Camargo Foundation

In the middle of the 60s, Jerome Hill envisioned the formalization of his support for artists and scholars. After establishing the Avon Foundation (now the Jerome Foundation) in the USA, which awards grants for the arts and humanities, he decided to create a foundation that would perpetuate the spirit he had developed on his property in Cassis. On March 23, 1967, he set up a trust in New York entitled the Camargo Foundation, with the aim of “promoting, enhancing and developing the talents and opportunities of artists, writers and people of science, as well as public taste in the arts, literature and science”.

In the months that followed, Jerome Hill and Russell Young, professor of French literature, specified the project: Camargo would be home to artists and scholars alike, unlike existing residences which usually host one or the other. Jerome Hill is well acquainted with the academies in Rome, having spent time there frequently.  Russell Young also suggested drawing inspiration from the model of the Fondation Hardt (Switzerland), which specializes in the study of classical antiquity. Young wanted Camargo to become the equivalent for French-speaking studies.

From the outset, the main selection criterion was the candidate’s ability to make an original contribution to research and to lead others to perceive aspects of the world in a new way. The first residents arrived in autumn 1971. Just over a year later, Jerome Hill dies of cancer.

1967-2011, a residency space for American scholars and artists

For the first 40 years, until 2011, Camargo supported American scholars working in the French and Francophone humanities. Each year, a call was issued and a selection committee chose the 24 laureates who would be hosted for a semester. In the mid-2000s, it was decided to ensure parity between scholars and artists, and to expand the scope of the program internationally.

In keeping with the history of the 50’s and 60’s and the spirit of Jerome Hill, various figures of American experimental creation were welcomed in residence, such as Barbara Hammer, pioneer of queer and experimental cinema, or Pauline Oliveros, a major figure in contemporary American music and founder of “Deep Listening”. The scholars came from the major universities of the English-speaking world (Yale, Columbia, Harvard, Cambridge, etc.).

2011-2014: A new impulse for Camargo: A space for creation and encounters

Until 2011, the Camargo Foundation was financed solely by investment income from the capital left by Jerome Hill. The financial crisis of 2008 brought Camargo, like many foundations, to an abrupt halt. In just a few months, the capital lost more than a third of its value. From 2011 to 2013, programs were suspended. In January 2013, its sister foundation, the Jerome Foundation, took over the Camargo Foundation. Thanks to its in-kind and financial support, the programs are relaunched in 2014. This reopening was accompanied by a turning point in activities: the new board of directors decided to open the residencies internationally, and to strengthen ties with the local area. With this in mind, it recruited Julie Chénot, who joined as Program Director in January 2014 after 7 years with Marseille-Provence 2013, European Capital of Culture. Together, they initiated a period of experimentation to redefine Camargo’s activities in light of the 21st century.

In 2018, the Camargo Foundation was awarded the “Maison des Illustres” label, issued by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize the homes of people who have contributed to history, the arts and culture in general in France. The label supports the Camargo Foundation in its mission to promote the artistic and cultural heritage of its founder Jerome Hill..

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