What is the Cité du design ?
The Cité du design, public establishment set up in 2005 by the Saint-Étienne City and its agglomeration Saint-Etienne Métropole, aims to develop the uses and the benefits of design by increasing the meeting opportunities between professionals of the area, companies and private individuals.
This young institution fits the whole reconversion process of a city that has been the leader of the Industrial Revolution for two centuries. Product of the Saint-Etienne history, the Cité du design was born of a local will and a strong dynamism, initiated in particular by the Saint-Etienne higher school of art and design – ESADSE (former regional school of fine arts – ERBASE), that created the Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial in 1998.
Furthermore, Saint-Étienne Métropole, the city of Saint-Étienne, the Rhône Alpes region and the State-Ministry of Culture accompany the development of the Cité du design through their involvement in the COEP (Public Institution of Cultural Cooperation), a new legal tool that translates public partnerships and boost the deployment of its activities. This new organization has been active since 2010 January.
This young institution fits the whole reconversion process of a city that has been the leader of the Industrial Revolution for two centuries. Product of the Saint-Etienne history, the Cité du design was born of a local will and a strong dynamism, initiated in particular by the Saint-Etienne higher school of art and design – ESADSE (former regional school of fine arts – ERBASE), that created the Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial in 1998.
Furthermore, Saint-Étienne Métropole, the city of Saint-Étienne, the Rhône Alpes region and the State-Ministry of Culture accompany the development of the Cité du design through their involvement in the COEP (Public Institution of Cultural Cooperation), a new legal tool that translates public partnerships and boost the deployment of its activities. This new organization has been active since 2010 January.
Key dates
2005: Creation of the Syndicat Mixte Cité du design (Joint union between the City of Saint-Etienne and its agglomeration council: Saint-Étienne Métropole)
2006: First Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial organized by the Cité du design
2007: Design map, exhibition with a regional focus
2008: Second Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial organized by the Cité du design
2009: Moving and set-up of Cité du design and Ecole Supérieure d’Art et Design teams
2009: Official inauguration
2010: Adoption of a new legal status : EPCC, Public Institution of Cultural Cooperation
2010: Third Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial organized by the Cité du design
2005: Creation of the Syndicat Mixte Cité du design (Joint union between the City of Saint-Etienne and its agglomeration council: Saint-Étienne Métropole)
2006: First Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial organized by the Cité du design
2007: Design map, exhibition with a regional focus
2008: Second Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial organized by the Cité du design
2009: Moving and set-up of Cité du design and Ecole Supérieure d’Art et Design teams
2009: Official inauguration
2010: Adoption of a new legal status : EPCC, Public Institution of Cultural Cooperation
2010: Third Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial organized by the Cité du design
