"
A little breath of air and art
" coupled with a solidarity gesture.
In Strasbourg, the Museum of Modern Art reopened its doors on Monday for a blood drive, attracting donors, fewer since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, with the promise of a privileged visit.
In the imposing nave of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Strasbourg (MAMCS), they follow one another on the twelve stretchers aligned, arms outstretched and fists closed to have about half a liter of blood taken.
Read also: Donate blood while admiring the paintings at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon
Once their donation is over, it is not only the usual little snack that awaits them, but also Niki de Saint Phalle, Gustave Doré, Claude Monet or Paul Signac.
"
It's great, it
feels
good to see beautiful things while doing a good deed
", rejoices Marie-Paule Jaeck, a 54-year-old teacher, after having toured the seven rooms of the museum accessible to donors.
With her student daughter, Emma, 19, they “
jumped at the chance
” as soon as the appointment for this exceptional fundraiser was opened.
As a reward for their gesture, the donors were able to admire the deserted rooms of the museum of modern art.
PATRICK HERTZOG / AFP
And they were not the only ones since the 198 slots offered to donate blood at the museum from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. all quickly found takers.
Good news for the French Blood Establishment (EFS), while with only 90,000 bags in reserve at the national level, the "
alert threshold
" has been exceeded, notes Eric Hetzel, deputy head of samples for the Bas-Rhin .
Since the start of the health crisis, "
supply has become more and more difficult because of cancellations of collections
" especially in universities and companies, with the rise of distance courses and teleworking, he explains. .
"New donors"
An event-driven fundraiser like that of the MAMCS, which combines “
the citizen gesture
” with access to a currently closed cultural place, is “
a concrete opportunity to re-stimulate the desire to donate blood
”, but also to “
bring in people”. new donors
”, explains Barbara Seiller, communication manager of the EFS Grand Est.
It is also the place of the collection that decided Béatrice, 63, to register to donate blood, which she had not done for twenty years.
"
I find that great idea, especially nowadays where we are so deprived
" of access to cultural places, considers the professor of music education, "
quite disappointed
" to have finally been able to donate blood because of a inconsistent treatment.
She was nevertheless able to admire the works of art and listen to the explanations of a mediator from the museum, present to accompany the donor visitors.
"
This is the opportunity to accomplish a civic and solidarity action (...) The museum is in the city, it is not sealed off from what is happening in society, more than ever at the moment.
", Considers Estelle Pietrzyk, director of MAMCS, who"
very willingly
"lent her walls to the EFS fundraising.
An opportunity too good
Martin Guillaumé has donated blood once or twice a year for ten years.
He would have "
come anyway in the month
", but "
the opportunity was too good to miss
", explains this landscape designer from Strasbourg.
"
It's a little breath of air and art,
" he rejoices at the end of his visit.
Estelle Pietrzyk is "
very happy to see faces in the museum
", closed to the public for a period still unknown, and wants this blood collection operation at MAMCS to be repeated.
The Strasbourg initiative is not a first for the EFS, which organized a collection on March 19 at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, among the paintings.
This should not be the last either, because the EFS finds in these collections in atypical or prestigious places a way to promote blood donation to new donors.
The Center Pompidou Metz could thus be involved.
Regardless of their blood type, adults under the age of 71 and over 50 kilograms and under certain conditions can donate blood up to six times a year for men and four times a year for women.