Illiers-Combray gives high school students carte blanche to paint the portrait of its ambassadors

A “carte blanche” exhibition for History of Arts students from Jehan-de-Beauce high school de Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) can be discovered at the Domaine de la Citadelle d’Illiers-Combray.

For his first free exhibition open to the publicthe town of Illiers-Combray wanted to allow these high school students to express their talent around portraits of Islerians who act as ambassadors of this city dear to the illustrious writer Marcel-Proust… it is worth discovering until July 7, 2024.

The population and heritage of the city highlighted

Since the start of the school year in September, high school students have developed various projects highlighting both the population and the heritage of the city.

The second year students worked on Saint-Jacques church by preparing a document tracing the history, architecture and heritage of the Saint-Jacques church.

The first year students, for their part, worked on the portrait of committed Islerians for their city. Eight personalities (four men and four women) were chosen to embody this commitment and encourage the population to do the same.

These are black and white photographic portraits taken with film cameras. If the people selected were reluctant at first, they were won over by the students who were able to show that their interest was sincere. Real encounters were created between the students and their subjects. The portraits can be discovered at the Café de la Citadelle.

A museum proposal for the Domaine de la Citadelle villa

For final year students, the process is even more advanced because, concerning them, it was a question of designing a museum proposal for the villa at Domaine de la Citadelle.

It’s up to them to imagine a tea room and to design the redevelopment of the park.

The high school students started with the concept of the discovery of the 19th century through the five senses (taste, touch, hearing, smell, sight).

They declined this proposal for the park and the tea room for which they also designed a whole series of products such as totebags, tea boxes, etc. Insatiable, they have also developed an escape game for young and old to be found in the Summer Pavilion at the back of the park.

High-end exhibitions

On the occasion of the opening of these exhibitions, the residents, elected officials and even the parents present were amazed by the quality of the exhibitions and the ease of the students in presenting them.

And for the occasion, some students and their History of Arts teachers, Olivier Bougot and Guillaume Leproust, judiciously dressed up to accentuate the general atmosphere around the chosen theme, thanks to the good care of Ms. Grenier who generously lent the costumes for the occasion.

High school students becoming ambassadors themselves

Bernard Puyenchet, mayor of Illiers-Combray, wanted to thank each of them by making them community ambassadors. An opportunity for him to recall “the crucial importance of preserving local history and sharing it with future generations”.

Your unfailing commitment and the remarkable quality of your productions impressed me throughout our collaboration. You exceeded all our expectations, and it was a real pleasure to be able to interact with you.

This is the second time that the city has collaborated with the Jehan-de-Beauce high school since the students of the boilermaking section have carried out original bike racks which will soon be installed throughout the city. “It’s a real pleasure to work with young people full of creativity and good will,” adds the mayor.

Given the success of this opening, the municipality has decided to extend the exhibition until July 7 or even all summer if the craze continues! which, undoubtedly, will be the case.

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