Place-des-Arts' Esplanade Upgrade

A New Look for Place-des-Arts' Esplanade

Place des Arts announced today the start of major work on a complete reconfiguration of its Esplanade, which serves as a main gathering place for many Montreal festivals and millions of festival goers.

This project will cost 34.2 million dollars and will be completed in May 2018. It will be carried in three stages. The first stage will begin this year and will end in May 2016. The construction work will be done in such a way as to allow all the planned cultural activities to ran without interruption.

The reasons for the renovations of the Place des Arts Esplanade are the following: to open more space for the activities, to upgrade the infrastructure of water pipes and electrical wiring, to update the impermeability of the fountain as well as of the whole Esplanade in order to better protect the underground hallways and performance areas, and to make all the Place des Arts' building to stand out better. A special attention will be given to the lighting of the place and the buildings themselves to make the Esplanade more inviting. In addition, the Sculpture Garden next to the Museum of Contemporary Art, now behind a tall metal fence, will be opened up and renovated.

Vittorio Rossi: The Envelope

Centaur Theatre
The Envelope

By Vittorio Rossi

WORLD PREMIERE

March 24 - April 19, 2015


The Envelope is Vittorio Rossi’s tenth play produced at Centaur Theatre. This new play is about the celluloid film-dream factory and all its complications. It is satiric and quite engaging. Everything in The Envelope comes from Rossi's own experience in the Canadian film making process either as a screenwriter, director or actor. 

The main character Michael Moretti, a Canadian playwrite, movie scriptwriter and director, is torn between two offers: from an L.A. filmmaker and a local producer who dangles a multi-million dollar envelope from the Federal Film Fund. Michael confronts his personal ambition over loyalty and money over art. The Envelope reveals that Made in Canada movie projects generate more red tape than red carpet winners.

Most of the action happens in a local Italian restaurant. Three excited actors, whom Michael had offered not only stage roles but also the film ones, punctuate Michael's dilemma as two producers jockey for the film rights to his new play that is premièring at an Old Montreal theatre. 

The Envelope is of interest not only to the the general public, but especially to the Canadian actors, playwrites, scriptwriters and producers, all those who endeavour to  chase a cinematic dream and success.

For more information, visit the Centaur theatre website:
http://www.centaurtheatre.com

Centaur Theatre 47th Season

Centaur Theatre 2015-2016 Season
LUMINOUS

Housed in the old Montreal Stock Exchange building, the Centaur Theatre has launched its 47th Season this afternoon. The new program was introduced by the Centaur's Artistic and Executive Director Roy Surette (on the right in the picture just below) and Eloi Savoie (at the podium).

Such Montreal celebrities as Rick Blue and George Bowser participated at the event and performed a song from their Last Night at the Gayety musical.

Season 2015-2016 will comprise entirely of contemporary Canadian content. The plays will range from epic drama, musical vaudeville and political thriller to distinct journeys into whimsical, calamity and the idyllic countryside.

Here are the Centaur Theatre 47th Season's major attractions.

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Visit Centaur Theatre website for more information on the present and future programs and their other activities.

http://www.centaurtheatre.com
  

PAC Museum: Neige - Snow

NEIGE - SNOW

February 18, 2015 - January 3, 2016

Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Archaeology and History Complex, is presenting a new temporary exhibition on the subject of snow. Neige -Snow is the first major exhibition of the kind in Canada, and the first time that snow, an integral part of our northern winter environment, is honoured in this way. After all, it shapes our lives for several months every year with all its charms as well as challenges.

This exhibition was produced by the Canadian Museum of History in partnership with the J. Armand Bombardier Museum. In addition, there are about hundred items, ranging from works of art (many from the Desjardins Collection) to artifacts, illustrations, postcards that came from the Christian Paquin fonds. Also, there are audiovisual projections.

Neige - Snow is a travelling exhibition developed by the Canadian Museum of History in partnership with the J. Armand Bombardier Museum and adapted by Pointe-à-Callière.

This exhibition presents many unusual items that might surprise visitors. Below are displayed traditional Inuit ivory, bone, and wood snow goggles. There are also additional Inuit goggles for visitor to try on and to experience the visual filed presented through them.

There are also on display curious items like horse snowshoes and a portable charcoal foot warmer.

For more information, visit the Point-à-Callière Museum's website .

http://www.pacmusee.qc.ca/en/home

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AIR - Quebec Archaeology Book

Archaeology of Québec Collection:
AIR — Territoire et peuplement

Montreal's Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archeology (PAC Museum) has launched the first book of its Archaeology of Quebec Collection which will consists of5 volumes. The books will present to the public the results of about 50 years of archaeological research in Québec. They will reveal the full richness of Québec’s heritage, the importance of preserving it and making it better known. 

The first four books of the Collection will deal with archaeological discoveries. They will be organized according to the four elements: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. Each book will represent a coherent whole and will feature abundant illustrations. The fifth book will complete the series by presenting many collections of artefacts from Québec, notably those of the Province of Québec.

The first book in the collection AIR — Territoire et peuplement will bring the reader to travel across the vastness of Québec’s territory from up in the air. This will allow to better understand the historical developments and settlement patterns over thousands of years.

Many archaeological sites have been unearthed in the last 50 years, and a number of them is featured in this book. The captivating text written by archaeologists and historians brings back to life the unearthed remains and artefacts. It tells the reader of thousands of human destinies that shaped the land and influenced the settlement of Québec. It speaks of traces of Amerindian homes, the remains of the Habitation de Champlain, as well as of the Parliament of the United Province of Canada. It describes the portage trails and also the street car rails.

AIR was written by archaeologists Jean-Yves Pintal and Gisèle Piédalue, and by historian Jean Provencher. Some twenty collaborators were also asked to contribute, enriching the book with their varied perspectives.

Here are a few more pages from the book:

Unfortunately, this book was published only in French and there are no plans presently of translating it.

For more information about the PAC Museum, their exhibitions, and the opening hours, visit the museum's website:

http://www.pacmusee.qc.ca/en/home

For the museum's gift-shop and online shop:

http://www.pacmusee.qc.ca/en/plan-your-visit/gift-shop

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MMFA 2015: Orientalism

MARVELS AND MIRAGES OF ORIENTALISM:

From Spain to Morocco

Benjamin‐Constant in His Time

January 31 - May 31, 2015

In a few days, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) will open its new exhibition. It will offer to visitors a very exotic experience, a travel into the past when the Oriental style and subject matter were fashionable in the European art. Undoubtedly, what drew the painters to depict oriental topics were the richness of colours, the variety of the ornamental designs and themes, the lushness of clothing and decoration, as well as the pure exoticism they could so freely portray in their works. All of these oriental elements could be seen in an enormous and most striking painting that greets visitors at the top of the staircase leading to the exhibition's entrance. The photo of that painting is just below. It depicts the interior of a harem in Morocco, and it was painted by Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant.

The exhibition mainly focuses on the works of Benjamin-Constant, but it also covers the general trends of the Orientalism style, also presenting works of other artists. Just below, to the left, you can see the bronze bust of Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant framed by a rich oriental carpet. To the right, an exotic rug frames an oriental-looking salt-glazed stoneware vessel. Hover your mouse over the photos for more information and the names of the artists.

This exhibition also offers a number of magnificent portraits. That of a Moor below, to the right, is by Benjamin-Constant. Note the man's fearless and straight gaze. Also notice the free-stroke manner in which his head-piece and the white textile flowing to his shoulders is painted. It almost reminds one of the expressionist's style of painting.

In the middle of a cold Canadian winter, the whiff of the colourful southern exoticism is well appreciated. Do not hesitate to visit this exhibition. It will widen your window of knowledge of this unique chapter of art history. 

The exhibition is also accompanied by a catalogue available at the museum's store.

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Hover your mouse over images to see credits.

For more information, visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts's website.

2015 Montreal Auto Show: Performance Zone

Montreal International Auto Show 47th Edition: Performance Zone

January 16 - 25, 2015

The performance Zone of the Montreal International Auto Show features a unique collection of cars and motorcycles. Their distinguishing feature is that every one of them has been modified by the owner or previous owners in order to create a one of the kind vehicle. Some are true museum pieces.

Some pieces on display are intended to dazzle, like the car above and the two motorbikes below.

The others are placed in such a configuration as those below, as if to suggest a sculptural installation. The first photo shows the Ford F1 from 1951, and the second, the Volkswagen Beetle from 1952.

The Performance Zone is a rather unique exhibition of the intense creative impulse of some car and motorbikes affectionados.This is a show in itself within the larger Montreal Auto Show and not to be missed!

To find more about the Montreal International Auto Show visit their website:

http://www.salonautomontreal.com/en

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PAC Museum: The Greeks - Exhibition

THE GREEKS 
Agamemnon to Alexander the Great

December 12, 2014 - April 26, 2015

Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Archaeology and History Complex, present the world premiere of the original exhibition The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great. The exhibition spans over 6,000 years of Greek history and culture and takes visitors on an exceptional and fascinating journey back to the origins of the cradle of Western civilization, its heritage and the traces it has left in the hearts and minds not only of the Greek nation but of all the people.

The exhibition brings together more than 500 priceless of artefacts from 21 Greek museums, coordinated by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Greek Antiquity is a rich period populated by mythical heroes and historical figures, under the watchful gaze of the gods on Mount Olympus. The exhibition is divided into six zones that introduce this great civilization and showcase rare and priceless artifacts. Visitors will meet many famous characters in Greek history, from Homer to Aristotle, Plato, King Philip II of Macedon and King Leonidas of Sparta.  The heritage of ancient Greece, which we can still see all around us today in our politics, philosophy, arts and literature, mathematics, architecture, medicine and sports, is clearly illustrated in the exhibition. Visitors are invited on a tour of Greek history, starting in the 6th millennium BC, explaining all the roots. 

The exhibition takes us all the way up to the days of Alexander the Great, a larger-than-life figure who was only 20 years old when his father, Philip II, was assassinated. But Alexander was ready to succeed him, thanks to his education, his training and the formidable Macedonian army. Within barely a single generation, the ancient world was transformed from a series of independent city-states into a unified empire under Alexander the Great. The young prince who became king, emperor then god in the eyes of the world, died of a malignant fever at the age of 32. But his legend survived, as did Greece’s extraordinary legacy to the Western world. 

The exhibition offers visitors a whole range of interactives and items to handle, from a Cycladic female figurine to a reproduction of a warrior’s helmet and a sword. There are over twenty videos in the various exhibition zones, most of them produced by the National Geographic Society, the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens and the Canadian Museum of History. 

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Visit the Point-à-Callière Museum's website for more information.