Melanie Ashton, originally from Australia, is the owner of the London-based art gallery "General Assembly" and a mother of four. She has embarked on a new challenge, traveling back and forth between the Loire Valley in France and London in England. This is a memory of this summer, when she encountered scenes from an artist-in-residence held at her home in the Loire Valley.
The Loire Valley—known as the "Garden of France"—is situated southwest of Paris, along the Loire River, and is renowned for its rich landscape of ancient castles and vineyards. Its fertile land and mild climate attracted royalty and nobility from the Middle Ages, and it flourished as a center of culture and politics during the Renaissance. This region, where Leonardo da Vinci spent his later years, which William Turner depicted in watercolors, and where Auguste Rodin, Alexander Calder, and Max Ernst used as their creative base, has continued to fascinate artists across generations.
This mansion stands in Azay-le-Rideau, a town in the heart of the Loire Valley. Outside the windows lies a private garden of approximately one hectare, where fruit trees and large trees change their appearance with the seasons. The owner of this house is Melanie Ashton.
Having been based in both the UK and France since the late 2000s, she began searching for a spacious house in France in 2011 for her children to live in. Her requirements were good access to Paris and a location with cultural stimulation. One day, while driving through this town with her partner, the house caught her eye by chance. She says tears welled up the moment she opened the door. "I felt like it was fate, as if the house had chosen me," she recalls.
This feeling resonates with a phrase I encountered while visiting Pacific islands for work: "You don't own land, land owns you." This is a value shared by island nations such as Fiji and Samoa, expressing the idea that land is not something humans own, but rather that humans are sustained by the land.
"That's exactly how it is with this house and garden. It feels like we don't own it, but rather that this place is protecting us."
This house, which had been vacant for 10 years, was structurally sound but in need of extensive renovations. The walls were stripped, the entire house was painted white, and it was decorated with collected items and antique furniture. It was as if the family and I were slowly adding our own colors to a blank canvas. Seasonal flowers and sunlight streaming through the windows reveal a different face each day.
Melanie spent over 10 years working on environmental conservation projects for the United Nations Environment Programme, focusing on island nations across the Caribbean, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, interacting with diverse cultures and people. While fulfilling, her life gradually became buried under mountains of paperwork and contracts. At the end of 2023, she was faced with the choice of either continuing her assignment in Geneva or living with her children in the Loire Valley, and she chose the latter without hesitation.
At that time, as a new challenge, she decided to take over the operation of a London gallery business in which she had previously invested. The gallery's name, "General Assembly," is inspired by her career at the United Nations. It reflects her hope that her gallery will become a place where diverse people can gather, converse, and create.
When she first entered the contemporary art world, she was surprised by its insularity. With many galleries unwilling to even respond to artists' inquiries, Melanie wanted to make her gallery different. Focusing on young artists, she doesn't chase short-term trends, but rather looks at their long-term careers. She makes sure to review and respond to every portfolio submitted, striving to create a space where artists feel welcomed.
Her home in Azay-le-Rideau transforms into an artist-in-residence space during the summer. While her children are away on summer vacation, she will welcome selected artists for two two-week periods this summer. This gallery-run program offers artists an opportunity to listen to the local landscape and history in a quiet setting and create works inspired by them.
One of the participants is an artist based in Kent, England, who creates works using color with an environmental theme. She collects local natural materials such as animal bones, seashells, and plants, and attempts to reintegrate disappearing traditional techniques and processing methods into the context of contemporary art. This time, she extracted colors from local materials and expressed her experience in the Loire Valley in her artwork.
Meanwhile, an artist from Argentina engages with the canvas using personal archives and records as material, weaving narratives and relationships. During his stay, he drew inspiration from musical elements, such as the Loire Valley composer Henri Dutilleux and Chopin, who frequently visited the area. A painter from London, working across diverse media, also participated. Unbound by genre or technique, he flexibly transformed his discoveries and encounters on site into works of art.
These activities are supported by art professionals, cultural figures, and local leaders based in the Loire Valley. They deeply sympathize with Melanie's vision and support her progress as patrons of the gallery.
The spirit of this land, which has long protected and nurtured artists, is breathing new life into her projects. The network in this region is not merely a network of patrons, but a fertile ground for works and ideas to sprout and blossom.
On the final day of the residency program, patrons were invited to Melanie's home to listen to presentations from the artists, who shared their creative processes during the program and the thoughts behind their works. At the subsequent dinner, dishes prepared by local chefs using local ingredients and wines from nearby wineries were served, and the program's conclusion was celebrated in grand style with many drinks.
This residency program weaves a new narrative each year, connecting the nature and history of the Loire Valley with the creativity of the artists. "I am strongly drawn not only to the finished works themselves, but also to the creative process behind them. In particular, I am moved by the expressions that emerge from the core identity of the artist. In the moments when they are deeply immersed in their work, their thoughts, memories, and values ​​crystallize into the artwork. And when viewers encounter it, a subtle tremor or transformation begins to sprout deep within their hearts—that is what I feel is the essential power of art," says Melanie.
A gallery in London and a residency in the Loire Valley—moving back and forth between these two bases, she builds a community where artists, collectors, patrons, and local people meet, converse, and collaborate. In this way, the vision she put into the gallery's name culminates in a story that unfolds year after year.
"At the United Nations, the ability to systematically construct things objectively, rather than subjectively, was essential. What's important in art is the connection between people's hearts. The more you bring your own individuality into the gallery, the more a magical feeling spreads."
From international organizations to family life, and then to new fields—Melanie Ashton's journey teaches us the joy and strength of making life choices in our own unique way. Her perspective is a powerful encouragement to women living today.