives.
The Foundation has also built up an extensive and specialised library on contemporary African art: general publications, monographs and exhibition catalogues, some of which are rare editions.