Villa Albertine San Francisco and California Humanities are partnering to debut In the Banlieues/Centering the Margin: Oakland/Saint-Denis, the first in a series of international exhibitions about Oakland, California and Saint-Denis, Paris, two cities on the margins of major cities in France and the United States. Opening at the Pavillon de l‘Arsenal in Paris on June 15, 2022, the exhibition highlights the symbolic reversal of the center and the periphery through an exploration of how Oakland and Saint-Denis are building their own influence by inventing solutions to urban challenges through forging community solidarity, social justice, urban innovation, and artistic intervention.  

In the Banlieues/Centering the Margin reinterprets the critical moments in the history of Oakland and Saint-Denis and illustrates their contribution to current urban planning practices through storytelling. The exhibition shines light on those who challenge social norms, forge connections, speak for those who are rarely heard, and celebrate spaces and models of cooperation that summon sensitivity to build spaces on a human scale. 

Co-produced by Villa Albertine San Francisco, a new cultural institution dedicated to the exchange of arts and ideas between France and the US, and California Humanities, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to building connections through the public humanities, this exhibition seeks to deepen cultural relations between the two countries. To date this cross-cultural collaboration has resulted in a short documentary, Empowering Culture in our Cities, filmed in both cities about the place of culture in cities on the margins, as well as a publication, Translating Cities and Cultures. Starting in the summer of 2022, the program will stage public exhibitions and programs around several key moments, guided by a multidisciplinary committee composed of artists, academics, political leaders, and urban planners. 

The exposition is co-produced by the Pavillon de l’Arsenal; the Villa Albertine in San Francisco and California Humanities ; in partnership with SPUR San Francisco, la Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Paris Nord; with the support of the foundation 836M, l’Institut Français, la Fondation Art Explora; in collaboration with the cities of Oakland and Saint-Denis, Périféeries and with the participation of ARTE.