APPLICATION DEADLINE
August 30th, 2021 (November 2021-March 2022 work-exchange)

Moulin/Belle is an art residency founded in 2020 in Mareuil en Perigord in southwest France. We are at the very beginning stages, and are hoping to find people interested in working on the space with us. Once completed, Moulin/Belle will provide space for artists to slow down and reconnect with themselves, nature and their creativity. IG: @moulinbelleperigord FB page: Moulin/Belle FB group: Moulin/Belle Community

VALUES
Creativity
We believe creativity enriches our lives--it helps us cope, live with ambiguity, notice patterns, make connections, take risks and persevere. We believe creativity is vital to health, and that often a creative outlet can provide healing, even if done casually.

Sustainability
We believe sustainability means sustenance, nourishment, time, energy, community and financial stability. We are committed to creating a sustainable ecosystem on many levels.

Simplicity
We believe simplicity allows us to create space to return to earth, to ourselves, to our breath, to our priorities, to our work.

Accessibility
We believe in offering an open and accessible space with multiple pathways for international and local creatives, including those within marginalized communities, to arrive, engage and thrive.

WORK-EXCHANGE PROGRAM
Moulin/Belle is an old mill, about 200 years old, and some spaces are “completed” and some need to be completely renovated. The current focus of the buildout is working on the organic garden, redoing the walls, daily tasks and ongoing projects. A day might look like gardening in the morning, and building a new chicken coop in the afternoon, or cutting pathways through the back trees and polishing the new dance floor, or building a dam for the river and sanding old stone in the mill. We hope to match your interest and skills with our projects, the weather, contractors, etc, to find a good fit. We welcome feedback in the moment and after to make this the best experience for you and future work-exchange participants.

We will provide breakfast everyday and lunch on weekdays. You will be responsible for your own dinners on weekdays, and lunch and dinners on the weekends. There is a weekly green market, grocery, pharmacy, butcher, bakery, wine cave and more, all within walking distance.

We will all be living under one roof, so we hope to give each other both time for connection and time for reflection. We expect contributions to maintaining the common areas as a daily practice. Currently we will host 2-4 work exchange participants at a time on a two week rotation. We speak English and French.

YOU GET:
A private or shared room
Reasonable use of the space and its gifts (vegetables, eggs, etc)
Use of the kitchen, common areas and amenities (washer, wifi etc)
Continental breakfast daily
Lunch Monday-Friday

YOU GIVE:
 Commit to work 24.5 hours per week, with an agreed upon schedule ahead of time.
- Contribute to Moulin/Belle, to the space and community
- Agree to house rules, leaving no trace, and respecting the space, the other people living in the house with you, the earth and the local community
- Purchase travel insurance (very affordable) for the duration of your stay
- Completing an exit survey to help us continue to craft the best experience for participants

SAMPLE SCHEDULE:
Monday 10am-12pm, 1pm-5pm
Tuesday 1pm-5pm (Market morning)
Wednesday 10am-12pm, 1pm-5pm
Thursday 10am-12pm, 1pm-5pm
Friday 10am-12:30pm
Weekends off
 
TRAVELING HERE:
Details provided upon acceptance. From Paris there is a 2.5 hour train to Angouleme, and then 40 minute bus to our town, Mareuil en Perigord.

OUR HOPE:
We sincerely hope this work exchange is an opportunity to connect and learn, but also to discover southwest France, and to relax. We welcome feedback in the moment and after to make this the best experience for you and future work-exchange participants. We hope you have time and space to put your feet in the river, visit the local castle, go to the market, and exhale.