CENTRE POMPADOUR  

is a feminist vision of being in this world

is a living art project by michaela spiegel

is a laboratory, incubator and archive for feminist thought and action

is an all gender inclusive, trans-generational feminist space based on solidarity

is the first and only feminist creative residency in Europe

is a word game feminizing another French art institution

is a non-profit organization housed in a Northern French

château in the middle of nowhere, near the Atlantic coast,

between London, Paris and Bruxelles

promotes artistic, creative, scientific work and research

projects  in the fields of feminism and gender studies and a lotta fun.

welcomes like-minded creative professionals from all over the world to work on individual or collaborative projects that place feminist empowerment and gender equity at the heart of the creative process and outreach. it offers accommodation and private work space for a determined period of time.

is NOT a château-porny capitalist pretext for beheaded wannabenobility.

CENTRE POMPADOUR   .   WHERE WE ARE

well, in the middle of nowhere in the tiny village of Ercourt, which is situated in the Baie de Somme area,

a nature reserve of French Picardie.

Picardie is a region that has been at the heart of european history for well over a thousand years. though its historic heritage includes some of the finest mediaeval cathedrals in France, lots of châteaux and many sites of the great war - as if there could be greatness in destruction - it is not one of the great tourist regions of France.

neighbouring Normandy, and only 19 km away from the seacoast, you can either reach CP by car (200 km to Paris, 290 km to Bruxelles, 260 km and some water to London) or by train.

the nearest train stop is Abbeville.

the next grocery store and café are 5 km away, the nearest little town, Abbeville, with all shopping facilities, is 12 km away, the nearest seaside restaurants are 22 km away.

CENTRE POMPADOUR   .   THE CHÂTEAU

was built in 1849 - the year after the historically famous outbreak of a wave of revolutions that altered the political and philosophical landscape throughout the rest of the century.

its architect Hector-Martin Lefuel is best known for the completion of the Palais du Louvre, the theatre of the Fontainbleau Château, the Château Neudeck, in neobaroque stile, typical for the Second Empire.

the original commissioner and owner of the Château was Henri Adhemar le Blond de Plouy and the family stayed about a century before leaving to a neighbouring château.

Instead of investing in a Parisian two-room flat Michaela Spiegel bought this run down 1200m2 beauty flooded with light, and after a hands-on total renovation of three years, sweat and tears, CENTRE POMPADOUR opend in 2017 as the first and only European feminist creative residency.

Presuming the calm of the French countryside gets you inspired and doesn’t trigger your yawning reflex, this is the right place for you.

CP offers a lot of privacy, surrounded by a lot of nature. in the garden of 4 ha / 10 acres you find a little pavilion, sitting areas, a ping pong table, a yoga deck, a sun downer caravan and some sculptures.

the six guest rooms each have their own private bathroom, are spacious - between 20m2 and 50m2 - and bright and have all high ceilings. all rooms have wifi connection. We provide bed linens and towels.

depending on what you work on, you can use your room as an individual work space or share the top-floor attic atelier of 50m2, withdraw in the writer’s pavilion or the caravan.

other facilities include a disco ball room with a not too well-tuned piano, the black room, the dining room, the drawing room, the TV room, the residency kitchen, and spacious indoor and outdoor living areas intended to be filled with feminist energy.

CP is working on a continuously growing multi-lingual feminist library of women’s history readings and art literature, and a selection of themed films. Feel free to read or reread your favorite feminist classic, and to advise us on what is missing.

Please note that we are in an old château with steep staircases and no elevator.