ASBL Les Amis d’ma Mere

The non-profit association “Les Amis d’ma Mère” was formed in 2015 by a group of people interested in cultural action and the promotion of young artists. The founders were challenged by the precarious situation of beginning artists in the visual arts sector, their difficulties in making themselves known and their uncertain social status. They wanted to implement concrete actions to get them started, make them aware of their rights, offer them opportunities to exhibit their works, provide them with information on the visual arts and inform them about the opportunities.

The “Elisabeth Burdot Prize – Support for Young Artistic Creation (PEB)”, created in 2021, is one of the flagship projects of our organization. It is aimed at artists under the age of 38 in the field of painting, drawing, printed images and engraving. It is awarded to scholarship winners and offers them an exhibition as well as the necessary logistical and media support dedicated to this event.

The non-profit organization “Les Amis d’ma Mère” pursues the following objectives:

• Regularly organize exhibitions open to beginner artists in the various fields of visual arts: painting, engraving, illustration, drawn screen printing, photography, videography, comics, digital image processing, etc. ;

• Make these exhibitions public events likely to increase the reputation of the exhibiting artists;

• Regularly inform the general public of activities, publications and works produced by beginning artists;

• Regularly inform beginning artists of events, exhibitions, training, master classes, events, installations, etc. taking place in Belgium and neighboring countries and in which they could take part or which could increase their knowledge and experience;

• Provide the general public and beginning artists with regularly updated information on developments, trends, new releases, editorial initiatives, etc. in the field of visual arts;

• Regularly organize training sessions open to beginning artists with the aim of providing them with complete and rigorous information on issues such as copyright and neighboring rights, the functioning of authors' societies, the status of the artist in social law, the obligations and rights of salaried or self-employed workers, the role of temporary or umbrella companies, company law, accounting, taxation, VAT. in terms of works of art, etc.

• Support all artists, and specifically emerging artists, in their administrative and social efforts to build their status and help them emerge in the art world.

• Organize the (annual/biennial) “Elisabeth Burdot Prize – Support for Young Creation” of which the non-profit organization “Les Amis d’ma Mère” is the custodian of the name.

Elisabeth Burdot: Who was she?

Died in 2021, Elisabeth BURDOT was a great professional in audiovisual journalism in Belgium. A war correspondent, she traveled the world and was present on all news fronts. All the subjects she tackled, she made them fascinating and deeply human. She has received numerous journalism awards. She was also a radiant, generous woman who loved the arts, who never ceased to be enthusiastic about artists and to support young creation. She was curious in her choices and close to the artists she loved and discovered. Her favorite city was New York, which she adored and where her son Bertrand Buchin lives. She spent several stays there each year.

At the end of her life, she generously got involved alongside our association “Les Amis d’ma Mère” to help young artists, so weakened by the Covid pandemic. And on the eve of her death, she made a significant donation to our association.

To honor her commitment and perpetuate her memory, “Les Amis d’ma Mère” created a Prize which now bears her name and is intended to encourage and support young emerging creators, which is greatly needed in today’s world.

“Elisabeth Burdot Prize – Support for Young Artistic Creation”.

The 1st edition took place in 2022 (Elisabeth Burdot Prize - Pictorial works of free expression in painting and drawing). The 2024 edition of the PEB was dedicated to engraved and printed images, in partnership with the Museum of Engraving and Printed Images in La Louviere (Belgium).