Orquevaux. This small village in Haute-Marne with a population of around fifty may not mean anything to you, and yet every year it welcomes hundreds of foreign artists who wish to experience a timeless moment at the Château during their stay.
2017
A key moment
in the revival of the Château d'Orquevaux, and by extension, its small village nestled in the heart of Champagne-Ardenne, was a year earlier when Ziggy Attias, a New York-born American entrepreneur and artist of Moroccan origin, inherited the castle from his parents : Amram and Virginia Attias. Without means and faced with a badly deteriorated castle, which had been left abandoned for several years, his initial thought was to get rid of it and sell it after some small renovation work. Ziggy had already visited his parents' castle in the early 2000s and had imagined a residence for artists within its walls. The idea reappeared to him, though without much hope that it would work. However, after a year of repairs, in 2017, he opened applications for it and to his surprise, artists came.
The artist residency
An obvious business model
Joined by his friend and partner Beulah Van Rensburg, an Australian gallerist and artist, they developed the artist residency activity by opening more rooms, workshops, and galleries every year. This winning formula allowed the castle, and even the village, to finance the repairs, restoration, and revaluation of spaces that had been abandoned until then. Today, more than 300 artists stay each year at the Château d'Orquevaux, in its outbuildings as well as in the village houses, which are owned by the estate. Exhibition galleries are created, and a dynamic around this artistic activity grows exponentially throughout the village.
Nowadays
Great needs, great means
Like any estate or castle, Orquevaux requires significant resources to be maintained sustainably. Ziggy and Beulah's enterprise quickly found a niche market, enabling them to meet their financial needs. By targeting a foreign clientele, they were able to serenely generate the finances necessary to create 12 local jobs, acquire and renovate ruined properties, and maintain the historical heritage that is the castle and its estate. As a legacy of the late 19th century, none of the buildings are protected as Historic Monuments, and thus, eligible for any subsidies. A complete self-financing is therefore required here, which is exceptional in today's world.
The castle is a privately-owned property, operated by the artist residency program set up by its owner. As such, the owner is responsible for the maintenance and restoration of all the castle buildings, as well as those acquired in the village. With the assistance of his companies and architects, the work carried out outside the framework of protection under Historical Monuments seems to be well done. The use of the castle as an artist residency has little impact on the authenticity of the place, as the spaces remain unchanged and the original architecture lends itself well to the creation of rooms and studios. From a cultural standpoint, the opening of this castle and the village to the creative world is a very interesting point. The short history of the place is not exploited, although it is told to residents and could be the subject of an extensive study. From an economic and social standpoint, the castle creates local employment and brings a series of very positive externalities to the overall vitality of the village. Moreover, it is self-financing, which can only be judged as extremely positive. Only the environmental aspect remains questionable, as there is no clear position on the use of sustainable alternative methods for all the actions taken here, although the water, forest, and meadows are maintained in a sustainable and reasoned manner.
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