Art parcourse urges visitors to circulate

A lone wooden shack stands beside a lake in a town park. A wooden water monster winds through the grounds of a presbytery. The face of an abandoned building becomes a canvas of history.

Hydre in Gontaud-de-Nogaret is part of the ARTERE exhibition
that runs through Sept. 30, 2017.

This summer, 11 communes in the Lot-et-Garonne present ARTERE, 11 artists' visions of local heritage. The works, scattered across the department, are part of a parcours artistique that is free and open to all through the end of September. I've set out to see all 11 artworks; thus far I've seen seven, have looked for but couldn't find one, and have three more to go.

L'œil du Cèdre in Miramont-de-Guyenne is part of the
ARTERE exhibition that runs through Sept. 30, 2017.

ARTERE is a project organized by Val de Garonne, Pays de Duras, Pays de Lauzun, and Coteaux et Landes de Gascogne. Each of these tourism entities invites visitors to explore other local sites in addition to viewing the various art installations.

Les Sentiments Contraditoires in Duras is part of the
ARTERE exhibition that runs through Sept. 30, 2017.

Detail of Les Sentiments Contraditoires in Duras, part of the ARTERE
exhibition that runs through Sept. 30, 2017

I must be honest: Even after seeing most of the ARTERE exhibits, I'm not sure what the artists are trying to say and what ties them all together. However, the parcourse has given me an excuse to visit some villages for the first time and to take a fresh look at some familiar places.

Habiter in Lauzun is part of the ARTERE exhibition that runs through
Sept. 30, 2017.

Habiter in Lauzun is part of the ARTERE exhibition that runs through
Sept. 30, 2017.

One of the ARTERE works is just beyond my backyard in Lauzun. In June, a small wooden hut appeared in our park. The artist behind Habiter is Laurent Lacotte. His empty cabin is similar to those specified by Médecins Sans Frontières to house refugees. That one can see the Château de Lauzun from the cabin is significant to Lacotte's vision.

La Fontaine aux Trois Vaches in Tonneins is part of the
ARTERE exhibition that runs through Sept. 30, 2017.

A whimsical treat is artist Olivier Louloum's La Fontaine aux Trois Vache in Tonneins — a mechanized fountain that pays tribute to ancient industrial and agricultural machinery.

Detail of Hydre in Gontaud-de-Nogaret, part of the ARTERE
exhibition that runs through Sept. 30, 2017

My favorite is Hydre, located in the Jardin du Presytère in Gontaud-de-Nogaret designed by artist Xavier Rèche, who describes the work as "un détour dans notre espace familier" (a detour in our familiar place).

L'Accrochage in Clairac is part of the ARTERE exhibition that runs
through Sept. 30, 2017.

Detail of L'Accrochage in Clairac, part of the ARTERE
exhibition that runs through Sept. 30, 2017

Venues along the ARTERE parcourse are: Duras and Soumensac in the Pays de Duras; Lauzun and Miramont-de-Guyenne in the Pays de Lauzun; Cocumont, Marmande, Gontaud-de-Nogaret, Tonneins and Clairac in the Val de Garonne; and Casteljaloux and Houeilles in the Coteaux et Landes de Gascogne.

Pick up a green ARTERE brochure at a local tourism office before setting out to visit the works, as they aren't always easy to find. (I couldn't find the exhibit in Soumensac although there are several signs pointing the way.) For more information, visit the Val de Garonne website here, which has details in English.