Older children – Primary school

An exploration of clothing, its functions and accessories, combined with a mimed interpretation of the word ‘dressing’, takes shape in the workshop through a project on adornment using miniature patterns.

The exploration of different light sources and their effects leads to the visual representation of these interplays of light and shadow, using a variety of tools.

Using balls of clay and a few tools, each child shapes a wire frame into the form of a body. The modelling clay becomes flesh.
Please note: just as a sculptor rarely keeps this initial modelling stage, the finished piece will be destroyed at the end of the session.

The museum offers an overview of the movement and its representations. Mime allows us to explore our feelings. The illusion of movement is created using various tools to work on body language or through a succession of characters in different poses.

By examining textile pieces from the museum’s collections and exploring samples through touch, sound and even smell, participants can discover the art of felt-making during the workshop.

From the former swimming pool to the current museum: site surveys, traces, materials, alterations, decoration… will help us understand what the building was and what it has become.

The colours, composition, different perspectives and scales all contribute to the creation of a sense of depth. Children use these optical illusions to imagine a space.

Only in the galleries.
Sight, touch, hearing and smell are engaged through the museum’s entire collection, the building itself, the sensory trail created by Christian Astuguevieille, and tools developed by the team of activity leaders.
No art-making takes place; the session consists solely of sensory experiences. The objectives are fourfold: to explore these four senses, to awaken them, to trigger sensations in response to the museum’s collections, and to develop a sensory vocabulary.

Creating a design using geometric shapes in screen printing allows you to experiment with compositions and colours and to screen print on a variety of substrates.

For cinema audiences only – Suitable for Year 5 and 6 pupils
: “The Abolition of Slavery” by Marcel Gromaire;
“The Hunt for the Negro” by Félix Martin;
“Slaves for Sale” by Jean-Léon Gérôme.
To be black, to be strong, to be a machine, to be exploitable. These works bear witness to a bygone era, encapsulating the unacceptable.
But what is the reality today?

The animals in our collections—their postures, movements and physical characteristics—lead us to an imaginary X-ray that becomes a reality in the studio, drawing inspiration from animal mandibles, femurs, skulls and tibias. By combining these bones, we create imaginary breeds.

In cinemas only
The hygienist architectural concept of *La Piscine*, combined with the depiction in some of our works of the care given to the body, allows us to explore the notions of hygiene.

An arch, a vault, an opening; different planes, different lines, different proportions… Painting, sculpture and architecture come together to explore the concept of space. Starting with a systematic drawing, we arrive at a three-dimensional representation of space.

From the dyes used, through to issues with colour fixation and colour quality, the workshop employs techniques such as folding, binding and even compressing fabrics. Dyeing is carried out using cold-water methods with paint dyes.

From warping to weaving, via weaves and finishes… All these technical terms are involved in the creation of a woven piece in which various strips of fabric are combined with threads, cords, plant materials, paper…

Seasonal activity: April to August.
Pressed ferns, sulphated vine leaves, preserved chlorophyll. A herbarium featuring foliage from our dye garden and our collection, with its surprising tannin content. Come and join us for the harvest.

It is not only the subject but also the colours, the framing and the format that create the atmosphere of a piece of art. Starting with the same image, each child imagines two contrasting atmospheres through the interplay of colours and materials.

Observing the elements of still lifes—their composition, the relationships between shapes, colours and materials, and their framing—enables students to create a still life in the studio using a variety of techniques.

Led by the mime artist, discover the various expressions featured in the museum’s collection. But watch out: “I’ve got my eye on that scatterbrain who doesn’t mince her words.” The mime artist, combined with certain French expressions, sparks the imagination.

Rhythm can be created through composition, graphic design, colour, or pattern…
In the studio, sounds and sound effects are translated into patterns of lines, shapes and colours.

We draw inspiration from the human form and how it has been depicted throughout the works in the museum’s collections. In the studio, we explore a number of poses, focusing on proportions and articulation.

Exclusively in the
Poseidon, Pan, Artemis, Amphitrite and Iphigenia theatres… each named after a story, a belief or a legend from ancient Greece.

The animals’ postures, movements, rendering of their coats and the materials used bring a veritable menagerie to life. In the studio, the focus is on analysing and recreating movement and postures.

Exclusively in theatres
: a different interpretation offering a fresh perspective on the work. Additional dimensions are brought to life through speech, writing, sound effects and drawing: the creation of a soundscape, exploration of variations in sound and the physicality of the written word… resulting in a new orchestration.

Starting with a given image, each child creates a new scene by altering the format, dimensions and framing: I hide, I reveal, I open up, I transform…

Featured in the museum’s collections as well as within the building itself, stained glass is explored from both aesthetic and technical perspectives. Its place and role in architecture are discussed. A design on tracing paper, combined with various techniques, allows for the exploration of the concepts of transparency and opacity.

The concepts of colour palettes and colour schemes are introduced before each child creates their own mood board.

The presence of patterns in our textile, fine art and design collections, as well as in the building’s décor, sparks the imagination. A basic stencil will be used on different materials, in different formats, and employing a variety of techniques and approaches.

A slab of damp clay for shaping a fish. Tools for embossing, stamping and scoring… to decorate it. Remove the fish from the clay, test the curves, and ensure it retains its shape without cracking as it dries.
Firing required: 20 euros

Primary and secondary colours, warm and cool tones, values and monochromatic schemes are covered. In the studio: creating shades and colour schemes using various tools and mediums.

A biscuit egg to be coloured using various glazes or engobes, depending on the child’s age. Brush-painted designs add the finishing touch. An introduction to glazing that requires firing (20 euros).

Bust portraits, three-quarter-length portraits or full-length portraits, realistic portraits, symbolic portraits, the relationship between form and background… the rendering of facial features, combined with an understanding of proportions, results in a portrait set against a background.

Close the two halves of a plaster mould that has been lined with clay. Turn it out to remove the hollow clay animal, which has no head or tail. Finally, use your imagination to fill in the missing parts and create a unique sculpture. Firing recommended (20 euros).

All-over patterns, half-and-half patterns and other stripes inspire children to create different kinds of designs.
Each child chooses a pattern and arranges it across the page using stripes, checks, all-over patterns, half-and-half patterns…

Only in the classrooms
The characters in our stories strike various poses and adopt different postures. Through mime, each child imitates these positions, plays with their own body, feels its limits, and becomes aware of the points of support they need. The head, knees, feet and elbows are very useful in this exercise, where a few sketches help to highlight our points of support.

By observing seascapes, rural and urban landscapes, their fluid and solid elements, the interplay of different planes, and the fleeting states of the atmosphere, children learn to convey depth through colour gradients.

But what do we actually see in a museum? The works in our collections, as well as the signage, offer different interpretations. In the workshop, a
photocopy of a work will be altered by reworking the image and the colours.