Gadz'Arts or Gadzarts is the nickname given to the students and the
alumni
Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...
of
Arts et Métiers ParisTech
Arts et Métiers ParisTech is a French engineering and research institute of higher education. It is a ''grande école'', recognized for leading in the fields of mechanics and industrialization. Founded in 1780, it is among the oldest French ins ...
(formerly École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers - ENSAM), a prestigious
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
(
grande ecole
Grande means "large" or "great" in many of the Romance languages. It may also refer to:
Places
* Grande, Germany, a municipality in Germany
* Grande Communications, a telecommunications firm based in Texas
* Grande-Rivière (disambiguation)
* Ar ...
) specialised in engineering.
Since the beginning of the institution, the students of the school perpetuate their own ''
traditions
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
'' and
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
, and organise themselves in a
student society
A student society, student association, university society, student club, university club, or student organization is a society or an organization, operated by students at a university or a college institution, whose membership typically consists ...
or union. They call themselves "''Gadz'Arts''", abbreviated from "''Gars des Arts''" ("Guys from the Arts", the school's nickname is the "Arts"). The "Gadz" folklore includes traditional clothing, slang, songs and legends, related symbolism, and
ceremonial
A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion.
The word may be of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin ''Glossary of ancient Rom ...
s.
''Gadz'Arts'' activities are independent of the administration of the school and are exclusively run by the students and alumni, although the two parts often cooperate for organising cultural or sporting events.
Traditions
The Gadz'Arts community is proud of its ancient traditions which are based on the values of mutual aid and fraternity as well as on the oral memory of numerous anecdotes and songs connected to the history of the school.
* In school, the pupils wear a lab coat (named a "biaude" in Argad'z language). It is traditionally grey for the first and second year students - white ones are reserved for those in their last year of study. Gadz'Arts customize their coats individually. The coats of the first year students are generally rather sombre and plain; whilst those of the second and third year students often have elaborate coloured motifs and drawings.
* Gadz'Arts also possess a uniform (nicknamed a 'Zag' in Argad'z), a nod to their military past. It is navy blue in colour and very close to the uniform of the officers of French Marine.
* When they enter the school, the students are given nickname, called a "bucque", that they use afterward in their relations with the other students and alumni.
* Each student is the "ancient" of one student of the following class and the "parrain" (or godfather) of one student of the class coming 25 years after. This creates continuity, which is the root of long term relations that last long after the students have left the school. It is called a family.
*One redundant and certainly the most important of ''gadz'' imagery/symbol is the
square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length adj ...
:
**It is one of the most important instruments for a
mechanical engineer
Mechanical may refer to:
Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
* Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...
.
**It is a symbol for probity, a motto of the school's founder
Duke of Rochefoucauld-Liancourt: "Helping with all that is useful, attaching his name to all that is right."
**It refers to the alleged historical link between the school and
Compagnons du Tour de France
The Compagnons du Devoir, full name Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France, is a French organization of craftsmen and artisans dating from the Middle Ages. Their traditional, technical education includes taking a tour, the ''Tour de France,'' ar ...
.
Gadzarts slang
The Gadz'Arts use a special slang, called Argad'z which is actually a mix of French slang and military language, mixed with various local dialects.
In addition, words are often shortened and then get a final « s » or « z » sound and are prefixed with the syllable « za ». The vocabulary is varied among the different branches of the school.
The
penmanship
Penmanship is the technique of writing with the hand using a writing instrument. Today, this is most commonly done with a pen, or pencil, but throughout history has included many different implements. The various generic and formal histor ...
used is generally done so by hand in Gothic
calligraphy
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
-style letters for important occasions.
Motto
The Gadz'Arts' motto is Fraternity:
Wherefore are those noble titles here?
Their false sheen shan't dazzle us.
O mighty ones, here dies inequity,
Old privileges, ye must perish to the last.
Friends, let us taste this happiness others scorn,
For recall well that within the School of Arts,
"Fraternity", such remains our motto,
Such it shall be for every true Gadz'Arts.
Classes
School classes are named after:
* The ENSAM center it originates from;
* The last two digits of the year of admission.
For instance, students who entered the school in 1997, in Cluny are member of the Cluny 1997 or Cl 197 class. 197 is used instead of 97 to disambiguate from the 1897 class.
There have not been any classes from the Paris centre since the late 1940s.
Classes usually create an
association
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...
to organise the students when they leave school. Some classes also choose an association name that differs from their usual designation.
Finally, all the classes of the same year, in all centres, are given a unique name by the Alumni Society. For instance, the 1982 classes have been given the name "Louis Delâge".
To see the list of the famous Gadzarts see :
References
External links
Gadzarts Web portal(in French)
Gadzarts Heritage(in French)
Gadzarts TraditionsOverview of the Traditions of the Gadzarts since the origins of the school (in French).
Historic Society of the Arts & Métiers in ClunyPresentation of the museum of the school in Cluny (in French).
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Arts et Métiers ParisTech
University folklore