From the Facebook page.
“Taking “traditional culture” as its theme, this 1st edition of Verdun’s “Intercultural Arts Symposium” (SAI) will explore the role of traditional art in Montreal communities.
This event will bring together artists from the Greater Montreal area who take an interest in various traditional art forms in their respective neighbourhoods.
The artwork, which will be created on site, will embody the artists’ perception of the banality, intimacy and social aspect of everyday life.
The 2015 Verdun Intercultural Arts Symposium is an opportunity to spend two days outdoors with artists who will be sharing their views on art, their trade and their artistic creations.”
And a great time it was! Here is a visual tour of Saturday.
Calligraphy with Alex Lo
Henna tattoos
Cafe Kali offered healthy Mexican food
Lots of different activities for kids
Ribbon Weave Master Extraordinaire Rocky Mt Lo and family
Rocky explaining the legends behind the art
Stained Glass artist and teacher Valerie Lamirande with Alain LaRoche and Projet Montreal Borough Councillor Luc Gagnon. Valerie donated the lamp (180 hours) to raise funds for the event which was won in a draw on Sunday evening (see Part 2 for the winner)
There was lots of information to share in this uniquely beautiful space besides the old church
Storytelling
Sam Abou Ndour – Artisan de design de vetements
Pinata’s and smiles from Cake Kali
up, up and away!
Good friends
Had the pleasure of helping with the making of this lamp with Helen Pitre and Valerie Lamirande and I have to say I sure have a lot of respect for people who do this, it’s really quite an accomplishment!
Donna Lariviere came down from Quebec City to share her native arts
Local NDP candidate Helene LeBlanc with Valerie Lamirande and Patrizia Buffone
Didn’t catch her name but the wonderful lady in the middle from the church really helped make this event work so well. There simply isn’t a better location!
The amazing 3D art of Verdun artist Jocelyne Menard
Quite a day for this kid
Face painting
There was a lot of really nice and affordable items available
Wally Dae sang some traditional Irish ballads
At the end of the day father and son unwinding with some play
I found the contrast between the newer building on the left and the old church to be quite interesting
So that was Saturday. Despite the strong muggy heat lots of people came through and lots of new connections and new friendships were made. The artists had sales and everyone was happy. This event should be the template for how to succeed with community organizing.
Another quote from the Facebook page.
““Interculturalism, as a model of pluralism, tends to reinforce Quebec as nation, not weaken it,” explains Gérard Bouchard, historian and sociologist.
Mr. Bouchard insists on such values and criteria as democracy and social justice. To keep Québec from becoming culturally and socially fragmented, we must strike a balance and open up the lines of communication that will protect the founding francophone culture, minority cultures and the common culture shared by all.
Interculturalism is a viable and sustainable integration model. It becomes a social contract that the parties have a mutual interest in respecting and maintaining so that they can live together in harmony!”
And special thanks for this wonderful event go to Projet Montreal Borough Councillor Luc Gagnon, stained glass artist Valerie Lamirande (Working Glass Hero), and Ana Gloria Blanch of Casa C.A.F.I. for all their hard work to help make this event such a great success!
So who won the lamp? Stay tuned for the exciting finale in Part 2 ! 🙂
