​Solidarity Canteen at Atelier 11 Paris

​The arts sector, especially the field of artist's residencies, plays a critical role in facilitating global solidarity and peacekeeping. In response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Europe due to the war in Ukraine, L’AiR Arts and Cité Falguière Associations have launched Atelier 11 for Solidarity initiative. It includes solidarity events open to all, art programs for children and art residencies for those from conflict-affected areas.

​Atelier 11 Solidarity Canteen is inspired by La Cantine des Artistes, operated during the World War I by artist Marie Vassilieff in her atelier, in a walking distance from the Cité Falguière in Montparnasse.

Marie Vassilieff, Banquet Braque, 1917 

Marie Vassilieff or Mariya Ivanovna Vassilieva (1884 – 1957) was a Russian-born Paris-based artist. She moved to Paris in her early twenties and became an integral part of the creative community of Montparnasse. She founded an art academy, which rapidly became a high temple of Parisian life renowned for its free mode of operation. When World War I broke out, moved by the moral and material destitution of her artist friends, she transformed her studio into a canteen, which enjoyed growing popularity among Parisian intellectuals including Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Guillaume Apollinaire, Marc Chagall, Fernand Leger, as well as her Cité Falguière's neighbours Amedeo Modigliani and Chaim Soutine. The venue put on shows, held conferences, literary and musical evenings, and threw legendary parties. (Source: AWARE - Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions)

Everyone is invited!

Founded on the principles of intercultural understanding, mutual support and acceptance, Atelier 11 Cité Falguière remains committed to promoting peace and international solidarity through cross-cultural dialogue and exchange. Just like the Marie Vassilieff’s canteen provided an affordable meal, glass of wine, and a compassionate multicultural community, we invite you to join our our next solidarity event to share art and meal together with our artists in residence.

You can also participate remotely at your location anywhere in the world by cooking our signature Cité Falguière borscht!

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Signature Cité Falguière Borscht Recipe

​Made with beetroots and known for its distinctive red color (just like Atelier 11!), Borscht is a sour soup originating from Eastern Europe. Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, largely due to increasing cultural mobility and waves of migration, borsch's popularity spread beyond its Slavic homeland, to the rest of Europe, Asia, America and beyond. As an affordable hearty meal it was surely cooked and shared by the multicultural artistic community of Montparnasse!

As the culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding, we have developed a signature Cité Falguière borsch recipe. To support this mission, we invite you to try our recipe at one of our events or cook it at home to promote unity and solidarity between people of all nations.​

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 1 hr | Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients
​​

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic (optional)
• 400g beetroot, peeled and cut into thin strips, beet greens (if available) chopped
  
• 1 carrot, roughly grated or cut in thin strips
• 1 kg potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• ½ white cabbage, shredded
• 400g canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 400g canned tomatoes chopped and  tomato juice
• ½ cup of red wine 
• Bay leaf (optional)
• 3 litres of water
• 100ml sour cream or crème fraîche
• 100g pitted olives
• ½ lemon
• ½ bunch dill, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Method (open to improvisation and experimentation!)

STEP 1 
Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan. Add the diced onion, garlic and beetroot. Cook over a medium heat, stirring, until the beetroot is soft and is about to start caramelising. 

STEP 2
In a deep pot with water add the potatoes, carrot, and celery. Cook for 10-15 mins until tender, stirring occasionally. Season well with salt and pepper. 

STEP 3
Add the tomatoes and tomato juice, stir, then add the shredded cabbage and the red pepper and cook for 10-15 mins or until tender but not overcooked.

STEP 4
Add the kidney beans, cooked beetroot, beet greens, bay leaf and the red wine with discretion. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Season to taste.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche, freshly squeezed lemon juice, olives, chopped dill and bread. Enjoy!

Contribute

All proceeds will go in support of solidarity events, children programs and art residencies for those from conflict-affected areas seeking refuge in Paris, France.