Resource Center
Open to specialists and the general public alike, including students, artists, researchers and anyone with an interest.
The CDR team looks forward to welcoming you!
The resource centre is open Monday to Friday, from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm.
Whether you are an enthusiast, a curious visitor, a student or a researcher, an educator or a cultural professional, the resource centre’s collections and services are at your disposal.
To enable the public to gain a better understanding of the CNAC’s collections, the reading room is open to all.
Over 30,000 items available for consultation on site: videos, posters, programmes, photographs and archives. This international and up-to-date collection covers the history, aesthetics, context and pedagogy of the circus, as well as several related disciplines (other arts, arts medicine, physical practices, cultural policy, etc.).
The video recordings produced by the CNAC’s teams constitute a unique heritage showcasing the diversity of circus creation since the institution’s founding.
In March 2021, the CNAC was awarded the CollEx label for its unique ‘Cirque et Illusion’ collection (over 900 reference works).
The Resource and Research Centre of the National Centre for Circus Arts is an associated centre of the BnF.
Mission
The resource centre specialises in the acquisition and preservation of books, theses, journals, periodicals, digital media and other reference materials relating to the circus arts and the performing arts. Its unique expertise in this field enables it to ensure the conservation, promotion and accessibility of France’s documentary heritage of the circus arts, for the benefit of artists and specialists within the circus community as well as the general public.
