'I was destined to be in Madison County,' French-born artist residency founder Shafer says

TRUST - Camille Shafer believes she was destined to be in Madison County, where her home in the Trust community of Hot Springs has served as a de facto community hub for both Madison residents and artists from around the world.

Shafer and her deceased husband, Dave, moved to the county from Erie Township, Michigan, in 1972 with her husband, Dave, after reading about "the Jewel of the Blue Ridge" in a travel guide.

"It started out being just a community place," said Alicia Araya, social media coordinator for Azule. "Camille and Dave started a food co-op, and they would organize ping-pong tournaments, and concerts."

After the death of her husband in the early 2000s, Shafer decided to transition the 35-acre spot into an artist residency program, a spot for artists to gain the opportunity to live and work outside of their usual environments, providing them with time to work on their crafts, Araya said.

"Let's say you want to write a book. People take sabbatical to do the Appalachian Trail or whatever," Araya said. "If you want to take a sabbatical and write a book, do you want to go to the remotest, most magical place possible? If so, you go to an arts residency. It's very, very niche, but technically everybody could do it."

According to the French-born artist, she has always been destined to land in Madison County.

"Oh, yeah, I feel like I was destined to be in Madison County," Shafer said. "Dave comes from Appalachia. In a way, we just went to Appalachia. Dave's parents were from West Virginia. So, we had a connection with Appalachia."

Shafer was born in France in 1942. At 2 years old, she lost her right hand after her older sister picked up a package in Normandy that turned out to be an explosive.

Dave had multiple sclerosis, and Shafer took care of him while he was alive.

According to the artist residency founder, she has always aimed to make the facility accessible for all people.

"It's very hard in a mountain venue to be completely accessible, but I'm trying to put in as much accessibility as possible," she said. "We have a ramp at our entrance. That was for my husband's wheelchair. We're trying to make it as accessible as possible."

Potlucks' importance

Prior to COVID, the residency served as a community hub, hosting local artists and residents to come together and share a meal.

"It's for artists and community to meet, learn and work together through the art in many forms," Shafer said.

Beginning in June, Shafer began hosting community gatherings again. Earlier this month, Azule hosted a potluck to celebrate Shafer's 80th birthday.

"It's very important because we get residents from all over the world, but through the potlucks, the residents are in contact with a community of Madison County, and especially Spring Creek," Shafer said. "It's quite a bit of artists around. It's a very good communication between the artists who come to do their work, and the community. It's a very good communication. It's very inspiring for both. It's very good for the residents and it's very good for the community. Usually, when we do have residents at the potluck, the residents show their work, and we're able to ask questions and communicate. Then, when somebody's doing something in the community, they sometimes also come and show their work in Azule."

This collaboration and partnership has spurred connections throughout the region.

Sue Gurnee owns The Belle of Hot Springs, a Georgian Colonial inn built in 1924. Gurnee is an Azule board member as well.

Gurnee worked for years in set decoration on movie sets as a scenic artist.

She said she believes strongly in Azule's mission, as she has always wanted to work as an artist.

"I looked in the mirror when I was 12 and I said, 'I'm only going to make money in the arts. I'm not going to be a waitress, and I'm not going to be in business. I'm only going to be in the arts,'" Gurnee said.

Gurnee said she met Shafer after longtime Hot Springs resident Elmer Hall recommended the two become acquainted.

"Elmer told me, 'If you're going to be in Hot Springs and you're an artist, you should meet Camille,'" she said. "I visited her on a tour with about 15 or 20 people, most of those people in the movies, and we could all very quickly see that this was a special place for artists and residents."

While Gurnee is from New York, artists come from all around the world to Azule. The French-born Shafer said she takes pride in helping to bring new cultures to Madison County.

"(Azule) is democratic of the communities," Shafer said. "We've got people who come from New York, and everywhere, up to Pakistan. It's good for the community to see people coming from different places, but it's also very good for the residents to see a community that is very tight. It's very special. Our community is very united in a culture. We have the chance in Madison County to still have a strong very path, through music and through the artistic community."

Shafer said residents typically stay from four days to one month.

The residency's namesake

Shafer said she chose the name "Azule" because it corresponds to the color blue, which rose to prominence during the Renaissance but also represents the French working class.

"Blue was not used a lot because there was no way of fixing it," Shafer said. "The blue became a lot more prominent, in the paintings, in the Renaissance. That was the time when Mary was recognized. Before, the only blue that we knew in history would be in glass. But if you look in the Roman times, you never see blue. It's always black, orange, red, brown or yellow. After the Renaissance, the blue has been a lot more used. What was known as a dull color, became a strong color.

"Also, in France, blue is the color of working people's clothes - people who work on the railroad. The work clothes are blue, what we call a 'French blue.' Here, it's Carhartt. In France, it's blue clothes."

According to Shafer, Azule's bringing people together through food and art will help to continue to introduce Madison County residents to people from different backgrounds, while still bearing in mind the importance of its own culture and history.

"We have the chance, in Madison County, to still have a very strong past through music and through the artistic community," Shafer said. "People have always done something. In the old time, there was always a loom on the porch, or you had people that were quilting. You had to work in the barn together.

"We are in a county that has extremely strong background of culture. This is very important to me, especially at the point where some of the people in the county are maybe a little bit frightened by the communication (between Azule residents and community members). As a county, we were very united by the burley tobacco. Families had a sense of surviving on the land. So, it's important that we keep this sense of being together on something. I think that's what these potlucks do."

For more information on Azule, visit http://azule.org/.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: 'I was destined to be in Madison County,' arts residency founder says