The question of artist residencies provided an opportunity to address many related topics beyond the notion of creation alone. Issues such as integration into the daily life of the site, the establishment of opportunities to meet with staff and users, and reception conditions were discussed.

/ Forging links with the local area

Without making it an obligation, the site hosting the artist in residence can suggest various opportunities for them to engage with the local area, whether through an outing during their residency, a visit to a school or an encounter with local actors working to bring residents together.This could include participation in an event organised at the centre or simply an informal get-together.

It is important to establish a dialogue with the artist in order to identify their desires and needs without imposing a pre-established model.

Schools are a privileged place to work, as they allow artists to meet and gradually break down the symbolic barrier of crossing the threshold of the site. Outreach activities allow connections to be made in familiar surroundings, while making it clear that the site where they take place belongs to the community and is open to them. On this issue, while EAC is institutionalised in France, with links between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education, it is a project that needs to be developed in Luxembourg.

The Belle Rive social centre, a partner of the Abbaye aux Dames, also shares all the street work carried out by volunteers, which consists of creating links with residents in order to then, in a roundabout way, introduce them to the Abbaye aux Dames' artistic and cultural project. The aim is to first build a certain level of trust and rapport that will lend credibility to future invitations. In this way, residents feel that they too are involved and that they are the driving force behind the projects.

/ Showing hospitality

Article 1 of the Declaration of Human Rights stipulates, among other things, the equal dignity of cultures and affirms that the individual is essentially a source of culture. Cultural diversity is the right of everyone to borrow from other cultures and mix them as they wish to express themselves. Cultural meeting centres should therefore guarantee this freedom to everyone, enabling them to open up to new cultural and artistic perspectives. Thus, in their desire to create places of refuge, CCRs work more towards an approach of cultures for all than culture for all.

In this spirit, the Belle Rive social centre was able to share its social project based on unconditional welcome, defined as follows: ‘Unconditional social welcome ensures that anyone experiencing difficulties or wishing to express a social need is listened to attentively, taking into account all their needs and concerns, so that they can be offered advice and appropriate guidance as soon as possible, in accordance with the principle of participation of individuals in decisions that affect them.’

As language barriers can hinder effective communication, neimënster Abbey is committed to building a multidisciplinary and multilingual team.

For the Nora award winners, the ACCR is also setting up a mentoring project that connects people with experience in the cultural field with artists so that they can share their experiences of arriving in the country, finding a place to live, and pursuing a career.

Depending on the situation, CCR teams may encounter cultural misunderstandings, people in situations of great material and psychological distress, or even aggression and discriminatory behaviour. Depending on the circumstances, the relationship can be re-established by referring back to the artistic project for which the artist is being hosted or by referring to the legal texts that allow for a certain degree of distance. The development and sharing of welcome booklets can also help to set certain limits by stipulating, for example, the centre's position with regard to VHSS.

/ Consider the conditions of reception

Before arrival at the residency...

The Abbaye de Neimënster strives to establish links with residents before their arrival. This involves several email exchanges, telephone calls or videoconference discussions. The aim is to get to know the resident in order to anticipate their arrival and, in particular, to prepare the spaces accordingly.

These preliminary exchanges also allow artists to better understand the residence site, both its specific features and its environment. As two-thirds of CCRs are located in rural areas, understanding this isolation is a key step towards a more peaceful residency.

In order to prepare for the artist's arrival, many centres organise a welcome event: the Saline Royale prefers to introduce the artist to the team at lunchtime, the Abbaye de Noirlac invites artists to lunch in their convivial house to meet the staff and introduce themselves and their project for around 30 minutes, The Cité du Mot opts for a shared breakfast during the first week of the residency, while the Abbaye de Neimënster organises a meeting between all the residents. In this way, the question of welcoming new residents is addressed at the level of the site as a whole, rather than just by the person in charge of the residencies.

The Cité du Mot also prepares a basket for the artists before their arrival, which is waiting for them in their accommodation. This contains basic food items to get them started during their residency, allowing them to anticipate the limited choice of restaurants and shops in La Charité-sur-Loire.

During the residency...

On site, the Abbaye de Neimënster has technical teams available to modify the studios according to the artists' needs. The teams are also there to explain the conditions under which they will be welcomed: whether other artists will be present, if so, in which discipline, what is happening at the centre at that time, opportunities for links with the local area, etc.

The aim is to provide a reassuring working environment so that residents feel comfortable and free to create. This requires the right setting, equipment and human relations.

Thinking about hospitality means putting yourself in someone else's shoes and trying to imagine what would be most beneficial for them. With this in mind, the Cité du Mot wanted to set up artist/resident pairs. Thanks to its in-depth knowledge of the area, the CCR is able to identify residents who are willing to take part in this initiative. In this way, the artist becomes attached to the area and has points of reference, while the resident enjoys a form of travel. This opportunity is particularly beneficial to exiled artists who are winners of the Nora programme, coordinated by the ACCR since 2016, who, in addition to artistic support, are in need of emotional support.

Participants also looked at the issue of welcoming families: how can parenthood be combined with an artistic career and an international exhibition? Without making any assumptions, it is important to be adaptable and offer a range of different types of residency. This flexibility on the part of the host organisations helps to reduce barriers to access to work opportunities for some people. This focus on hospitality is based on allowing people to choose the type of work they want to do.

Among the residencies to be considered, we could envisage segmenting residencies into short periods, offering childcare facilities, providing information and support on schooling for children who are on the move, allowing spouses or relatives to visit, etc. For example, the Abbaye de Neimënster allows spouses to visit for 30% of the residency period so as not to disrupt thebubble effect that a period of residence can create. The aim is to offer solutions while guaranteeing the benefits of a residence that consists mainly of time for personal creativity. In very concrete terms, in the case of a resident with a child, the Abbaye de Noirlac offers an amendment to the agreement to transfer responsibility for the site to the parent.

In short, it is up to the centres to communicate these opportunities: they should state in the call for projects that the venue is inclusive and open to receiving this type of application (this applies to all forms of discrimination that artists may face, as established by the law).

The Abbaye de Neimënster is currently working on a questionnaire to find out what artists expect from a residency, so that teams can anticipate and update any elements they may not have thought of.