Maurice Sand illustrated, wrote, chased insects and built a marionette theatre of his own, yet he stayed behind the name of his mother, George Sand. A comedienne and a puppeteer set three tableaux in which levels of reality collide. Letters, exchanges and excerpts from his plays feed a friendly argument about the absent man. The puppet answers the actress line for line, and Cormery hosts the encounter.
Region: centre-val-de-loire
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.
Journées Gaston Couté at Meung-sur-Loire
Meung-sur-Loire hands a weekend to Gaston Couté, the libertarian poet and singer-songwriter who grew up in the town. Concerts, a show, an open stage and other activities carry his poems into its halls and streets. The programme has reached its twenty-first edition, framed by an exhibition on « Louise Michel, femme révoltée ». Couté was born at Beaugency and made his name in the cabarets of Montmartre.
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.
Amies Voix : contes slaves et créoles à Villebarou
Magda Lena Gorska and Serge Tamas bring Trali-Vari to the village library as part of Amies Voix, the storytelling festival run by the Médiathèque départementale de Loir-et-Cher. Guitar and percussion carry Russian and Creole folktales. Audience members follow a tree that grows back as soon as it is cut down, a fawn who was once a boy and the song of a turtle. Families with children from five upwards are welcome, and seats are best reserved.
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.
Les Grands Feux: La Borne’s Wood-Fired Ceramics
Wood-fired kilns set the pace of Les Grands Feux in La Borne, with loading, firing and unloading carried out in public. Ceramicists from many places exchange working knowledge around the furnaces. Studio visits, exhibitions and practical workshops extend the programme from utilitarian pots to sculpture, revealing the range of practices sustained by this pottery village.
Nitray: Cher River Sound Walks and Sketchbook Art
Sounds and drawings offer different ways of following the Cher at Nitray. An audio walk introduces the river, while an exhibition pairs sketchbook artist Lapin’s work with creations from workshops involving La Croix-en-Touraine schools. Board games and a Micro-Folie digital museum visit add activities for children aged eight and over, connecting river heritage with artistic and participatory approaches.
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.
Chaumussay in Black and White: A Village Album
Chaumussay appears through old photographs and postcards in Le temps suspendu, an exhibition devoted to the commune’s past. Black-and-white views bring together images that once circulated as cards and others preserved as photographs. The collection forms a village album, inviting attention to the places recorded and to the ways earlier photographers chose to frame them.