Review of the Art Residency for Armenian Decorators in France

July 2023

In continuation of the exchanges initiated between France and Armenia in 2019 with professionalization missions, five Armenian ceramic decorators traveled to France to carry out an art residency. From June 30th to July 14th, their stay was marked by rich moments of visits, work, and collaborations.

Ceramics created in Lyon and Villerest

The beginning of their residency took place in Lyon, where, in addition to conducting ceramic decoration initiation workshops with more than fifty participants, they visited the city, as well as the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon and the Bullukian Foundation, a long-time supporter of the workshop.

At the same time, they also worked at ‘l’Antre aux pots‘ in Villerest, Marc Giroudon’s workshop. This French ceramist, who has visited Armenia several times, is one of the organizers of this art residency during which numerous pieces were created. You can find them on September 16th and 17th during the potters’ market in Villerest.

Moments of Sharing and Visits

During these two weeks, Mariam Khachatryan, Mher Hovhannisyan, Nariné Aleksanyan, Ani Darchoyan, and Mariam Poghosyan visited the workshops of Jean-Jacques Dubernard in Vienne (Isère) and François Fresnais in Chassey le Camp (Saône-et-Loire), as well as the pottery in Cliousclat (Drôme).”
These moments of sharing with French ceramists allowed them to reunite with the ceramists who had visited Armenia as part of the professionalization missions. It also provided an opportunity to understand the production methods of French workshops to improve the organization of the workshop in Gumri and share their experience in Armenia.

In this way, they were able to meet and reunite with those who contribute to the development of the workshops in Gumri (Shirak) and Hartashen (Syunik) throughout the year, such as volunteers and members of the association.

This residency is supported by the French Embassy in Armenia, the French Institute of Armenia, the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region, the Bullukian Foundation, Fineco Eurofinancement company, and the associations Argiles et Terre de Potes.