Conseil des arts de Montréal 2026: Promis

PROMIS

Skawennati’s public art installation transforms the façade of the Conseil des arts de Montréal building all summer long

June 17, 2026 - End of September 2026

The Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM) invites Montrealers to discover and experience Promise, a temporary public art installation by world-renowned Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) artist Skawennati, which, for the very first time, will transform the façade of the CAM building (located at 1210 Sherbrooke Street East, across from La Fontaine Park).

Vibrantly colourful, this playful, bold and symbolic work is accessible for free all summer long, day and night. All it takes is a smartphone to scan a QR code for an immersive augmented-reality experience of the Three Sisters.

An Art Installation Rooted in Indigenous Heritage

Commissioned by the CAM to celebrate its 70th anniversary, this powerful artistic gesture has been unveiled just days before National Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrated on Sunday, June 21. It also acknowledges the 325th anniversary of the Great Peace Treaty of Montreal, signed on August 4, 1701.

 Nathalie Maillé, directrice générale du CAM, stated: 

“In Montreal, the presence of art is an unbeatable force, deeply embedded in its DNA. For 70 years, it has been at the heart of the CAM’s work. Chosen from our very first competition for a temporary public artwork, the visionary artist Skawennati brilliantly transforms an iconic building in Montreal. We are thus reaffirming what sets our city apart: artistic vitality is expressed all around us, and right here at the Gaston-Miron building, it comes to life every day through the CAM’s initiatives.”

Skawennati, the artist, elaborated:

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to create a public work for an institution as innovative as the CAM, at this grand scale, in this location, the traditional territory of my ancestors. What is truly transformative is to live with Indigenous signage and symbols in the cityscape where they promote the values inherent in them.”  

A work rooted in tradition and growing toward the future

Drawing on Hotinonshón:ni (Iroquois) knowledge, Promise re-imagines the Three Sisters—beloved personifications of corn, beans, and squash—as contemporary superheroes whose mission is to re-instill into the values of sustainability, interdependence, and gratitude throughout the city and the world.

The vivid patterns wrapped around the building’s columns are inspired by the Three Ssiter's seeds, while an augmented-reality experience, accessible via a QR code, brings the heroines to life through 3D animation, accompanied by an original song blending Kanien’kéha, French, and English.

Sponsored by daphne, a non-profit Indigenous artist-run centre (Centre d'art daphne), this playful installation invites all citizens to contemplate and remember the roots of the city and to envision a shared future grounded in Indigenous values.

Artist Skawennati

Skawennati, a trailblazer in Indigenous digital art

A Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) artist based in Montreal, Skawennati has been developing a practice at the intersection of visual and digital arts for over two decades, blending installations, technologies, sculptures, textiles, and interactive environments to explore memory, identity, and the future.

Centered around the universe of the Three Sisters, the artist is developing a multilayered narrative. She first introduced them as superheroes in Words Before All Else, in 2022, followed by Welcome to the Garden, presented in 2024 at Gray Area in San Francisco. In 2025, the trio visited New York as part of ENCODED: Change the Story, Change the Future at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Skawennati’s augmented reality work is surreptitiously superimposed onto the museum’s facade. There, she offers a critical reinterpretation of dominant narratives, which is emblematic of her approach.

With Promise, the artist adds a new chapter, affirming a strong connection to the territory; the accompanying song is punctuated with references to the Maison du CAM, the City of Montreal/Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang, and nearby Atateken Street.

Rooted in Indigenous knowledge yet future-oriented, her work has been presented on the local and international scene, notably at the MAC, the Smithsonian, the Venice Biennale, and the Seoul Art & Tech Festival. In May 2025, the National Gallery of Canada presented Welcome to Dreamhouse, major solo exhibition of her work, tracing 25 years of artistic practice.

Skawennati is co-founder and co-director of AbTeC at Concordia University, a research-creation studio that co-produces digital art projects.

About the Conseil des arts de Montréal

Founded in 1956, the Conseil des arts de Montréal supports artistic innovation and creative expression in all their diversity by offering various forms of support to promote Montreal-based artists and organizations involved in creation, production, and presentation. For 70 years, it has played a unique role as a catalyst and has helped make Montreal a vibrant cultural metropolis, recognized here and abroad for its artistic vitality.

About the Gaston-Miron Building

The Gaston-Miron Building, located at 1210 Sherbrooke Street East across from La Fontaine Park, has been home to the Conseil des arts de Montréal since 2009. Formerly the Montreal Central Library, built between 1914 and 1917 by architect Eugène Payette, this iconic building stands as a testament to the city’s rich cultural and architectural heritage. Completely renovated while preserving its original features—including its spectacular atrium topped by a glass ceiling—the building is now a vibrant space dedicated to the creation, support, and promotion of the arts, providing the artistic community with rehearsal and exhibition spaces. At its entrance stands Yannick Pouliot’s work Dialogue (2017), an aluminum sculpture composed of fragments inspired by the building’s architecture.  

 

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All images in this article courtesy of the Conseil des arts de Montréal

Artwork credits

Commissioned by the Conseil des arts de Montréal    

Sponsored by daphne

Co-produced by AbTeC

Concept and design: Skawennati

Production manager: Nancy Townsend

Production supervisor: Jason Edward Lewis

Graphic design: Tarcisio Cataldi et Julia Fortin 

Lighting design: cr34te

Printing: Turgeon

Augmented reality specialist: Meg Summers

3D modelling and animation: Maxime Perreault

3D Texturing: Jiangai Gao

Lyrics: Skawennati

Recording and Sound Design: Shawn Mullen

Performers: Skanaie:’a Deer as Osahè:ta’, Kanikatsistha Hill as Ó:nenhste, and Ieronhienhawi Mccomber as Onon’ónsera

Recording Studio: Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology 

PAC 2026: Heroes of Greece. The Age of Troy

 

HEROES OF GREECE - THE AGE OF TROY
  

June 4, 2026 - March 7, 2027

 

Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal’s archaeology and history complex, had announced the opening of the new exhibition Heroes of  Greece. The Age of Troy. Guided by the Iliad, the legendary epic featuring heroes and powerful gods and goddesses, this major exhibition explores the origin and legacy of this seminal work attributed to the poet Homer. At the crossroads of myth and reality, the exhibition immerses visitors in history, showcasing nearly 400 authentic objects—treasures of Greece—from 28 Greek museums and archaeological sites. Several works are being presented on display for the first time in North America. 

 

The exhibition presents some of the greatest historical and literary adventures: the Trojan War, Homer’s heroes and the gods of Olympus—a heroic saga of human passions and divine conflicts. It offers a unique opportunity to delve into the origins of the myth and discover the secrets behind this epic that has shaped the Greek imagination and left its influence on the Western world and many civilizations throughout the centuries. It unveils unique pieces that give visitors a chance to explore a fascinating narrative and follow the paths of its protagonists. These pieces also shed light on the historical and cultural contexts in which these writings were relayed and disseminated. 

 Anne Élisabeth Thibault, Executive Director of Pointe-à-Callière, stated:

"It is always a great source of pride to host a large-scale international exhibition at Pointe-à-Callière. Seeing these objects brought together in one place is an exceptional event, made possible through a collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of the Hellenic Republic (Greece) and several museums. Beyond their beauty, these objects embody the enduring legacy of Homeric myth, inviting visitors to encounter Achilles, Odysseus, and Helen. It is fascinating to see how these narratives, over 3,000 years old, remain relevant today and how their heroes continue to move us. Rarely has Greece agreed to lend a heritage collection of such magnitude to a museum in North America, making this exhibition a major cultural happening and an exceptional museum event." 

 

A Journey Between Myth and Historical Reality

To begin, the exhibition opens by introducing the visitors to the great figures of the Iliad: Helen, Paris, Agamemnon, Achilles, Ajax, Hector, and other protagonists whose epic journeys is revealed throughout the exhibition.

The visit then leads to an exploration of the poet Homer—an enigmatic figure if ever there was one—to whom this work is attributed. Opinions are divided: Was Homer the sole author? Did he really exist? The exhibition reveals the era in which he is believed to have lived: the Iron Age (c. 1100–800 BCE), a period marked by social upheaval and the emergence of ironwork. Authentic amphorae, oinochoai, lekythoi, skyphos (all distinct types of ancient Greek pottery, weapons, and statuettes bear witness to this pivotal period in Greek history, from which Homer introduces elements in the Iliad.

 

The journey continues on Mount Olympus, home of the gods and goddesses, where we meet the true instigators of the Trojan War. They directly intervene in the fate of mortals, supporting or opposing the heroes. Zeus, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Poseidon reveal their central role through impressive statues and artifacts!

 

 

Leaving the exhibition’s ground floor and ascending to the first floor, the visitors will step back in time, nearly 400 years before Homer’s era, the period that inspired the Iliad and during which the Trojan War is believed to have taken place. The exhibit delves into the heart of the rich and powerful Mycenaean civilization of the Bronze Age (1600–1200 BCE). Reflecting a time of great prosperity, the objects on display illustrate the exceptional know-how of Mycenaean artisans of that period, as well as their way of life: gold ornaments, exquisite jewelry, weapons, and figurines.

  

Towards the end, the exhibition takes the visitors to the heart of major episodes of the conflict that took place in Troy, from its origin to the fall of the city, all revealed through original illustrations and exceptional artifacts.

 

 

 A Greek-Canadian Mission to Argilos

Located in northern Greece, Argilos is one of the oldest Greek colonies. Since 1992, the Canadian Institute in Greece—which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year—has been conducting a Greek-Canadian archaeological mission at the site. The Argilos site has revealed the remains of a prosperous city, with shops, residential areas, and infrastructure that bear witness to its economic vitality. Several artifacts discovered at Argilos are featured in the exhibition.

 

Complementing the exhibition this summer

GUIDED TOURS

The Museum offers guided tours during which visitors can explore the exhibition and ask questions:

• Guided tours (20 min.) / every day (schedules at the reception counter)

• Visitor’s booklet for families 

LECTURES

• The Archaeology of Mycenaean, Bronze Age, and Iron Age Civilizations, with Jacques Y. Perreault, Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences — Department of History and Director of the Canadian Institute in Greece / Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 7 pm

The lecture series will continue with a rich program in the fall of 2026.

EVENT

The summer Apéro-Expo event will offer a unique opportunity to visit the exhibition in a friendly and festive atmosphere with a DJ, access to the Museum’s rooftop terrace, and flavours of the Greek islands.

• Apéro-Expo / Thursday, July 9, 2026, from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

On Sundays during the summer, enjoy free Heroic Greece themed activities for the whole family. Activities include myths and legends, drawing, dancing, and music!

• Family Sundays: July 12, 19, and 26 and August 16 and 23, 2026, from 1 pm to 4 pm

See the complete program on Pointe-à-Callière’s website : www.pacmusee.qc.ca 

  

Acknowledgements

The exhibition Heroes of Greece. The Age of Troy is a joint production of Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal’s archaeology and history complex, and the Ministry of Culture of the Hellenic Republic (Greece). In partnership with Desjardins – Caisse du Centre-Ville-de-Montréal, Air Canada Cargo, YUL – Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, Tourisme Montréal, St-Sulpice Hotel, and La Presse. The Museum sincerely thanks its lenders, sponsors, and partners.

 

All photos in this article @ Nadia Slejskova

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About Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex

Inaugurated in 1992, on the city’s 350th anniversary, Pointe-à-Callière is today the largest archaeology museum in Canada and the busiest history museum in Montréal. Rising above a concentrated number of historic and archaeological sites of national significance—including the birthplace of Montréal, the Museum has a mission to preserve its collections and to further knowledge, while showcasing and fostering an appreciation for Montréal’s archaeological and historical heritage. This mission is carried out through various activities focused on conservation, research, presentation, education, and inclusion, along with community initiatives benefiting both Montrealers and visitors to the city. Pointe-à-Callière is a partner of the City of Montréal.