June has come and gone

New Build at Hespler Public Library

June has come and gone, not with a whimper but a bang, or two and I am not talking London, Glasgow and a bunch of foreign born British doctors. Not that what is happening in the world should be ignored; it’s that celebrating creation is a positive way of defying terror while acknowledging its causes, one of which is the restriction of the personal creative development. That said the events of this past June I refer to are the installation of the 9 x 69 meter drapery by east coast weavers Leslie Armstrong and Anke Fox at the newly completed Hespeler Library in Cambridge Ontario and the opening of the exhibition Flax: Chronicles and Stories at the Saint-Joseph church in Deschambault-Grondines, Quebec visual art component of the Biennial International du Lin de Portneuf Not to mention the grand opening of the over hyped Michael Lee Chin Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

Interior of Saint-Joseph Church showing Jacquard by Louise Lemuixe Bérubé

Anke Fox and Leslie Armstrong

During the month of June while in Montreal participating in a colour warp Jacquard workshop at the Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles I was. exploring the textile art world which is thriving. From a impromptu visit to Concordia’s Fibre Arts and Hexagram Departments to the nosing around small boutique/ gallery shops in the Mile End district and attending the opening of the exhibition Connective Tissue at the Musée des maĭters et Artisans du Quebec. This exhibition use pieces from their permanent collection combined with the work of contemporary practitioners working with similar materials was curated by J.Penny Burton who along with finishing her MA at Concordia is working with me as co-editor of the next issue of fibreQUARTERLY which focuses on Montreal and will feature many of the artists I met and places I went.

one of Tammy's books

While I was in Montreal there seemed to be street festivals very weekend, The Grand Prix happened one weekend, the St Laurent Street festival the Fringe, mini sound symposium at a small hot club called Cassa del Popolo .At La Central Gallery Powerhouse During the Saint Laurent Street festival I met independent choreographer/film maker and Book Binder Tammy Forsythe (check out her website)

Since it is July now and you might have the opportunity to visit Montreal this summer I am going to give you a brief rundown of places you should check out if you are looking for “wearables” “hangables” and even “sitable” ( too cute I know) Montreal is a shoppers paradise and I not just talking next years shoes today. Any one with eyes will have noticed the abundance of over screen printed or embroidered everything that has hit the fashion and home accessories market these days (most mass produced).

Cross Stitch by Pin Pals

In the Mile End district (yes I said district and the Condos are well on the way displacing the long time locals and artist as they do in most cities eventually) in stores like General 54 at 54 St. Viateur Street West, Montreal, QC which is presenting Pin Pals exhibition on July 16 you can find a mixture of vintage and new artist made clothes and accessories. Atelier Wood Apples at 5319 avenue du Parc is newly opened in the area features artist made textile products an exhibition wall and will be presenting workshops in various techniques in coming months. On Saint Laurent near north of Laurie and south of St. Viateur you will find a truly amazing place Les Brodeuse.

Located at 5364 boul Saint-Laurent the Embroidery Économusée is a combination shop. School and Museum dedicated to preserving and fostering a new generation of skilled fine embroiders. Founded in 1997 it is a unique enterprise co funded by both the Canadian Economic Development office for the Quebec region and Canadian Heritage Department. Don’t kid yourself that this is a hobby shop, while catering to a stitching public it is about hard core skill development.

In the neighborhood bordering the Metro Jean – Talon station you will find the BURE & LINON WORKSHOP-BOUTIQUE at 1129, rue Bélanger (who where mentioned in the February Blog about the IDS o7 where they where part of Studio North) Here you can find fine hand woven linen Home products along with a selection of other artist produced objects. More Artisan products are available in many Ateliers and Co-ops around town.

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Flax: Chronicles and Stories at the Saint-Joseph church at 117, rue St-Joseph, in Deschambault-Grondines, Quebec runs from June 25 to September 30 Every day from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. admission is $4

This exhibition features the work of : Thérèse Chabot (Québec), Lalie Douglas (Québec), Nathalie Grimard (Québec), Louise Lemuixe Bérubé (Québec), François Méchain (France), Monique Mongeau (Québec), Catherine Sylvain (Québec), Bob Verschueren (Belgium), Laura Vickerson (Alberta), Sarla Voyer (Québec).

A panel discussion: “How does the natural material serve the contemporary work?” September 12 – 7 p.m. – Auditorium of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
National Battlefields Park, Québec City.

Connective Tissue/ Tissu conjonctif at the Musée des maĭters et Artisans du Quebec. 615 Avenue Sainte- Croix, Arrondissement Saint Laurent (Minutes from the Du College Metro Station) Montreal.

The exhibition runs from June 28^th until September 2 2007, show features the work of Claudia Almansa, Hélène Brousseau, Dolorès Contré Migwans, Helle Derrick, Émilie Desmeules, Sherry Farrell Racette, Ying Gao, Ashley Miller, Jihee Min, Andrea Vander Kooij, Anne-Francoise Waauthy