AMI’s calligraphy workshop introduces the history and practice of handwritten Latin scripts. The models range from Onciale and Foundational to Chancelière and the monks’ gothic Textura. After examining the tools, participants trace letters before making their own cards, poems or stories. Materials are supplied, and each participant keeps the nibs used during the session.
Tag: traditional-crafts
11 Artisanes craft exhibition in Bourges
The 11 Artisanes collective returns to Bourges with a pop-up exhibition of work by local women. Ceramics, leather goods and jewellery sit alongside stationery and wooden creations. Textile art, decorative objects and natural cosmetics broaden the selection. Visitors can meet the makers and browse their new pieces, with an opening reception also on the programme.
Wheel-Throwing with Maya Micenmacher at La Borne
Maya Micenmacher, a member of the Association Céramique La Borne, teaches an adult wheel-throwing course. Demonstrations introduce forms before participants practise at the wheel. The work on trimming, handles and spouts follows each participant’s goals. More experienced potters can explore open forms as they refine their technique within La Borne’s continuing pottery practice.
Grande fête d’automne du Gâtinais à Villemandeur
The Comité des Fêtes de Villemandeur fills the Domaine de Lisledon for an autumn day of trading and rural know-how in the Gâtinais. Brocante dealers and private sellers lay out antiques and collectors’ stalls, no pitch booked in advance. A country market and a stall show of local artisanat sit beside them, and apples go through a pressoir à l’ancienne. Orgues de Barbarie and mechanical music sound across the park, and hot boudin is served.
Vignobles en Scène : Faïence et Vins à Gien
Faïence et Vins pairs an introduction to earthenware decoration with a tasting of Coteaux du Giennois wines. The Faïencerie de Gien and Office de Tourisme de Gien host the workshop together. The decoration session explores the world of artisans d’art. The activity belongs to Les Créatives within Vignobles en Scène, admits children from eight and is limited to twenty people.
GEORGE : la tapisserie hommage à George Sand
A single woven panel, the longest ever made on an Aubusson loom, runs the length of the musée Bertrand in Châteauroux. Françoise Pétrovitch designed it as a tribute to George Sand, and the Cité internationale de la tapisserie d’Aubusson unveiled the finished cloth. Its making took more than eight thousand hours at the loom. The museum has the first showing of the piece anywhere.
Dans l’atelier : les Ateliers Lorin en photographies
An exhibition at Chartres’s Hôtel de Ville et d’Agglomération presents around twenty photographs of the Ateliers Lorin. The stained-glass workshop is a recognised part of the city’s heritage. Images made by the Centre-Val de Loire Region’s Inventory Department explore the workshop and its stained-glass techniques. The exhibition is organised in partnership with the Region.
Fête de la Laine à Trizay-Coutretôt-Saint-Serge
Producers and artisan makers from the Perche and beyond fill the salle communale with raw wool, yarn and finished cloth. Spinning wheels turn beside looms while felting is worked by hand in front of the public. Children and adults sit down to free workshops, and a bookstore rounds out the two days. The Fête de la Laine holds a Perche fibre trade in the hands of the people who still practise it.
Construire le patrimoine : les métiers du bâti
Construire le patrimoine at the Château-Renard media library explores the trades involved in caring for historic buildings. The exhibition covers stone carving, masonry and woodworking. Artistic metalwork and stained glass extend the range of crafts presented. The programme is part of the media library’s series on cultural heritage.
La Bretèche Tileworks: Quarry and Craft Skills
Tilemaking begins with the ground beneath it at La Tuilerie de la Bretèche’s open house. Guided visits take in the working premises and quarry, connecting raw material with the place where it is transformed. Local artisans and a children’s workshop add further ways to encounter practical skills, with the tileworks team and volunteers sharing their knowledge in Ligny-le-Ribault.