Niki de Saint Phalle workshop tours

During the summer vacations, Caumont - Centre d'Art is offering children's workshops around the exhibition “Niki de Saint Phalle".

Children will journey into a universe teeming with shapes and colors, populated by fantastic and joyful creatures. Dragons, birds, snakes or dinosaurs: a vibrant imaginary world will come to life before their very eyes. After a playful tour of the exhibition, a cultural mediator will accompany the children in a plastic creation inspired by the artist.

Experiment to better understand: that's the aim of our workshop visits!

Program

Mirror sculpture

Niki de Saint Phalle loved to create whimsical sculptures! Her astonishing works include Le Repas du Lion, a small sculpture set on a mirror base. The mirror doesn't just serve as a support: it catches the light, reflects the shapes and becomes part of the work, bringing it to life. Like the artist, the children will create their own sculptures by shaping dream dough, a soft, colorful material. Their creations will be installed on a mirror base to play with reflections, shapes and light.
Recommended ages: 5 to 8
Dates: Mondays, July 7, 14, 21, 28 and August 4, 11, 18, 25

A world of fantastic animals

Niki de Saint Phalle's creatures, like her drawings, are naïve, colorful and full of life. Inspired by Egyptian and pre-Columbian mythologies, the artist attributes to each animal a particular symbolism and unique characteristics. Sculpted in bas-relief in polyester and covered with painted resin, her animals become veritable works of art. After the visit, children can create their own colorful animal in this free and imaginative spirit.
Recommended ages: 5 to 8
Dates: Tuesdays, July 8, 15, 22, 29 and August 5, 12, 19, 26
 

Colorful, sculptural pop-up card

After visiting the exhibition, children will give free rein to their imagination by creating a colorful, sculptural pop-up card inspired by the whimsical, vibrant world of Niki de Saint Phalle. Using bold shapes, bright colors and cheerful motifs, they'll discover cutting, folding and gluing techniques to give life to a relief creation at the crossroads of art and paper. A fun, artistic experience for the curious young and old!
Recommended ages: 5 to 8
Dates: Wednesdays, July 9, 16, 23, 30 and August 6, 13, 20 and 27

The colorful dinosaur

Niki de Saint Phalle's abundantly colorful art has created a world of chimeras, myths and fantastic creatures. Inspired by mythology, children's stories and medieval bestiaries, she gives life to animals both real and imaginary, combining monsters, giant birds, snakes and dinosaurs in a joyous explosion of shapes and colors. These figures, often symbolic, allow her to tell her story, her dreams and her struggles. After visiting the exhibition, children will be invited to paint a small dinosaur in plaster, inspired by Niki de Saint Phalle's free and fantastic universe.
Recommended ages: 8 to 12
Dates: Thursdays, July 10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7, 14, 21 and 28
 

L’arbre-serpent magique

By combining the tree and the snake, Niki de Saint Phalle invented an imaginary being, a symbol of life, strength and energy. Fascinated by snakes, which she found both frightening and powerful, she made them central figures in her bestiary. “For me, they represented life itself, an indomitable primitive force”, she says. By recreating them, she transformed her fear into joy. After visiting the exhibition, children will imagine and create a colorful snake-tree inspired by this fantastic universe.
Recommended ages: 8 to 12
Dates: Fridays July 11, 18, 25 and August 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29