Musées de Langres – Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot – Musée d'Art et d'Histoire

Public Services

Public Relations Officers :

Laetitia MIGUERES & Audrey SIX

National Education relay teachers :

Christine LECOMTE-GILLOT (christine.gillot@ac-reims.fr) & Charlotte MARTINOT (charlotte.martinot@ac-reims.fr)

The Visitor Services Department offers guided tours of the entire exhibition for children (in and out of school). Developed with the assistance of a teacher, the activities are designed according to school curricula.

Themed Tours

The Birth of a Painting:

Students discover the materials and techniques used by painters from prehistory to the classical period, from canvas to varnish, including brushes and pigments. Literary Archaeology and Gallo-Roman Civilization:

Literary and archaeological description of the features of this civilization: the world of the living with the villa of Andilly-en-Bassigny, the realm of the dead with the mausoleum of Faverolles, daily life, etc.

Art and Faith in the Middle Ages:

Visit the crypt of Saint-Geosmes, Langres Cathedral, the medieval statues in the museum, and the Saint-Didier Chapel.

Jean Tassel, 17th-century painter from Langres:

Discover the painter in his apprenticeship and in his private and public works.

In the Footsteps of the Renaissance in Langres:

In collaboration with the Heritage Animation Department, another workshop in the same vein is being prepared on the monuments and works of the Langres Renaissance.

4 Museum Events Over 4 Years:

Linked to art history teaching, this activity, taking place at the Maison des Lumières and the Guy Baillet Museum of Art and History, explores the theme of human representation.

Workshops

Illumination Workshop:

This workshop allows students to discover beautiful book illuminations dating from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, and then to create their own initial letter during a creative session.

Mosaic Workshop:

During this workshop, we introduce students to one of the major pieces in the museum’s collection: a Gallo-Roman mosaic found beneath the current Museum of Art and History. Students then create their own mosaic.

Papyrus Workshop:

The workshop begins with a time to explore the museum’s Egyptian collections (including a mummy), and then students experiment with writing in hieroglyphs on papyrus.

Prehistoric Paintings Workshop:

This workshop begins with prehistoric objects preserved at the Museum of Art and History and then introduces the different materials and techniques used for cave paintings.

Educational Materials

The Visitor Services Department provides teachers and students with educational resources on various themes covered in the exhibition, such as the Apocalypse by Jean Duvet or the Bacchus Mosaic. These materials were developed in collaboration with a teaching assistant.

Educational and Teaching Materials at the Museum of Art and History

Training for Teachers

The two Langres museums regularly participate in training courses for teachers from the local education authority (as part of Academic Training Plans) or the training area.

The collections of the Maison des Lumières constitute a formidable educational resource for students. Developed with the assistance of a teacher-referral partner, the proposed activities are designed according to school curricula.

Guided Tours

General guided tours are offered to school groups to discover the entire exhibition circuit of the Maison des Lumières. Thematic guided tours are also available:

Science in the 18th Century:

Discover science during the Enlightenment, exploring measuring instruments, unusual objects such as celestial mechanics, and illustrations from the Encyclopédie.

Diderot and the Arts:

Through paintings, sculptures, excerpts from plays, and critiques of the Salons, this tour provides an insight into the role of the arts in Diderot’s work. The Encyclopedia, an 18th-Century Bestseller:

An in-depth tour to discover one of the major works in the history of Western thought.

In Diderot’s Footsteps in Langres:

Developed with the Heritage Outreach Department, this workshop offers a tour of Diderot’s living quarters in the historic center of Langres and a discovery of the Maison des Lumières.

Workshops

Engraving Workshop:

Each student creates a template on a laminated surface and then tries their hand at printing different proofs on a suitable press.

Image Reading Workshop:

How do illustrations contribute to the understanding of a work and reveal themselves as a distillation of the literary work itself?

Still Life:

Using still life paintings, students explore questions of composition, light, and color palette, and create their own still life.

Budding Herbalist Workshop:

This workshop allows students to explore botany and the history of natural sciences through their senses (touch, smell, sight, etc.) and creativity by creating their own herbarium.

Travel Journal Workshop:

Students explore the great explorers of the 18th century. This discovery leads them to create their own travel journal.

Teaching Materials

The Visitor Services Department provides teachers and students with numerous educational resources on various themes covered in the exhibition: The Adventure of Writing in the 18th Century; The Encyclopedia, a Bestseller in the Age of Enlightenment; Women of the Enlightenment, etc. These documents were developed in collaboration with a teacher-referee.

You can find all of these documents on the dedicated website:
Teaching and Educational Materials, Maison des Lumières

Teacher Training

The two Langres museums regularly participate in training sessions for teachers from the local education authority (as part of Academic Training Plans) or the training area.