On 23 September, with the support of the Fondation du Patrimoine, the City of Charleville-Mézières launched a public subscription campaign to restore the puppets and set pieces from the show Un chapeau de paille d’Italie by Massimo Schuster, a puppeteer and teacher at ESNAM.
In 2022, Massimo Schuster donated all his works to the Musée de l’Ardenne: 18 puppets, 13 ink sketches and a large oil on canvas. These works have been damaged by the passage of time and the various performances they have given, which is why the town and the Fondation du Patrimoine have joined forces to help restore them.
As a fervent promoter, developer and supporter of the art of puppetry, your help is invaluable in supporting this restoration. The aim is to build up the collections for the extension of the Musée de l’Ardenne dedicated to the puppet arts: the Maison des Marionnettistes.
Planned to start in the second half of 2024, the restoration operation will ensure that the puppets are better preserved over the long term and can be presented to the public. The aim of the two-year restoration project is to present the puppets at the 2025 World Puppet Theatre Festival.
To donate: https://www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/marionnettes-a-charleville-mezieres
