Synchronicity is wild, yall. Flashback to March earlier this year. Later on in the day that I shared a memory on Facebook- a post that randomly popped up in my feed that I had posted originally back in 2008 of a photo from my first trip to France back in 1998- I received an email that I was accepted to the Chateau Orquevaux Artist Residency in Orquevaux, France after applying for 4 years in a row.
Chateau Orquevaux
Chateau Orquevaux appears on many lists for most beautiful artist residencies in the world. I would often see photos of the grounds and the interior of the Chateau pop up on my instagram feed. Since it is free to apply I kept applying despite knowing that it is highly competitive and that it comes with a fee unlike some of the free residencies I have attended in the past.
When I received the acceptance email I was actually kind of sad because I was in the midst of beginning renovations at the new Night Owl Gallery location and the proposed dates for the residency were for early December. If the gallery opened by then, that would mean being pulled away from the gallery at one of the historically busiest times of the year. However, after talking it over with my husband Sean, my mom, and my close friends, I hemmed and hawed and I eventually made the decision to accept my spot in the residency. I put down a deposit to hold my place hoping that everything would work out.
I received the Denis Diderot Artist-in-Residence grant on behalf of the residency and applied for and received a professional development grant from Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) to help defer the cost of the residency. My mom also pitched in by buying my plane ticket and travel insurance. (Thanks, Mom!) I am so grateful for all of the financial support and generosity as well as the moral support I have received from friends, family, and coworkers. I know this is a very special privilege to be able to embark on this unique experience.
One of the most common questions that I get when I share the news about the residency is… what is an artist residency and what is the point?
“An artist residency program allows artists to live and work in new environments that are different from their studios or traditional workspaces. Artists are invited to live in a different setting/environment, usually with other like-minded creative types. “The idea is that by removing ourselves from society, we can reflect and see the world in different ways, with a more refined and honed focus. Art residencies can also amount to a 24/7 crash course study, where aspiring artists can learn in-depth information in a short period, either from an instructor or from an artistic community.” Artlex.com https://www.artlex.com/blog/what-is-an-artist-residency/
I have participated in a few artist residencies in the past and they have been very important to my growth as an artist and personally as well. I am embracing this opportunity to recalibrate because I have been so focused on building Night Owl Gallery over the past year that my artistic practice has fallen by the wayside. First and foremost I am an artist and I am looking forward to reimmersing myself in my art while returning to a very special place that was integral to my initial development as a very young artist. When I was a baby B I had the incredible opportunity to visit France for the summer between Freshman and Sophomore year of high school with the art school where I took lessons. We stayed in a boarding house/hostel in the medieval village of Limeuil in the Dordogne Valley and had some incredible cultural experiences including visiting local artist ateliers, a limestone quarry where we got to pick out and carve a piece of limestone, Lascaux Deux, and local markets.
I was very fortunate to be able to return to Paris on a family vacation in 2010 and got to visit with friends that were living in Europe at the time.
The Chateau is located in the southwest corner of the Champagne region in the village of Orquevaux which is about 2.5 hours southwest of Reims and 3.5 hours east of Paris.
I will be amongst 24 (I think? Ish?) other artists and writers from all over the world. From email introductions it seems that many of the artists are also from the United States.
I am looking forward to having the time and space to create.