Creative Renewal and Cultural Exchange in Normandy: The Artists’ Residencies of La Maison de Simon

For Alon and Betsy Kasha, La Maison de Simon is far more than an artists’ residency program. It is how they celebrate the life of their son Simon, who passed away at the age of ten from neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer. Located in the village of Fontaine-sous-Jouy, La Maison de Simon has established a strong presence in the community, has hosted a wide range of artists, and continues to foster creativity in and around the region.

Celebrating Simon’s Life

In 2020, on the tenth anniversary of Simon’s death, the Kasha family, Betsy, Alon, and their daughter Sarah, decided to establish something in his name that would reflect his energy and imagination while supporting experienced artists and the next generation of creative professionals. The Kashas -Americans who live in Paris where they have a development, architecture and real estate practice – have always been art lovers and have many friends who are artists. So doing something to foster creativity seemed the most meaningful way to celebrate the life of their son, who was also highly creative. “Art is healing in a lot of ways,” says Betsy.

Having settled on their idea for an artists’ residency, the Kashas found an opportunity to turn it into a reality when a friend in the village was selling her house, a converted barn surrounded by a large garden.

The location gave them a close connection with Simon. It was near the family’s Normandy house and where he had spent many of his weekends with his sister and friends playing games, exploring the natural world, and creating art. “It was meaningful to Simon,” says Alon. “We wanted to do something to tie it in with the children of the community, and we can have more impact in a little village like Fontaine-sous-Jouy than we can in Paris.”

Building on Centuries of Tradition

In supporting artists in France, the Kashas are part of a tradition that dates to the late seventeenth century. In 1666, during the reign of Louis XIV, a generous patron of the arts, the French Academy in Rome was established to host sculptors and painters and, later, architects. For its founders, the goal was to advance the development of French artists by exposing them to another culture through classical Italian works of art and sculpture. Similarly, the goal of the Kashas is to attract predominantly American or anglophone artists who are seeking the inspiration of a French setting in which to explore their artistic ideas.

We set this up as a very intimate residence. We have a bunch of studios, but we only have two bedrooms. We give the house to an artist for six weeks to three months to do whatever they want, to reset themselves and to rethink what they’re doing while being inspired by the environment.

Today, La Maison de Simon takes its place among the many institutions and programs that provide the time and space for artists to develop their creative work. Most of the house consists of studios that accommodate a variety of artistic disciplines, from painting and drawing to ceramics. With two bedrooms, La Maison de Simon provides an opportunity for residents to invite a fellow artist to join them during their stay.

And not far from Fontaine-sous-Jouy is the village of Giverny, home to impressionist painter Claude Monet, whose famous gardens were behind the water lily series he produced in the last decades of his life. “This is an area where artists have always been inspired,” says Betsy.

Space for Inspiration and Reflection

For Linda Williams, a Paris-based visual artist and 2023 artist-in-residence, the design of the house plays an important role in the creative process. “It’s really spacious and beautifully decorated,” she says. “It feels like everything has been made with the artist in mind -the space is just there waiting for you.” For her, the residence was an opportunity to explore new artistic frontiers. “My intention was not to produce, but use the time to experiment,” she says. “It’s having the time and the space to let the creative process evolve. And it has definitely strengthened my confidence in my creative process.”

This experience really shook up my life, my art, my direction for the future!

Comments in the guest book reveal that La Maison de Simon has had a similar impact on all its resident artists. “I came to La Maison to find time,” writes Carola van Dyke, a London-based textile artist who was a 2023 artist-in-residence. “Time to do something with all the different ideas I had in my head – without being distracted by my usual workload. Time to develop, reconnect, and experiment with new artwork.” Laurie Fox echoes the sentiment. “This experience really shook up my life, my art, my direction for the future!” writes Fox, a Rome-based painter and 2023 artist-in-residence. “I could almost hear the ‘thluck’ as I was pulled out of the muddy quagmire of my everyday.”

For Alon, such comments are an affirmation that La Maison de Simon is serving its purpose. “We’ve only been doing this almost two years and we already have accomplished artists approaching us,” he says. “And what they like is that they need a reset button.”

A Partnership with Myriad USA

When establishing La Maison de Simon, the first and principal project of the Simon Kasha Foundation, the Kashas knew they would find enthusiastic supporters in their networks back in the United States. To help receive gifts from donors in a straightforward and efficient way, they opened the American Friends of the Simon Kasha Foundation. “I’ve seen how American friends funds work,” says Alon, who is on the board of a U.S. private foundation. “And we knew that our best source of receiving funds would be in the U.S. through a 501(c)(3).”

The Kashas turned to the team at Myriad USA for a solution. “It’s great to have the personal contact,” says Betsy. “You can pick up the phone and have someone to talk to.” Up to date, the American Friends of the Simon Kasha Foundation granted over half a million dollars to help renovate and maintain the artist residency, gallery, and teaching spaces of La Maison de Simon.

From Local to Global

To build a sense of community locally, the resident artists hold an open house during their stay so that people in the village can come and see what they have been working on. Some artists also leave behind something that they have created during their stay. “The idea is to build a collection that can be viewed by the village and the area, and that becomes a kind of group show,” explains Betsy.

Meanwhile, plans include the possibility of a sculpture garden and a gallery in the village, as well as an alumni network for former resident artists. As this network grows, La Maison de Simon could become a focal point for international creative exchange between an expanding number of artists and writers.

For the Kashas, the idea is to maintain the small size of the residency in France, but for it to have an impact that goes beyond the village of Fontaine-sous-Jouy. “We want to keep it intimate,” says Betsy. “But we have plans to expand.”