The curator in the “Monuments Historiques” specialization is responsible for overseeing the protection, restoration and enhancement of monuments and movable objects in a given region.He or she may also be entrusted with the management of restoration operations or specific thematic missions.
The training program for student curators of historic monuments is coordinated by Anne Embs, Regional Curator of Historic Monuments, DRAC Centre-Val de Loire.
This specialized teaching module aims to give future conservators of historic monuments the theoretical and technical knowledge they need to exercise their future profession, while preparing them for the context created by recent reforms impacting decentralized government services.
The program emphasizes role-playing situations which, while requiring preparation in advance of the session, also encourage exchanges with the professional working with the curatorial students.
Several sessions are held jointly with the class of state architects-urban planners, to encourage exchanges of views and facilitate future collaboration between architects of Bâtiments de France and curators.
The theoretical knowledge imparted is designed to strengthen the legal and financial background of student curators, by familiarizing them with the concepts of scientific and technical control, project management and project management assistance.
In terms of technical knowledge, this module complements the conservation-restoration courses by offering an analysis of fields specific to historic monuments (mural painting, secondary carpentry, polychromy on sculptures conserved outside, management of lapidary reserves, etc.).
Speciality work placements
The specialised training is supplemented by two work placements which place students in a professional situation so that they can carry out the tasks - design, supervision, project management - that will be entrusted to them as soon as they start work.
The aim of the internship is to prepare the student curator for his or her future role by working alongside the intern's supervisor to help him or her discover all aspects of the profession.
The trainee is also given a scientific project for which he or she is responsible and which must be delivered at the end of the course. This gives them the opportunity to experience the interaction between the scientific aspects of their job and their administrative responsibilities, while at the same time learning about the practical and human realities of their future role.
This is an immersion course in a heritage institution in the trainee's field of specialisation.
The aim is to introduce trainees to working methods and approaches to heritage other than those used in their own country, and to encourage them to forge links with foreign curators who will be useful in their future careers, developing projects at an international level.
The choice of country for this work placement is made in consultation with the Inp's international relations department. Where appropriate, 2 of the 6 weeks take the form of a work placement on collections abroad, which the student carries out in the company of fellow students doing their work placement in the same country.
