Organizer Information
The Association Tournefou is a multidisciplinary arts organization based in the village of Pâlis, in the Aube department of France's Grand Est region, near Troyes. Since 2009, the association has run "Le Tournefou," a restored 18th-century Champenois farmhouse set within a wooded park, which functions as a home, exhibition and concert venue, artistic practice center, and artist residency site. The site is permanently inhabited by a team of artists and facilitators, alongside visiting resident artists and trainees, and is intended as a space for encounter between artists and the public, amateurs and professionals, rural and urban communities, and different generations and social backgrounds.
Tournefou runs a program of artist residencies renewed annually, with part of the program reserved for specific project calls, including partnerships such as the one with the Musée Camille Claudel in Nogent-sur-Seine. The Résidence Luciole is particularly supported by the Fondation Scène et Cité (under the aegis of the Fondation de France) and the Front de Libération des Lucioles.
Title & Description
Résidence Luciole (Luciole Residency) — Arts visuels, écriture
The Résidence Luciole is a research and creative residency in visual arts and writing, intended for young artists, self-taught practitioners, and anyone wishing to commit to a life as an artist who needs this step to support and encourage them toward that path. The residency's purpose is to offer recipients a first apprenticeship in their vocation as an "éveilleur" (awakener) within their artistic journey.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Writing
- Residency
- Craft
Eligibility
- Open to young artists, self-taught practitioners, and anyone wishing to commit to a life as an artist who needs this residency to support and encourage that development
Program Benefits & Awards
- Two recipients each receive a full-board stay at the Association Tournefou (workshop, accommodation, meals), valued at €2,500 for the two-month period
- Accommodation includes a 22 m² creative workshop with an independent studio, or an individual room with a shared kitchenette
- Full meal coverage is included
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Applications may be sent by email to residencetournefou@gmail.com (subject line: "Luciole"), or by post to: Association Tournefou, 4 rue du Tournefou - Pâlis, 10190 Aix-Villemaur-Pâlis.
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 September 2026
- Response to candidates: end of October 2026
- Residency period: 1 May – 30 June 2027
Location
Pâlis, Aix-Villemaur-Pâlis, Aube, Grand Est, France
Additional Details
- Applicants are free to devise an original way of presenting themselves and motivating their application; all formats are accepted, including paper, electronic, video, or audio dossiers, but the application must include proof of civil liability insurance
- Applications are reviewed by a multi-party jury composed of members of the Association Tournefou and other artists and professionals from the arts field; particular attention is given to applications that consider art as foundational to our shared future and that propose a resolutely poetic body of work
- The 2027 selection committee is composed of: Maud Gironnay (artist); Sophie Bouts (President of Tournefou); Philippe Brame (photographer and poet); Isabelle Ha Eav (residency coordinator); and one member of the Fondation Scène et Cité
- The residency will be formalized through a contract between the Association Tournefou and the artist
- A security deposit ("caution") of €200 is requested for accommodation
- 2027 pricing for extended stays/other visitors at Tournefou (context for the site generally): €23 per person per night, €0.50 tourist tax per night, €7 for linens/towels, €4.50 for breakfast, €14.50 per meal — these appear to be the site's general accommodation rates rather than residency-specific fees, since the residency itself is described as full-board
- Nearest train stations: Nogent-sur-Seine (30 min), Troyes (35 min), Saint Florentin–Vergigny (45 min); the association can arrange pick-up from the station if notified in advance
- Contact: +33 3 25 40 58 37, residencetournefou@gmail.com, association-tournefou.com