DENIS DIDEROT MAISON DES LUMIÈRES
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.