About Artist Residency NAMAS
NAMAS residency is a place that welcomes people. It has taken a form of an artistic residency program that allows worldwide artists to come, stay and work in a remote rural village in the middle of France called Lavaudieu (Auvergne region). The medieval architecture, volcanic hills, stone bed river suffering from constant impact of the environment, planted forests, agricultural activity and the dynamic local community offers plenty of dialogues with the environment.
NAMAS residency has a close network of local craftsmen and women, farmers, and artists. This network allows to cultivate common values such as sustainability, do-it-yourself approach, mutual help and support (physical and emotional), sensitivity to the impact on the environment, strong bond to nature and to other human (inclusivity), importance of the community and common actions (resistance).
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NAMAS is an active local figure and since it’s opening in 2021 has organized and welcomed multiple events: workshops of different artistic disciplines such as dance, theatre, cirque. Concerts of traditional or experimental music, readings on feminism or forestry are a common Sunday practice.
The residency program is open to people of all ages, with different levels of experience and
practices. It provides time and space for residents in a contemplative environment to think, create,
concentrate, connect, to broaden and diversify their perspectives.
The further development of NAMAS residency is focusing on contemporary interdisciplinary art and literature, boundary-crossing research, practical experimentation, communication and education. The principles of the residency are rooted in the idea that local issues have global meanings. It carries the idea of the contribution to sustainable humanitarian, environmental, social and cultural development.
Today NAMAS residency is run by Neringa Greiciute who has been living in France since 2010 and knows well the region and the local community. Neringa has been included in the artistic field through various social and artistic projects as a photographer, experimented works on various farms and in different commercial fields. Today this multilayered experience allows Neringa to develop multilateral and collaborate projects.