Cité internationale de la tapisserie

The Cité internationale de la tapisserie is a public institution founded in 2010 in response to the UNESCO listing of Aubusson tapestry as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Located in Aubusson, it is run by a Joint Syndicate bringing together the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the Creuse Department and the Creuse Grand Sud municipalities, with a significant level of support from the French government.

The Cité is a unique establishment with a wide range of functions dedicated to promoting Aubusson tapestry. With its museum and reference collection, its training centre providing a two-year diploma in tapestry weaving (Brevet des Métiers d’Art “Arts de la lisse”) and its European-level resource centre, the Cité is buzzing with activity. Committed to a proactive policy of contemporary creation, the Cité has been building up a high-quality contemporary Fund since 2010 through calls for projects and partnerships with art galleries. Since 2017, it has also launched the major woven adventures “Aubusson weaves Tolkien”, “The imagination of Hayao Miyazaki in Aubusson tapestry” and “Homage to George Sand”, which are renewing the way we approach the tapestry medium.

The Cité is also involved in the development of a tapestry – woven art – textile design and materials ecosystem, promoting and supporting the arrival in Creuse of designers and project developers in the field of textile. In this respect, the Cité is the first “Musée de France” institution to be awarded the “Manufacture de proximité” economic label (productive third place).