France. Recruiting a museum director or director under the age of 30 is a challenge for most communities, and elected officials are well aware of it. Those that The Arts Journal A interviewees concede having taken “A risk” or done “A bet”even if the youth of the winners would not be the main criterion according to them. These interviews emerge that the expectations of elected officials are high, especially in the municipalities where the post also encompasses the heritage department.
Despite their little experience in management positions, what are the assets that elected officials see in these profiles? The first asset is their training, in particular their status as a heritage curator – at the exit of the National Heritage Institute (INP). Although it is not compulsory to be heritage curator to direct a museum (Read box)elected officials insist on this status especially when the management of museums is shared. In Poitiers where Manon Lecaplain was appointed in 2023, the heritage assistant, tourism and archeology, Clémence Pourroy, specifies that “The two finalists were graduated from the INP in 2023, unlike the other candidates, some of whom had never managed a cultural establishment”. In Gaillac, the assistant to culture and heritage, Alain Soriano, also underlines that the winner Adèle Massias “Was a young IPP graduate and heritage curator”, An important criterion according to him since this position covers the Heritage Directorate (ten monuments) and that of the three museums labeled “Museum of France”. This preference given to conservatives accompanies a museum and heritage management movement movement in communities, as specified by Rachel Suteau, president of the General Association of Conservatives of Public Collections (AGCCP) and head of continuing education at INP: “There has been a widening of missions to the heritage for a few years in medium to large -scale communities. »»
As for establishment and management management missions, elected officials praise directors with double training. In Rouen, Robert Blaizeau (director of museums of the Rouen Metropolis Normandy) had experience in the service departments of local authorities, an asset in the eyes of elected officials: according to Laurence Renou (vice-president of the Metropolis of Rouen, in charge of culture), “Robert Blaizeau had a double journey and the experience of a local authority which against swayed his youth” For this position. She adds that “A director is a fine connoisseur of the collections but with a dimension of management”. In Blois, the fact that Bastien Lopez came out of the INP and the National Institute of Territorial Studies (Inet) played in his favor, according to Fabienne Quinet (culture assistant) who adds that the sought -after profile was “That of a château director and not of operating manager of the site”.
When the museum directors have never held a management position, it takes support by elected officials, or even training: the Fisheries Museum in Fécamp is thus the first management position of Aurélien Arnaud. The assistant to culture Pierre Aubry specifies that the young curator “Is accompanied by general management for management issues”adding that the young director is still in continuing education. According to Clémence Pourroy, the director of the Poitiers museums asked “To be supported on staff management and management when taking up your post”. Alain Soriano concedes that the new director needed a “Adaptation period” Upon his arrival in Gaillac. The degree of preparation for young directors for management functions remains difficult to assess, as Jean-Michel Tobelem, associate professor at Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University: “The managerial offer in the training of the Conservatives remains insufficient, not to mention continuing education”. Rachel Suteau specifies that the INP is developing a journey of “Management training for the heritage establishment that takes into account the complexification of this position”.
Beyond the establishment management, elected officials formulate high expectations on the strategic aspects of cultural policy, including in the scientific and cultural project (PSC) which most museums must acquire. Pierre Aubry indicates working with Aurélien Arnaud on the PSC of the Fisheries Museum, which constitutes “The main issue for the museum, integrating the new challenges of the Museums of France”. If according to Jean-Michel Tobelem, “There is a trend among elected officials and professionals to confuse the PSC with a strategic plan”Rachel SawuE nuance, “Today, the PSC is intended to be a tool for dialogue with the guardianships on the definition of the establishment strategy. I find it healthy that elected officials expect a lot of young directors to help strategic decisions. ”
Last asset, the sensitivity of young directors to ecological issues and particularly in the context of renovation work. Laurence Renou says of Robert Blaizeau that he has “A new look at the challenges of ecological transition”, Where Fabienne Quinet talks about “New reading of the heritage in the face of environmental issues” For Bastien Lopez. Difficult, however, to specify what this ease of young directors would be, apart from familiarity with these subjects because of their training. Jean-Michel Tobelem believes that elected officials “Do not always have an articulated vision on this subject and are very sensitive to watchwords as an energy transition”but the energy transition is a necessity for local authorities, which young directors joined from the start in their establishment project. Rachel Suteau notes that “Elected officials and conservatives are more comfortable on the issue, often with a communion of strategic vision, both political and operational”.
The fact remains that the insulation work to be carried out to reduce the carbon footprint of the museum are the responsibility of the town hall.
Director of a territorial museum, what status and what recruitment criteria
Occupation. If the territorial museums most often have a heritage curator or a conservation attaché (public service competition), it is not a legal obligation. The very function of director of the territorial museum has no precise definition in the documentation of the Ministry of Culture, beyond the missions incumbent upon it: for example “The director is responsible for the collections” And “Define the strategic options for the influence and development of the museum”. Recruitment announcements show that local authorities specify among the criteria the status of conservation attaché or heritage curator, but leave a possibility of recruiting on contract after derogation, even for shared positions. Only museums labeled “Musée de France” must be directed by a curator or a conservation attaché. Most often outside competitions have a doctorate in art history, or a Master 2 in a close discipline. According to Rachel Suteau, these cases remain exceptions in a landscape largely dominated by competition holders and by increased professionalization: “Outside competitions are rare, but they testify to a rigorous scientific project and a common vision of the collections between the candidate and the elected officials. »» For directors recruited by competition, the remuneration follows the index grid for category A, or 2,200 euros gross for a heritage curator at the first step, and 1,900 for a conservation attaché.
