Waitlist – General Assembly

Loire Valley Summer Residency 2026

General Assembly is delighted to offer emerging artists a fully funded (excluding travel) residency at Le Moulin de Marnay in Azay-le-Rideau, nestled in the heart of France’s picturesque Loire Valley, as part of our 2026 Summer Residency Programme.

We will be inviting six artists to join us across July and August 2025, each for a stay of 2–3 weeks; to step away from the noise and pace of daily life and immerse themselves in the tranquillity of the French countryside

This is your chance to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with your creative flow. Surrounded by wild meadows, ancient trees, and open skies, artists are encouraged to tune into nature’s rhythm, embrace the stillness, the spaciousness, and perhaps even discover new depths in their practice.

From Leonardo da Vinci to Rodin, Calder, Ernst, and Tanning, the Loire Valley has long drawn artists seeking inspiration. General Assembly is proud to continue that legacy by supporting contemporary voices through this unique opportunity.

The residency will culminate in a group exhibition in the Loire Valley, celebrating the work created during the summer.

Applications open 15 March 2026.

Will Maddrell

"At the residency, I’m very excited to be working full-time on new works and not worrying about going to the many jobs I have back in London. I can literally wake up, eat a pain au chocolat, make a coffee, get straight to work in the studio upstairs, and work until very late. Without distractions, my output is very prolific. Annual leave never felt so good.

I’m considering the legacy of the artists who have, over the centuries, spent time in this region. It is here where architect-engineer-artist Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years by invitation of Francis I; where the writer Balzac, now remembered as a foundational figure in the development of the realist novel for his complexity of character and acute observation of society, was born and spent time; and where surrealist Max Ernst and sculptor Rodin respectively took up residence in search of a tranquil environment conducive to creativity. It is not only a shared history in this region which links these artists together, but also, as their lives’ works demonstrate, an interest in the mechanics of reality.

The work I’m making here explores what it might look like if this conceptual lineage meets a contemporary self-awareness about the role of the artist in fabricating a realism of today, and that of total rest, relaxation, and pleasure in the countryside in generating productive creative labour and organically getting closer to reality."

Mia Graham

"Having this immersive period to create has been so invaluable for my practice. In London, the pace of life and necessity to graft can make it difficult to retain a connection and openness to the sources which drive and influence my work, which are so often drawn from time spent in natural spaces, reading, introspection, and viewing art made by others. Whilst I’ve been here, I’ve been able to completely surrender to a direction of painting which has taken on a life of its own."