DRAWING THE STAGE - Women Set Designers 1927–2026

Echoing the history of La Cambre, the first art and design school in Brussels to open its doors to women in 1927, the exhibition explores scenography through the lens of gender. In this context, “Drawing the Stage – Women Set Designers 1927–2026” takes the form of a manifesto exhibition in which curator Annabel Vergne brings together historical documents and interviews conducted between 2023 and 2025 by Milena Forest and Clémence Thiery with contemporary women set designers. The exhibition brings together historical archives, models, drawings, photographs, working objects and audio interviews, revealing the richness and diversity of scenographic practices over almost a century. It creates a dialogue between historical figures represented in the archives of La Cambre, Kanal Architecture Brussels, the Archives & Museum of Literature, and La Monnaie Theatre, and contemporary set designers whose testimonies provide insight into the realities of the profession today. By bringing together different generations and periods, the exhibition reveals both the continuities and transformations within the profession, as well as the issues that continue to shape it: invisibility, structural inequalities, the balance between creative work and family life, but also artistic commitment, collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Their stories enter into dialogue with the archives of figures who have shaped the history of scenography and the performing arts in Belgium, including Suzanne Fabry, Marguerite Acarin, known as Akarova, Nany Renkin and Suzanne Wauters. The exhibition also highlights careers connected to the history of La Cambre through the work of Elisabeth Ivanovsky and Marie-Luce Bonfanti, whose trajectories reflect the pioneering role played by the school in training women artists and creators. Eleven themes, directly inspired by the words and experiences of the set designers interviewed, structure the exhibition. These include Training, I Am a Swiss Army Knife, I Need to Make in Order to Think, This Is How You Make a Set Designer Disappear, Every Scenography Contributes to the Staging, and Archiving. Reflecting this diversity of experiences and voices, the exhibition unfolds as a series of thematic islands, inviting visitors to explore freely. With no imposed route or strict chronology, visitors are encouraged to move between archives, models and testimonies, creating their own connections between different periods, practices and experiences. Together, these archives, testimonies and productions contribute to a broader history of scenography and help build a still largely overlooked women’s cultural heritage. “Drawing the Stage – Women Set Designers 1927–2026” calls for the creation of a genuine heritage of women’s contributions to scenography in Belgium. By encouraging the preservation of archives and the recognition of these works, the exhibition contributes to writing a more balanced and inclusive history of the arts. Curated by Annabel Vergne and with exhibition design by Milena Forest, “Drawing the Stage – Women Set Designers 1927–2026” is conceived and produced by Écarlate la compagnie and the FAME Festival, with the support of AML and FWB, as part of the Collectives of Associations for the Representation of Women in Culture.