From December 6th to January 5th, MAV offers many Christmas-themed workshops, offering children and their families opportunities to experiment with manual craftsmanship and share the joy of creation. The program of activities includes 17 appointments including workshops with wood and wool where children can create nativity scenes, tree decorations, snowmen, angels, skiers, sleds and witches. The workshops are aimed at children aged 3 to 12, and cost €8 per child with the option of a subscription (€40 for 5 entries + 1 free).
On Saturday 30 December at 5:00 pm there is also a theatre show, again dedicated to families, entitled “(almost) a Christmas carol” by the Palinodie company. A magical Christmas tale that intersects the traditions and legends of the Aosta Valley with classic fairy tales for a great adventure at the foot of the tree. The theatre show is recommended for children aged 3 and over and is included in the museum entrance ticket (€5 for adults and €3 for children).
But the big news this Christmas is two workshops for adults dedicated to artisanal work . On Sunday 10 December from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm the museum will host a workshop to experiment with leather working under the guidance of artisan Aldo Andres Villegas Castiglioni . The course costs €22 per person (materials and equipment included) to be paid directly to the artisan on site. On Thursday 4 January from 2:00 pm to 6:30 pm there will be a wood sculpture workshop with artisan Peter Trojer . The course costs €37 per person (materials and equipment included) to be paid directly to the artisan on site.
All activities require mandatory reservation at www.lartisana.vda.it/biglietti
The exhibition “Nel segno della pietra” opens to the public at MAV
On Friday 8 December, the MAV will open to the public “Nel segno della pietra”, an exhibition dedicated to the nativity scenes of the Aosta Valley artisan tradition. The exhibition of nativity scenes has now become a regular event for the Fénis museum, which has put on display extraordinary artisanal nativity scenes year after year, highlighting their provenance, characters, symbolism and collectible value.
This year the nativity scene exhibition starts from the stone material, a hard material, as difficult to work as it is durable. An exhibition that wants to start from the essence of craftsmanship, that is, the manual skill and effort of our artisans in giving shape to the material. Most of the works are carved in soapstone, a raw material widely worked in the Aosta Valley, extracted from the quarries of the valleys of Ayas, Champorcher and Valtournenche. However, there are also some works in stone from the Cogne torrent (a place known for its natural beauty, craftsmanship and mining), a sign of the union between the work of nature and that of man. The nativity scenes on display were made by Cesare Bottan, Rino Collé, Gino Anselmo Daguin, Renzo and Claudio Ferrari and Donato Savin.
Entrance to the exhibition is included in the MAV ticket and can be visited from 8 December to 7 January from Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00.