The Centre d’art et de diffusion CLARK is an artist-run centre dedicated to the presentation and production of contemporary art. CLARK has many entities, both physical and virtual, each with its own function. The two main components of the Centre are its Gallery, comprised of two exhibition spaces where over 10 exhibitions are presented each year, as well as special projects, an audio listening station, screenings and performance events; and Atelier CLARK, a woodworking shop, the only one of its kind in Montréal. The Centre also houses a bookstore, book launches, performances and several off-site projects and partnerships.
Originating from the Conseil des arts textiles du Québec in 2004, Diagonale is a center for the dissemination of contemporary art located in the heart of Montreal’s dynamic Mile End district. Each year, Diagonale presents a program of exhibitions, research or production residencies and lectures around its mandate. Approached as a plastic and reflexive object, it is deployed within artistic and theoretical projects by artists, curators and theorists who are committed to thinking about fiber in terms of matter, concept or referentiality. Eager to participate in the influence of the local art scene, Diagonale tends to develop national and international projects.
Launched in 2002, Fonderie Darling is a visual-arts venue that was founded and is directed by the not-for-profit art organization Quartier Éphémère, which has the mandate of supporting the creation, production, and dissemination of contemporary art. A small business by nature, Fonderie Darling develops a wide range of tools for the distribution of art to a broader public. Fonderie Darling occupies 3,500 m² in two adjoined former industrial buildings in Old Montreal. It presents exhibitions, makes studios available to local artists, and hosts international residencies, offering artists and the public fulfilling experiences in an inspiring context and with a sense of coherence that facilitates the comprehension of contemporary art. A unique institution in Montreal, Fonderie Darling has set itself the objective of bringing together the local and international art scenes through its activities.
For twenty-five years, the artist-run centre Galerie B-312 has been dedicated to the emergence and recognition of contemporary art. As part of its aim of developing art practices, Galerie B-312 encourages a multidisciplinary approach and knowledge hybridity. The goal is to initiate a wider public to the diversity and richness of contemporary practices, increase our understanding of art and artists’ thinking, and foster the insertion of art into the field of knowledge on the human condition. Galerie B-312 supports artists at different stages of their careers and promotes diverse current practices: painting, sculpture, drawing, video, performance, photography, sound art, and new media. Ten to twelve solo exhibitions are presented each year, to which are added performances, conferences, artist talks, studio visits, publications, launches, off-site activities, and exchanges of projects with the international community.
Galerie de l’UQAM is a university gallery dedicated to contemporary art. The institution disseminates the knowledge it generates through exhibitions, public activities and a diverse range of publications. It mainly exhibits contemporary art from Québec, as well as from elsewhere in Canada and from abroad.The majority of its exhibitions are curated by recognized professionals and produced by Galerie de l’UQAM. It investigates various concerns connected with the work of established artists, at the same time giving attention to emerging currents and to the work of students in visual and media arts, art history and museology.
Created by the merger of the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec with the Grande bibliothèque du Québec (2002), and then with the Archives nationales du Québec (2006), Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) has as its mission to acquire, preserve and disseminate publications, archival materials and films constituting Quebec and Quebec-related heritage. As a key player of the knowledge society and a genuine cultural hub, BAnQ strives to democratize access to knowledge. It carries out its activities in 12 facilities which are open to the public across Quebec.
The Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery at Concordia University is committed to researching, exhibiting, documenting and disseminating contemporary art in a local, national and international context. Through its exhibitions, its educational and public programs and its publications, the Gallery promotes a greater awareness of art as a critical form of knowledge and as a way to engage in larger cultural debates to the general public, art communities and to students and young adults. The Gallery collects Canadian art. The Gallery’s programme of exhibitions, events, activities and publications focuses on artmaking today and on its recent history as it interfaces with various curatorial strategies. All projects are the result of a specific curatorial approach. Public programs are an inherent part of projects but also can revolve around non-exhibition based issues. Collaborators from various disciplines and fields of interests participate in our projects and activities.
Inaugurated in 1921, the McCord embodies the vision of a passionate collector, David Ross McCord, whose abiding wish was to shed light on the history and cultures of his country and thus bring its people together. The McCord Museum celebrates our past and present life in Montréal–our history, our people, our communities. To understand history and get the perspective needed to appreciate the progress made by society, one must look back at the past from the present. The Museum offers a contemporary immersive approach to history and creates opportunities for contemplation, thus reflecting a city open to the world. With the goal of creating engaged citizens, the McCord Museum’s Education Programs department organizes initiatives designed especially for a variety of clienteles.
Liquid Crystals is an interactive route through Tiohtià:ke / Mooniyang / Montreal. Wander around the city and experience 11 augmented reality artworks that you can access as filters using your mobile device.
Founded in 1860 as the Art Association of Montréal by a group of Montreal art collectors and patrons, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) was one of the first museums in North America to build up an encyclopedic collection worthy of the name. It now numbers over 43,000 works from Antiquity to today, making it unique in Canada. It comprises paintings, sculptures, graphic arts, photographs and decorative art objects displayed in four pavilions: The Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion (international art), the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion (world cultures), the Liliane and David M. Stewart Pavilion (decorative arts and design) and the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion (Québec and Canadian art). The latter, which was inaugurated in September 2011, includes 460-seat concert hall-Bourgie Hall-featuring an important group of Tiffany stained glass windows. A fifth wing, the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion for Peace devoted to international art and education, has open in late 2016 to launch Montréal’s 375th anniversary celebrations.
Founded in 1989, Occurrence is a not-for-profit organisation with a unique mandate in the Quebec cultural scene. Its name, meaning “what arrives in contingent ways”, carries a vision based on emergent practices and those that marked its history, actualising them to reveal their transformation in time. Occurrence is dedicated to the dissemination of contemporary art, with a focus on photography and image practices. Its program is selected through a committee of peers made up of artists and active participants in the arts community with varied viewpoints. Renewed each year, this committee ensures a diverse program that reflects current issues.
Since its foundation in 1972, OPTICA has been defined as a venue dedicated to local, national, and international contemporary practices. Every year, the centre presents a varied program of exhibitions, symposia, and artist talks, as well as producing curators’ projects. Supported by a publishing arm, these programs offer a critical reflection on contemporary art.
Established in 2007 by Phoebe Greenberg, the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing impactful contemporary art experiences to the public. Its programming is international in scope, responsive to the local context, and free of charge to reinforce PHI’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion. The Foundation is driven by a desire to foster connection through art and deliver programming that sparks critical thinking and joy. In this way, the Foundation is a gathering place, committed to nurturing convivial exchanges that celebrate art as part of our everyday lives.
VOX was founded in 1985, and its mission is to support research and presentation initiatives as well enable artists, exhibition curators and other researchers to contribute to art experimentation, to reflection and to development of multiple forms of critical discourse around image-making and exhibition practices from the 1960s to the present day. Its main activity is exhibitions, most often complemented by publications, documentation spaces, film screenings, conferences and online projects. The exhibitions and other artistic events that the centre produces are grounded in long-term work with artists, and often designed as collective projects that encourage discussions and debates about art and contemporary society as well as public meetings with diverse audiences.