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Livre d'Or

Guestbook  

2011 Spring Fellows

Wendy Everett

It is hard to describe Cassis without reverting to hyperbole: breathtakingly beautiful, with a magic all of its own, an enchanting little town in a rich and inspiring region. However, the joy of living here was further enhanced by being part of the Camargo Foundation. What the Fellowship offered me was the almost unknown luxury of space and time in which to think and work. What the Foundation provided was friendliness, support, and an intensely exiting interdisciplinary context. Whether swearing at my laptop, clambering over rocks and cliffs, sharing bottles of rosé and pastis, arguing about ideas, or simply gazing at the changing light, colours, and textures of the sea and the landscape, I found every moment to be valuable and enriching, in every possible way.

James Johnson

This photo was taken on February 4, 2011.  We were about to enjoy a lunch that included sea urchins plucked from the Mediterranean just hours before.  The temperature was close to 80 degrees on the terrace.  Meanwhile in New England, where I teach, one of the nastiest winters in living memory was just getting started.  Enough said.

Douglas Kibbee

David Rakowski

I calculate I've seen the Cape Canaille in 35 or 40 different kinds of light (I have the pictures to prove it), and seeing it from the windows in my studio never got old. It's great to have a wonderful, sunny studio and a lot of working time; greater still to be with so many gifted and amazing people and to get to know their work. I loved the open air markets, the daily walk to the Calanques, the bus ride into Marseille, the teeming masses of people in town on weekends, evening gatherings on the Chinese terrace, and I especially loved the Pizza Pengui at the restaurant we got to know as Disco Pizza. It turns out I also wrote a heck of a lot of music, at least some of it pretty good.

Natalia Saurin

Wow! an unforgettable experience, simply fantastic. Intense work moments alternated with physical moments of hiking and beautiful landscapes. I have really enjoyed the interactions with fellows and staff here who have generously shared their creativity and knowledge.

Stephanie Soileau

Now that I'm home, I'm wondering if I dreamed the whole thing.  Even now, my time in Cassis seems too good to have been true.  Thanks, Camargo!

2010 Fall Semester Fellows

Cameron Hockenson

The breathtaking view is just the beginning of inspiration at Camargo, which seems as common as the sunshine. I have really enjoyed the interactions with fellows and staff here who have generously shared their creativity and knowledge in arts and letters. It was a productive period of growth in my work, possible only with the support of the accommodating staff here, and the luxury of space and time.  Somewhere between the serene coves, the lively market, gatherings in the Battery, and occasional excursions into greater Provence, I found unforgettable memories to take home.

Sara Houghteling

This was a tremendously beautiful place and a very productive time for my husband and I. We made wonderful friends among the Directors, the staff, and the Fellows. We loved working in the library, hiking in the Calanques, and swimming in the cold, cold water. Bring a wetsuit.

Chia-Yu Hsu
Alex Jimenez Ruanova

Cassis was an amazing experience for me, a peaceful and appropriate place to write music, with beautiful landscapes, interesting culture, and interaction with the fellowship, and staff at the residence makes difficult for me to leave it. I think I am not the same after this experience. Thank you Camargo Foundation.

Ben Kiernan

My semester at the Camargo Foundation was a highly enjoyable and productive experience. I was able to conduct my research and writing in a beautiful location among smart, thoughtful, fun people from a range of disciplines, ages, and nationalities. I particularly valued the combination of the arts and the humanities for which the Camargo Foundation is justly famous. It is a marvelous institution with a strong record of fostering quality research and output, and a terrifically friendly and helpful staff.

Oh yes, and the calanques. . .

I will miss Cassis, and hope to return.

Michael Levine

Cassis is a breathtakingly beautiful town and the Camargo Foundation is an ideal place to work. The three-month stay makes it possible to develop lasting friendships, to exchange and discuss work with other fellows in an ongoing manner, and to learn from a highly accomplished and wonderfully generous mix of musicians, visual artists, writers, and academics at different stages in their careers. As someone who came with his wife and two teenage children, I can only recommend it. At least in our case, the fellows and directors were particularly welcoming and gracious, including the children in all kinds of discussions, artistic projects, and explorations of the magnificent environs.

Martyn Lyons

A wonderful fellowship in a superb setting. Truly memorable, j’ai passé un très bon moment.

Daniel Mason

What an extraordinary visit... even now I cannot stop thinking about the beauty of the Camargo: the drumbeat of the waves against the limestone cliffs, the light over the garrigue, the octopi and jellyfish and bream and blenny. What a privilege it was to have the time and silence to work, but most of all the camaraderie of other fellows and wonderful staff and directors. In the end, I think this is what I will miss most-- the kindness and sense of shared mission that transcended our diverse projects, and the great joy of learning about so many different worlds, whether at the evening presentations, or the spontaneous conversations in the library, or the talks over our many rambles through the hills.

Kelly Summers

The only downside of living and working in paradise was waking each morning to the realization we were one day closer to leaving. Camargo proved an ideal place to write, research and think, as well as to hike, snorkel, feast, and explore Provence with new friends….It will be very difficult to readjust to reality! Many thanks to Jerome Hill for his vision and generosity, and to the directors, staff, fellows and family members who made our stay in Cassis so productive and pleasurable.

 

2010 Spring Fellows

Sean Field

My semester in Cassis was intellectually and aestheticly the time of my life. The foundation is a wonderfully peaceful place to work, and the town is welcoming to fellows and their families. Just waking up every morning here was a pleasure; writing from a desk overlooking the sea, with the sun streaming in through the terrace doors, hardly felt like “work” at all, yet I got a great deal done during my four months at the Camargo Foundation.

Osvaldo Ruiz

 

Natasha Saje

In today’s (May 7, 2010) New York Times: “According to Kenneth Heilman, a neurologist at the University of Florida and the author of “Creativity and the Brain” (2005), creativity not only involves coming up with something new, but also with shutting down the brain’s habitual response, or letting go of conventional solutions…. creative connections often occur when people are most peaceful — relaxing under a tree, like Isaac Newton, or in a dream state, like Coleridge when he thought up ‘Kubla Khan.’” I feel lucky that my “dream town” this winter and spring was Cassis, and thankful for the genie of the Camargo Foundation.

Barbara Will

Thank you, Camargo Foundation and our wonderful leaders Connie and Leon, for a peaceful, concentrated atmosphere, for the quiet of the library at night, for the walks in the Calanques and the daily walks with three children to and from school, the soccer games, the ever-changing colors of the sea, and above all for making possible the amazing friendship and camaraderie of a great group of fellows and staff.

 

2009 Fall Semester Fellows

Christopher Dietz

When I returned to the States someone asked me if I was having trouble readjusting to my old life. My response was something along the lines of, "Why would I want to do that? I don't want to readjust." My time at the Camargo Foundation changed the way I see certain aspects of my life. I am back now amongst familiar circumstances but am endeavoring to maintain the openness and clarity of mind that I enjoyed in Cassis. So far, I think it's working.

Kimberly Jannarone

It's impossible to conceive of an environment more conducive than Camargo to creativity, productivity, and inspiration. Long days in the library overlooking the sea and Cap Canaille are enriched by friendly scholars in related subjects at nearby desks. These hours interweave with hikes in the Calanques with artists and writers, with whom exploring surprising rock formations, listening to the water, examining the colors of lichen, and marveling at the endless permutations of light and wind ... all turn into joyful lessons in the infinite varieties of beauty. Add to this unforgettable December swims at Port Pin, group Pilates in the red room, numerous potlucks crafted from the farmer's market, talented performers to sing and read with in the evenings, and endless space to read and think, and you have a perfect three months.

 Tomiko Jones

 

Eddie Kolla

Life at Camargo has been utterly idyllic - from the views from my living room AND my desk in the library of the sea and Cap Canaille, which magically change colour over the course of the day; to mid-day beach breaks on Bestouan with fellow Cassis locals; to sunshine and warm weather that allow hiking and swimming in the calanques right through December; to working out (again with the locals) at the municipal gymnase; to dinners, discussions, and lots of wine with the glamoisie. Thank you Jerome Hill!

Jeannette Miller

Paradise ended four weeks ago today. There are so many things that I miss from my Camargo experience (especially in light of the single digit temperature), from the amazing camaraderie of the talented fellows, to the staff’s smiles and support, to the serene workspaces, to potluck meals with ingredients from the local market, to lots of laughter with the glamoisie, to dips in the Mediterranean, to the sun-dripping view from my balcony in Apartment J. And there are so many things that have returned as part of me to the US, from lasting friendships, to a deeper knowledge of familiar domains of scholarship, to a finer appreciation for the arts and music, to inspiration from the waves that gently lapped against Pierrefroide.

Kate Soper

Opening the street-side door onto a vision of the ocean, playing a magnificent Steinway while looking out at the waves, listening to music in the brick-vaulted studio, waking up before dawn to work and seeing the sun rise over the Cap Canaille as the lights of the town go off--none of it ever got old!  I will miss Camargo and will always be grateful for my experiences here with my work and with my fellows.

 

2009 Spring Semester Fellows

Alia Al-Saji

Toril Moi

The Camargo Foundation in Cassis is a haven of peace in a setting of exquisite natural beauty. Great walks around the Calanques, and uphill to the vineyards. Fantastic views everywhere.  I had a wonderful semester: long walks every day, lots of work, good company. It doesn't get much better than this!

Jeffrey Ruoff

The Camargo foundation has been a wonderful place to work – peaceful and quiet when necessary, but also lively thanks to the fellows. (I’ll always remember our evening potlucks on the Chinese terrace, especially the dinner with fireworks in the bay of Cassis celebrating the liberation of France.) When I needed a break from my computer, I could just glance out the window at the magnificent Cap Canaille. I doubt I would have had the pleasure of attending the Cannes film festival without this residency. Each time I’ve returned to Cassis from a trip away, I have been overwhelmed by the beauty of Provence, the seaside, the calanques, and the Cap Canaille. Many thanks to Connie, Leon, Béatrice, Christian, Roger, Emily, and Louisette for making all this possible.

Robin Walz

Thank you, Jerome Hill, for the legacy of the Camargo Foundation. It's the realization of the Abbey of Thélème envisioned by Rabelais -- "Do what you will" -- on the French Mediterranean. I now understand why it took Odysseus twenty years to get home. I am enchanted by your island of paradise. Soon the spell will be broken. But I will continue to dream about the Camargo community and this magical setting. One day, I hope to awaken and find I have returned.

 

2008 Fall Semester Fellows

Meena Alexander

It’s been such an inspiring place to write poetry, the sea with its changing colors, the great calanques, the skies of southern France. I will never forget the beauty of this landscape and its rich, yet austere forms.
Micah Alpaugh

Staying at the Camargo proved an excellent opportunity to get a lot of work done – both writing and, for me, to explore the historical archives housed around France’s Mediterranean basin. The Foundation provides a peaceful, stimulating and conducive environment for a wide variety of projects, and does a good job of getting fellows thinking outside the parameters of their own disciplines to interact with others.
Claire Cage

I’m very grateful to the Foundation, first-rate staff, and excellent company of fellows for making my stay in Cassis such a wonderful and enjoyable experience.

Tamar Diesendruck

Here are the gifts of time, beauty and community, the sanctuaries of nature and the studio, the luxury of being able to work through varied multiple scenarios in the work, peace to contemplate, space to animate, and the best bread in the world.

Lee Renninger

My stay at Camargo has been a true gift in every way. Aside from completing my project, I was able to explore the area and have the time to savor the amazing beauty of the landscape. Every day brought some new sound or sight. Even the Mistral storms were a welcome occurrence if only for the magical quality they brought. I can also say that I gained several new friends that I will stay in contact with. Both the fellows and the staff greatly enriched my stay at Camargo. I won’t soon forget my experience here and will miss Cassis and my “Camargo family” very much.

Jessica Wiskus

Brenda Withers

Running the narrow road past an endless stream of vineyards makes you feel like a temporary giant, the king of all tiny, would-be trees. Then you stand and face the churning sea as it tries to eat the lighthouse. This is your daily warm-up in Cassis, a game of shifting perspective. Now you are able to write all day, armed with everything to say. Vive Camargo!

 

2008 Spring Semester Fellows

Grace An

My time at the Camargo has been so enriching and productive, and mostly in unexpected ways. So many treasures and blessings here: the sea, the sky, the air, the people, the beauty, the walks, the time, and the serenity. I'll never forget the views from my window, both onto the world outside and into the world of my project, happily revitalized and challenged. The generosity, talents, humor, and camaraderie of the fellows were especially rejuvenating and an antidote to the normal isolation of scholarship. Thanks to Jean-Pierre, Mary, Béatrice, Christian, and Diana for the superb organization and warmth of this special place. I will certainly be drawing inspiration and motivation from this period of time for many years to come.
Jon Appleton

A magnificent place to do a major piece of work. I did everything I had planned and even had a few hours to meet other residents. The temptations, if one has not lived in the south of France, are many and should be resisted lest this become more of a vacation. Few opportunities likes this exist in life for a period of dedicated work.
Barbara Diefendorf

Doing archival research in a strange city can be an isolating experience. The Camargo Foundation was the perfect antidote to that sense of isolation. The beauty of the setting and camaraderie of the fellows combined to make this a wonderful semester, one in which I worked hard but also enjoyed myself thoroughly. Coming over the hills into Cassis after a day in the archives of Marseilles or Aix-en-Provence, I felt both pleasure and peace. I closed my shutters at night just for the joy of opening them again in the morning. Favorite memories will include Béatrice’s guided tour of Marseilles, the excursion to the Sainte-Baume, dinners on the Chinese terrace, and meandering explorations of the calanques. Thank you Jerome Hill! And thank you Jean-Pierre, Mary, and the entire crew for preserving and expanding upon his legacy. Thanks also to my fellow fellows for making this such a special time.

Jennifer Grotz

I have never lived anyplace where, upon waking every morning, the first thing I did was  run to the window and part the curtains so that I could look out at my sublime view of the Mediterranean and the beautiful Cap Canaille (which I nicknamed “Riffraff Rock”). At Camargo I was blessed with an “embarras de richesse,” a combination of being enmeshed in my work, among dear new friends, and in an environment of breathtaking beauty. Like Virginia Woolf said, moments here in Cassis have been among the happiest of my entire life. 

Marie-Paule Ha

My stay at the Camargo Foundation has been very productive. The tranquility of the place is most conducive to thinking and writing.  I have had a thoroughly enjoyable semester and will always remember with fondness the time I spent there.  Many thanks to the Camargo Foundation for making this incredibly beautiful experience possible!
Karen King-Aribisala

Without being superfluous my stay at the Camargo Foundation has been wonderful, the very environment of Cassis with its spectacular cliffs, weekly outdoor markets in the streets where one is surrounded by a suffusion of colorful pottery, flowers, vegetables and fruit, the sailing boats, the sea  . . .  and the time to simply work in a continuous way, the discussions at the weekly project presentation meetings as well as the various cultural activities which the residency and the town affords make this an ideal place to have a great time and be very productive all at once; it doesn’t get much better than that!

Fabiola Lopez-Duran

Camargo opened an interstice between mind and nature in which the magnificent Calanques, the white promenades along the Mediterranean, the vineyards and countryside valleys became extended territories of thinking and pleasure. I feel extremely thankful to the Camargo Foundation for the extraordinary opportunity of working and living in Cassis.
Pauline Oliveros

The enchantment of the Camargo Foundation residency will be with me for the rest of my life. The concert in the amphitheater of Chez Jerome was one of the most magical moments of the residency along with the incredibly reverberating thunder storm bouncing around all of Les Calanques the night before. The air was cleared and the day of the concert was brilliantly beautiful. I am grateful for all.
Barton Palmer

With its beautiful natural setting in a quiet but culturally-rich seaside town, the Camargo Foundation provides an ideal location for the artist and scholar.  The excellent residential facilities, along with a quite serviceable library, made academic research and writing as easy as it can be.  My time here was immensely productive, more than I had anticipated, and I also benefited greatly from the intellectual companionship and friendship of a varied group of accomplished fellows.  Walking the calanques every morning before settling down to a day at the computer was pure pleasure.  My wife and teenaged son thoroughly enjoyed their first lengthy exposure to French culture and French people.  We dined like kings every night on the wonderful produce available at the bi-weekly market, and on irresistible baked goods and bread.  Cassis will forever hold a very special place in all our hearts.
Ruijun Shen

I like to think about Camargo as a time zone, as my living experience in between China and the U.S.  Camargo is 7 hours from China and 7 hours from the U.S. In Camargo, I forget the pass and the future. In this beautiful and dream-like land, I can really focus on what I want to do, my project. It is a paradise to generate deep thoughts.

Jack Veugelers

My stay at the Camargo Foundation was more than a dream come true. It exceeded all I could have imagined, and left me grateful for the vision and generosity of Jerome Hill.

2007 Fall Semester Fellows
Gilbert Chaitin

I found conditions here ideal for thinking and writing. In addition to the sunlight and magnificent view of the sea and cliffs and the lack of distractions and responsibilities other than for my project, the ability to work either in the library or in the privacy of my apartment made it very easy to concentrate on the job at hand. The presence of wifi in both places made it possible to check facts and bibliography, to read texts and to research topics on the web. With so many resources now available on the web, the lack of a research library here is much less of an impediment than it must have been in previous times. The presence of a congenial and diverse group of fellows made my stay all the more enjoyable and intellectually stimulating. I now understand why two of my colleagues told me before I applied to Camargo that their stays here were among the best times in their lives.
Julia Deppert

Being at Camargo gave me the opportunity during a very special period of my life to focus on my compositional work in a beautiful environment.  Naturally rather limited in the radius of my actions, I feel extremely grateful for spending this autumn under the Mediterranean sun and for being kindly supported by fellow residents and the Camargo staff.

Margaret Flinn

Jeff Fort

We worked hard, we played hard... An indelible experience.

Fenton Johnson

Camargo allowed me to renew my lifelong, rich, complex relationship with la belle France.  The stunning views, the beautiful sea – these are a given, but what was more to the point for me was the chance to have French in my ears and France at my feet as I struggled with a complex and difficult project in English.  The juxtaposition was symbiotic, nourishing for both the English-written novel and the French-loving heart.

Laura Kalba

Juraj Kojs

My Camargo residency was one big bucket of delight. For three months, I lived in an incredibly stunning place. I managed to complete my project. I met a number of terrific people—the fellow fellows, whose company made my residency an unforgettable experience. What else can an artist wish for?

Karan Mahajan

I ate non-stop.

B. Ruby Rich

My time at Camargo was unexpectedly restorative. I expected to get a lot of writing done, and I did. But I didn't realize I would regain a sense of life as it ideally could be: full of town and nature, friends and solitude, excellent food, and productivity as well. My partner and I will always remember this time here, thanks to the Dautricourts, Jerome Hill, the town of Cassis. A very special time and place.

Laura Sextro

Alan Tulchin

My wife and I really had a marvelous time and got a lot of productive work done. We both made important professional contacts and some dear friends.

Cassandra Tytler

Every morning I would wake up and pinch myself, not believing that I lived amongst such beauty.  Cassis is a haven for both quiet contemplation, and social exchange with the other fellows.  I also loved my weekly trips to Marseille for art supplies and attempts at conversation in French.  I am sad it has come to an end, but am all the richer for my experience here in the South of France.

Charlotta Westergren

Magic..  The landscape of Cap Canaille out my window with the blue of the Mediterranean will be imprinted on me forever.

2007 Spring Semester Fellows

 
Christopher Butterfield

The Camargo Foundation is a haven for creative and scholarly work, free of distraction and expectation.  It’s a true ivory tower, and there are not many left in the world. I hope, for the sake of future fellows, it will always be that way.

Edwin Duval

Toute leur vie estoit employée non par loix, statuz, ou reigles, mais selon leur vouloir et franc arbitre, car gens liberes, bien nez, bien instruictz, conversans en compaignies honnestes ont par nature un instinct, et aguillon, qui tousjours les poulse à faictz vertueux, et retire de vice, lequel ils nommoient honneur.  Tant noblement estoient apprins, qu’il n’estoit entre eulx celluy, ne celle qui ne sceust lire, escripre, chanter, jouer d’instrumens harmonieux, parler de cinq et six langaiges, et en iceulx composer tant en carme que en oraison solue.

        Là est le bien que tout esprit desire,
        Là, le repos où tout le monde aspire,
        Là, est l’amour, là, le plaisir encore.


       - Ned Duval (with help from François Rabelais and Joachim Du Bellay)
 

Heiko Kalmbach

Jerome Hill's vision and generosity is kept alive by the Camargo Foundation and its dedicated staff. The time in Cassis, shared with fellows from all different fields, has made for an incredibly enriching and fruitful experience. Thank you!
Susan Kinsolving

If there’s a heaven, I hope Jerome Hill is in it because he left one here.

John McManus

Beryl Schlossman

2006 Fall Semester Fellows

Jen Bervin

I often thought that we were making not only our work here, but that we were making time as well. It was easy to be productive, focused, and marvelously alive.

Marilynn Desmond

Every day at the Camargo is a gift, a gift of time, of light, of fellowship with academics and artists. Cap Canaille, the lighthouse, the sea and the Calanques offer an extraordinary context in which to write.

Jason Geistweidt

After the rush to complete my PhD, it certainly was a relief to turn to a new project in a relaxed, timeless atmosphere. It is important to work, but what a wonderful place to play as well! Simply put, it is paradise. The colors of the Mediterranean and the surrounding cliffs are surreal; many times I half-way surmised they were large-scale projections. The back alleys of Cassis are fun to explore, those of Marseille even more so. The staff are incredibly supportive and the atmosphere provides the silence to work as well as the activity for occasional distraction. My fellow colleagues were each exceptionally gifted in their own ways and the chance to interact with these individuals was one of the more important aspects of my time at Camargo. The time and freedom to think about who we are and what we are doing, this is the true gift of Camargo.

Maria Gindhart

The Camargo is truly a magical place. I will never forget hiking in the calanques, swimming at Bestouan, drinking hot chocolate on the terrace of Monsieur Brun, shopping at the Wednesday and Friday market, eating decadent treats from the pâtisserie Sucré Délices, and taking trips to Marseille, among many other things. And I will always cherish the friendship and general joie de vivre *not to mention the culinary skills!* of the other fellows with whom I was lucky enough to spend the semester. Moreover, the Camargo provided an ideal setting and intellectual environment in which I was able to write several chapters and re-conceptualize my book as a whole. The uninterrupted writing time and the generous feedback provided by my Camargo colleagues were invaluable. As I work on completing this project and on beginning new ones, I hope to continue to be buoyed by the spirit of the Camargo.

Elizabeth Kadetsky

I was blessed with the top floor terrace at Pierrefroid, among whose immense pleasures was its view of the full moon, which arrived the same night we fellows did last September. I recorded the movement of the moonrise for each of our four full moons-- 120 degrees acorss the horizon between september and december. Sadly, not a single fellow had enough science to predict, after the September moon, whether it would rise farther to the right or to the left when it came around in October. As it turned out the answer was Left. Ignorance priovides wonderful opportunities for mystery!

Sharon Kinoshita

Imagine a workday that begins being awoken by the sound of the Mediterranean gently lapping against the sea-wall below your open window and concludes with a shared bottle of wine and impromptu potluck with some congenial fellow Fellows. Imagine the day punctuated by trips to the twice-weekly open-air market to sample the regional produce and artisanal charcuterie, or hikes deep into the calanques, marveling at the variations of crystalline blue in the waters below. Imagine day trips to nearby Marseille—its size and bustle a thrilling counterpoint to the quiet and leisure of Cassis. Then you will begin to understand why a residency at the Camargo Foundation is a gift not just of time but of peace of mind, encouraging that sense of expansiveness beneficial to all scholarly and artistic endeavor.

Jane MacAvock

The Camargo is perfect for me. First was the opportunity to work on my project, relating to art in 17th century Aix. This, in a beautiful campus in a naturally rich environment, with easy access to a vibrant multi-cultural city (Marseille), a chic, baroque city (Aix), amazing hiking trails (the Calanques) and a wonderful beach (the plage du Bestouan next door). I love to swim in the sea and I don't think more than 3 or 4 days went by during my semester without me going for a dip. I will always remember swims and hikes with other Fellows and Residents when we discussed a wide range of subjects while swimming or walking (and climbing) in spectacular scenery. We also dressed up in our best clothes and went into Marseille for a meal in a restaurant and a visit to the opera. The delicious produce in the local market inspired me to broaden my cooking repertory, helped by the numerous potlucks we organised. For me, the combination of being in an amazing location with a group of lovely, interesting and challenging people has been truly wonderful and enriching.

Brian Nelson

    Elle est retrouvée.
    Quoi?—L’Eternité.
    C’est la mer allée
    Avec le soleil.

Time and tranquillity, the pleasures of place, the support of staff, and Fellows who become friends, make the Camargo the best working environment anyone could possibly imagine. I’m profoundly grateful for the experience.

Michael Osborne

The Camargo Foundation, with its stellar and supportive staff, and my former cluster of colleagues enabled focus on the tasks of scholarship as no other residential fellowship I have held. My dear former fellows and the staff at Camargo now sit on my shoulder as I write and will do so until the pen falls silent.

Karen Pagani

Time, Space, Color and Calm are just a few words that come to mind. The beauty of the surrounding areas, the personable staff and the wide range of talents and interests among the fellows and friends of the Foundation made my stay both pleasurable and productive. An all around positive experience.

Scott Sanders

My stay at Camargo has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. The surroundings are beyond beautiful, and the work environment is perfect for a writer (or composer, academic, windsurfer, hiker, cyclist, beach bum.) Basically, it's just an ideal location to be lucky enough to experience no matter what you do. If I'd only stayed a week, I would have been grateful, but instead I got to live here for three and a half months. Some of the best months of my life. I completed an entire novel of four hundred pages, and still had plenty of time to hike, bike, swim (into December), and eat incredible food. I even learned to play pitanque with the local men and women. It has been utopia and paradise all rolled up into one. As cliche as it may sound, it was truly the experience of a lifetime.

Juan Felipe Waller

As a composer, one is constantly dealing with the flow of time and its different speeds, its smoothnes as well as its abruptness. While being at Camargo, the gradual and yet constant tranformation of the breathtaking view, in combination with a majestic working space, have given me the chance to re-examine my own perceptions of time. It will certainly have a emphatic lasting effect in my future working processes. It has been a precious experience to reencounter nature at its best, and let it echo into my own creativity.  

2006 Spring Semester Fellows

Claudia Aravena Abughosh

Camargo fué el escenario de una nueva etapa en la producción de mi trabajo, y yo estoy muy feliz de que este escenario fuese uno de los lugares mas bellos en donde la gente puede vivir la experiencia de una cultura otra; un verdadero privilegio.

Ann Cooper Albright

It was heavenly to be here with my kids and without all the responsibilities of being chair of an academic department, etc. etc. The other fellows were marvelous and I enjoyed their company and the time to write and walk. There is something to be said for working in the midst of beauty.

Richard Buckhard

A semester in Cassis at the Camargo Foundation is a scholar's dream, and I can happily say that when the dream turned out to be a reality, neither my wife nor I was disappointed. The working conditions were excellent, all the members of the Camargo Foundation staff were highly supportive, and interacting with a talented group of scholars and artists was a joy. The privilege of having time to write was enhanced by the opportunities to venture out to sample fresh seafood and local wine, to walk in the calenques, and to visit nearby towns. Although my wife and I started our pétanque practice too late to catch up with Director Jean-Pierre Dautricourt and distinguished linguist and spring resident fellow Denis Bouchard -- who both appear to have spent their youths honing their skills at one boulodrome or another -- we look forward to a rematch in the future.

Veronica Chambers

I thought that the big turn in my writing life occurred six years ago when I left my last full time journalism job and began writing fiction full time. But I came to Camargo, and I realized that the big turn was happening here, where I stopped writing fiction, as if on assignment, and started writing boldly and bravely, for myself. It is the end of an extraordinary semester and in the words of Edna St. Vincent Millay, I am very tired, but I am also very merry.

Michael Edwards

I feel extremely privileged to have been able to live and work at Camargo and in Cassis for the past four months. To get to know and in some cases reconnect with the musical environment of Marseille has been of particular benefit to me as a composer and musician. Prominent amongst many memorable and unique experiences here were the improvisation evenings which Paul, Karin, and I enjoyed in La Leque.

Paul Elwood

There was not just adequate time to work here, but to read, reflect, listen, and play. The slow pace of life in Cassis along with the quiet and a lovely studio offered me adequate solitude to think and work and to come to some important life decisions pertaining to my work. Being at Camargo also afforded me the opportunity to travel throughout France, to interact with some local musicians and artists, and to be exposed to some extraordinary thinkers both in and out of the Foundation. I'm grateful for the time and opportunities that Camargo provided.

Vera Klement

Camargo illuminated my life and my work in so many ways: the breathtaking landscape, the view of the sea at dusk from our lofty, light-filled apartment, the abundance and tumult of the market days in the town square, the walks in the narrow streets of Cassis whose walls were mottled with its history, the weekly presentations of the fellows that were always stimulating and instructive, the wonderful people my partner and I got to know. And France. And Time. Time to be, to soak up, to paint and to write. It was glorious.

Nira Pancer

 

Marilyn Randall

The Camargo experience was a once-in-a-lifetime gift of beauty, peace and friendship. The incredible luxury of time and space, the inspiration of fellow scholars and artists, the marvelous staff, not to mention the incredible surroundings... there are not enough adjectives in the language...! A perfect combination of nature and culture, solitude and society makes every day an adventure -- whether it is spent in study or in walking the Calanques, the moments are precious and the results invaluable for the body, mind, spirit -- and, of course, the book manuscript! An enormous thanks to all, especially to my fellow Fellows.

Sam Temple

What can I say about this oasis of beauty and calm that has not already been said? became very attached to our apartment, our view, our little walks and chilly swims, oysters for lunch, fresh sardines for dinner and the thousand other small details that, day after day, stimulated and refreshed the senses as we both slogged through our dissertations. We grew very fond of Marseille and its kaleidoscopic and gritty culture, just as we loved Cassis for its smallness and lack of pretension. Meeting the talented array of fellow escapees from around the globe was a pleasure. Thank you Jean-Pierre, Mary, Beatrice, Madame Boeuf, Roger and Christian for making us feel so welcome, even if we are still coming to terms with our eviction!

2005 Fall Semester Fellows

Cecilia Arditto

Camargo es un no-lugar en un no-tiempo. Es la posibilidad de concentrarse no solo en la tarea sino en el sentido profundo de lo que uno hace. Camargo es la posibilidad del sol, del agua, del cielo; pero lo mas valioso de Camargo es que nos regalan el tiempo y el silencio. En un mundo cada vez mas veloz y mas ruidoso esto es un tesoro.

Camargo is outside of time and space. It is about the possibility of concentration not only on the task but also in the deeper sense of what one is doing. Camargo is also about the possibility for sun, water, sky; but the most valuable thing we are given in Camargo is time and silence. In a world that is becoming more hectic and noisy, this is a gift.

Constance Berman

Camargo has been fun and educational. I've found myself rethinking my work rhythms and the distintions between fiction and history. Casssis and the region have been a lovely discovery.

Kate Bredeson

As a theater historian, it has been very exciting to write about the Living Theatre mere steps from the amphitheater where the company performed at the Festival de Cassis in 1966. The theater's backdrop, the cerulean Mediterranean, has been a constant source of inspiration and relaxation during my time at Camargo. I am grateful to have worked in such a resplendent setting, among such a diverse group of fellows. I have especially enjoyed my terrace, my desk, the beaches and hiking trails, and the looming presence of Cap Canaille.

Marcel Brouwers

 

Yvonne Fabella

The Camargo Foundation is rather unique in that it brings together a diverse group of academics and artists. I found this mixture to be particularly enriching since it allowed for an inter-disciplinary dialogue about fellows' respective methods, creative processes, and subject matter. As a graduate student I also appreciated the opportunity to work side-by-side with seasoned scholars and artists who treated me as an equal.

Marie Lathers

My best memories of Camargo are working at the library with an incredible view; taking my daughter to and from the local elementary school; and hiking to the Calanques. Camargo is a tranquil and exquisite place to work and live, one which will stay with me for a long time.

Naren Murthy

My stay at Camargo had two parentheses: The rustic view of the Mediterranean upon first entering Pierrefroide and the penultimate storm before I left, lashing waves twice as high as the lighthouse against the harbor. Everything in between was about the sounds of the sea as afflatus.
Glori Simmons

My time at the Camargo Foundation was creatively productive and unforgettable. It was a pleasure to be part of a supportive, interesting, and interested community. While a lot of my time was spent in front of a computer screen the place-Cassis, the Mediterranean-made a deep impression on me. Before living in the south of France, I'd always taken nature for granted. I'd lived in beautiful places-the Pacific Northwest, Northern California-in the past, but it was in Cassis that my appreciation for landscapes was awakened. I found myself often in awe of the views, the storms, the light, and contrasts in color. If I were to encapsulate my time here into one image or moment, it would be of swimming in the Mediterranean, looking out to sea while being inside of it, feeling its vastness along with its calm.

Rosemary Sullivan

Camargo is that rare place where you are treated as you have imagined in your wildest fantasies a writer might be treated. You live next to the sea and can watch its moods. You wake with the dawn to follow the sun as it changes every hour--in the early morning the sky is like cathedral glass. You have the privacy you need to work and the colleagueship of other fellows when you need to talk. In your apartment, everything has been thought of, down to the garlic press you require as you learn to cook a la Française. I met people in the port who have become friends. I traveled to places that have long loomed in my imagination. While in residence, I finished a 400 page book that I hope will mark a new direction in my career. Three months at Camargo is not nearly enough!