Petition launched to support Judith Quentel after dismissal from Domaine de Chamarande

A petition has been launched to protest the dismissal of Judith Quentel as artistic director of the Centre d'art de Chamarande. The decision was made by managers of the Conseil général de l'Essonne, allegedly without the knowledge of the newly appointed executive. The petition claims the dismissal is based on false administrative reasons and criticism of "a certain aesthetic," and that it ignores six years of work with over a hundred artists, including territorial collaborations, production, and publications. Quentel had also been entrusted with programming at a second departmental domain, Méréville, starting in April 2011. The petition calls for her reinstatement and warns of a general weakening of cultural policy by the state and local authorities.