“The residency at Chalet Lecoq in Clermont-Ferrand was for me a transformative experience of immeasurable value. Whether on a professional, artistic/cultural, or human level, my stay was an endless source of discoveries, surprises, inspiration, and wonder. The city of Clermont-Ferrand particularly amazed me with the diversity, quantity, and quality of its cultural offerings, making it a warm and vibrant place to live—not to mention the enchanting setting of the residence in Jardin Lecoq.
I was also welcomed, guided, and supported with great care throughout the residency (by Fanny Martin, Francesca D’Orazio, and Agathe Bidault), which greatly facilitated my integration, helped meet material needs, and fostered connections with the city’s artistic community.
It is an experience of artistic and human connections that continues to act as a springboard in both my personal life and professional journey, clearly demonstrating the richness that an artist residency can create.” — A. Normandin
For six weeks, you could run into her everywhere: on a café terrace, at the Salins flea market, on the ascent of Puy de Dôme, in the fine arts school library. Always smiling, often surrounded by figures from Clermont’s creative scene, Alexe Normandin quickly brought energy to the city’s urban life.
In six weeks, she managed to build a genuine connection with the residents of Clermont-Ferrand. Through two open studio events and a talk at the fine arts school, she opened the doors of Chalet Lecoq and her universe to them.
From the very first days, the chalet studio filled with her creations: mystical objects, collages, a painting on a canvas mounted on a handmade frame. A body of work that is both artisanal and inhabited, where each object seems charged with a story—or at the very least, a deep reflection.
It is a beautiful example of an artistic residency: an artist from elsewhere who takes root, shares, exchanges, and leaves a trace. Alexe Normandin is at once an artist, a craftswoman, a philosopher—and above all, a creator of connection.
She describes this artistic research in these words:
“At the heart of my residency lies a fundamental question: what does ownership do to our lives, to our spaces, to who we are? In my multidisciplinary practice at the crossroads of creation and construction, I explore the tension between the materiality of our built environments and the invisible weight of the objects that inhabit them.
My research revolves around a poetic duality—having vs. being, useful vs. necessary, full vs. empty—with the intention of laying bare our intimate and often obsessive relationship to material things. Through experiments in drawing, painting, collage, assemblage, and installation, I examine the in-between spaces where art can open up room to breathe, even to resist, in the face of everyday saturation.
The context of Clermont-Ferrand, with its antique dealers and flea markets, enriches this reflection by offering a playground for exploration. The residency itself, in what it implies in terms of withdrawal and slowness, becomes a form of response: a time to observe, to feel, and simply to be.”
INMCResidencies
During the 4th INMC conference in Anderson, SC, member cities initiated an artistic exchange project aimed at strengthening cultural ties between partners, while supporting creation, training, and awareness of the arts.
The project aims to invite each year one or more artists from member cities to stay in a city within the network. During their residency, artists have the opportunity to create new works inspired by their local environment, to share their expertise through workshops and meetings with residents, thereby contributing to the cultural life of the host city.
This residency not only allows artists to discover new horizons and enrich their practice, but also fosters intercultural exchanges among citizens of partner cities. By encouraging artistic mobility and creation, INMC affirms its commitment to promoting culture as a vector of social connection, innovation, and regional dynamism.
Read the article “Summer 2025: Julia Roy-Williams — The Art of Salford in Residence in Clermont-Ferrand”
Read the article “Culture Lab: Artists-in-Residence”
photographer : ©Thierry LINDAUER
