Artisans and Craftsmen of the Performing Arts Exhibition

From hats, wigs and carcasses (metal frameworks covered with rhinestones and ornamental feathers), to jewelry, shoes and costume ornamentations, theater and opera productions rely on the skills of numerous artisans and craftspeople.

A new exhibition dedicated to these craftspeople and their savoir faire will soon open at the National Center of Stage Costume (CNCS) in Moulins, France, presenting the different crafts in a historical context while also lifting the veil on some of the techniques used for their creations.

Running October 14 to March 11, 2018, Artisans and Craftsmen of the Performing Arts will present 250 costumes, accessories, stage sets, videos, pictures and prototypes, belonging to the CNCS collections, as well as items from Paris Opera, Comédie-Française and the National Library of France.

The exhibit will open with two rooms dedicated to the work of costume makers, who “translate” a designer’s sketches into three-dimensional pieces, while the next 10 rooms will focus on the many other professions that stage productions, illustrating the processes required, step-by-step through drawings, video and actual samples.

The final room will be dedicated to set design and its artisans, heralding the new Interpretation Center of Set Design, an extension to CNCS due to open in the fall of 2019.