Hello all, we hope you are having a wonderful winter break! As the semester comes to an end, we’d like to leave you with a few words and updates. First and foremost, the DÉPAYSANTS editorial team would like to announce that issue 2 is officially being postponed until next semester. Living in Paris can be unpredictable at times: this semester was cut short due to a nation-wide strike that begun in early December. As our editors sat down to compile this semester’s issue, we felt that we didn’t have an issue we were perfectly happy with. We know it is impossible to rush art and creation, and we’d really prefer to take the extra time to perfect this issue and include even more student work. In order to make up for this semester, we will be producing an extra-long, fully comprehensive issue that exhibits student work from both the fall and spring semesters – we anticipate that this will be a very exciting (and lengthy!) addition to our dossier.

In addition to the strikes, this year also saw the announcement of our brand-new (i.e. recycled) arts building, The Monttessuy Center for the Arts, which will replace the university’s currently overcrowded and underdeveloped art studio on the 5th floor of Combes. In an email to students, alumni, and donors, President Celeste Schenck asked to crowdfund €1.5 million in cash for the building, instead of choosing to spend any of our endowment on the project. Despite this clear dismissal of the arts at AUP, DÉPAYSANTS Magazine wants to remind all students – even those who are not in art history or fine arts – that in a city like Paris, the arts will ALWAYS prevail.

See you for issue 2.

—DÉPAYSANTS Magazine Editorial Team