All Ages Artmaking: Paper Performers

Floor 3, Theater

Open to all ages

Artists of all ages are invited to transform themselves into a paper performer. Step right up and join the circus. What will your act be? A daring sword thrower, a ferocious lion, or a tiptoeing tightrope walker?

Transform yourself into a two-dimensional circus character, then explore High Wire: Calder’s Circus at 100 one last time!

Alexander Calder grew up at the end of the golden age of the American circus. After seeing the circus live, Calder was filled with inspiration. In 1926, Calder began constructing his miniature multi-act circus while living in Paris, using everyday materials you might find around the house or at a hardware store—wire, fabric, cork, wood, string, and found objects—to create a cast of acrobats, animals, and other circus performers including clowns, a sword swallower, and a ringmaster. The figures were brought to life through performances that Calder staged for audiences of artists and friends. Calder would manipulate the figures with his hands and add sound effects with his own voice. These dynamic performances were set to music, complete with lighting, and could last up to two hours—representing a radical new form of performance art. Calder stored the Circus in a set of five suitcases and would travel back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean with his Circus all packed up and ready to go. 

Calder’s Circus  shows his early fascination with movement, form, and suspense. Through his performances of the Circus , Calder honed the techniques that would shape his sculptures, including his groundbreaking invention of the mobile.