2023 Fall Cultural Progamming

Past and Present Indigenous Cultures Take the Spotlight in the McCord Stewart Museum’s 2023–2024 Lineup

Montreal, August 16, 2023. – Between now and April 2024, no fewer than four exhibitions will focus on Indigenous cultures at the McCord Stewart Museum. Starting on October 20, the eagerly awaited exhibition Wampum: Beads of Diplomacy will bring together—for the first time ever in a single location—40 wampum necklaces, cultural goods of great diplomatic significance to many Native communities of northeastern North America. Starting on March 1, 2024, the Contemporary Native Art Biennial will be back at the Museum with an installation by Kanien’kehà:ka artist MC Snow. In April 2024, the magnificent sculptures of artist Manasie Akpaliapik will be presented as part of Inuit Universe. Finally, the permanent exhibition Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience completes the program, giving the public a chance to discover Indigenous knowledge and cultural and artistic diversity all year round.

“The McCord Stewart Museum is thrilled to feature four exhibitions highlighting Indigenous history and contemporary art in this year’s cultural calendar. Our program reflects the Museum’s commitment to showcase the culture of Indigenous communities—their knowledge, traditions and artistic talent—and to decolonize our collection. For over a decade, every project has provided an opportunity not only to initiate a dialogue with First Nations and Inuit people, but also to question our institutional practices and our understanding of the Indigenous Cultures collection of which we are the custodians,” explained Anne Eschapasse, President and CEO.

The 2023–2024 program will be launched by Nova Scotian queer artist Seamus Gallagher, a finalist for the 2023 Sobey Arts Award, who will present Mother Memory Cellophane, a MOMENTA Biennale de l’image project. The exhibitions Hochelaga – Evolving Montreal by Joannie Lafrenière and Building Montreal (on McGill College Avenue) will run until September 10 and October 15, respectively. Finally, the Becoming Montreal: The 1800s Painted by Duncan retrospective on artist James Duncan, who documented Montreal’s growth between 1830 and 1880, will continue until April 21, 2024.

Alongside our exhibitions, a diverse array of activities will appeal to fashion, photography and dance enthusiasts, as well as budding watercolour artists. With free admission until June 2024 for individuals aged 17 and under, the return of our weekly Saturday family workshop with the Seeing Landscapes through Duncan’s Eyes workshop, and a new and improved version of the activity Natu-natshishkueu: The Adventure of Connection, the Museum offers a wide variety of options for affordably priced family outings all year round.

New Exhibitions

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MOMENTA Biennale de l’image – Mother Memory Cellophane – Séamus Gallagher

From September 8, 2023 to February 4, 2024

Created as a theatre of the fantastic, Mother Memory Cellophane was inspired by an event that took place at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, whose theme was “The World of Tomorrow.” To mark the worldwide launch of nylon stockings, the DuPont company set up a podium in its pavilion, atop of which was perched Miss Chemistry, a promotional character personified today by Séamus Gallagher and brought to life by his trademark lenticular printing and 3D mapping technologies.

This work was co-produced with MOMENTA Biennale de l’image.

Wampum: Beads of Diplomacy

From October 20, 2023 to March 10, 2024 – A Canadian Exclusive

The McCord Stewart Museum will present an exhibition developed and co-produced with Paris’s musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac on the subject of wampum belts. Wampums are remarkable objects made from shell beads that have traded hands for over two centuries at diplomatic meetings between the Indigenous nations of northeastern North America as well as with Europeans.

Over 40 wampum belts, including 13 from the Museum’s own collection, will be brought together in a world-first exhibition. This unique event is a chance for museum-goers to learn about and develop an appreciation for these powerful cultural and political symbols. Their presentation, alongside some 50 other objects bearing witness to the diplomatic exchanges that have taken place between nations since the 17th century, is the result of a truly historic collaboration between public and private institutions from Quebec, Canada and Europe.

The participation of contemporary Indigenous voices in the exhibition will highlight the continuing importance of wampum in Indigenous cultures today

The exhibition at McCord Stewart Museum is presented by Rio Tinto.

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada, with the support of the Consulat général de France à Québec.

Enchanted Worlds

From November 25, 2022 to January 7, 2023

Thanks to Holt Renfrew’s donation of its famous mechanical windows to the McCord Stewart Museum in 2018 and the support of iÖGO nanö, visitors of all ages can discover or rediscover The Mill in the Forest, presented free of charge outside the Museum on Victoria Street, pedestrianized and decorated for the occasion, and The Enchanted Village, inside the Museum’s walls. Since 1947, marvelling at these mechanical displays packed with animated animals has been a cherished holiday tradition for Montrealers. Just as sophisticated as those of other department stores like Macy’s in New York and Galeries Lafayette in Paris, they are among the last such displays in North America.

The exhibition will be complemented by a program of activities for the whole family. Details will be available in the fall.

The exhibition is presented by İÖGO nanö.

MC Snow – Contemporary Native Art Biennial

March 1 to August 18, 2024

As part of its Artist-in-Residence program, the Museum will welcome Kanien’kehà:ka artist MC Snow. With a special interest in objects that reveal the contrast and similarities between those created before and after first contact with Europeans, MC Snow will explore and draw inspiration from the Indigenous Cultures collection for a series of works to be presented in an upcoming exhibition.

Manasie Akpaliapik. Inuit Universe

From April 19 to September 2, 2024

In spring 2024, the McCord Stewart Museum will welcome Manasie Akpaliapik, a contemporary artist from Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay) on Baffin Island, Nunavut, for Inuit Universe, an exhibition dedicated to his work. Conceived and produced by the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and featuring sculptures from the late Raymond Brousseau’s remarkable collection of Inuit art, the exhibition will offer a unique look at the work of this artist, considered one of the most gifted of his generation. In his sculptures, Akpaliapik teases creations representing oral tradition, cultural values, the supernatural world, Arctic wildlife and the environment out of his preferred materials, stone and whale or caribou antlers.

Exhibitions to (Re)visit

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Becoming Montreal: The 1800s Painted by Duncan

Until April 21, 2024

Step back in time with the delicate watercolours of James Duncan. A true chronicler of his time, the artist documented the evolution of Montreal during the five decades he was active there, from 1830 to 1880. Gathered together for the first time, a hundred of his works offer a unique insight into the 19th-century city. As an epilogue, a digital work by digital art studio Iregular offers a rereading of Duncan’s paintings in the form of AI-generated images, presenting a recomposed universe and dreamed landscapes of a Montreal that no longer exists.

The exhibition is presented by La Presse.

The McCord Stewart Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts in the production of the digital artwork presented in this exhibition.

Activities related to the exhibition:

• The art of James Duncan: Talk with the curators – September 27 – 6 p.m. – Free – At the Museum
• Urban landscape drawing with Urban Sketchers Montréal – October 1 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Free – At the Museum
• Photobook Club – Montreal: Urban landscape – October 4, 6 p.m. – Free – At the Museum
• Looking after our stories in Montréal/Tiohtiá:ke – Every Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. – Free – At the Museum
• Duncan’s work revisited by artificial intelligence – Exclusive visit with Daniel Iregui, founder of Iregular – March 27 – 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. – Admission fee – At the Museum

Hochelaga – Evolving Montreal by Joannie Lafrenière

Until September 10, 2023

For this second part of the Evolving Montreal photographic commission, photographer and filmmaker Joannie Lafrenière offers a glimpse into the Hochelaga neighbourhood, where she has lived for 18 years. This exhibition of videos, photographs and poetry is an invitation to explore the artist’s view of what constitutes the essence of Hochelaga today, through encounters with the characters who embody it.

Activities related to the exhibition:

• Cin’Hoch outdoor screening: Colorama by Joannie Lafrenière – Dairy-Queen parking lot – September 1 – At sunset

Building Montreal

Until October 15
McGill College Avenue, between De Maisonneuve Boulevard and President Kennedy Avenue

Building Montreal looks at the transformation of the urban landscape in a constantly evolving metropolis. Often a source of headaches for Montrealers, construction sites are nonetheless a testament to the city’s vitality and growth over the decades. Twenty-five large-format historical photographs from the Museum’s Photography collection will illustrate the major stages and key projects in the development of Montreal’s infrastructure, from the 1850s to the 1980s.

Tracing the evolution of urban planning and technology, these images are also a reminder of the exceptional collective effort that has helped build Montreal.

The exhibition is presented by BMO, in collaboration with Astral. 

With the support of the Ville-Marie borough.

Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience

Permanent exhibition

The exhibition bears witness to the still unrecognized knowledge of Indigenous peoples in Quebec and Canada as well as the deep wounds they carry and their incredible resilience. Visitors will discover about one hundred carefully selected objects combined with many powerful inspiring stories, allowing them to learn more about the knowledge, traditions and lived reality of the members of the 11 Indigenous nations of Quebec.

Fall 2023 will see the second rotation of objects in the exhibition. No fewer than 30 objects (a third of those currently presented in the exhibition) will return to the Museum’s vaults to be replaced by a new selection of breathtaking objects.

This exhibition, presented by ICI Radio-Canada in collaboration with TD Bank Group, has been produced through a financial contribution from the program Aide aux projets pour le soutien des expositions permanentes of the Québec Cultural Heritage Fund of the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec.

Cultural Happenings and Special Events

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Festival Quartiers Danses – Martin Talaga – Faunus & SOMA

September 16, 2023, 1 p.m. – Admission fees – At the Museum

As part of the Festival Quartiers Danses “Czech Focus” series, the McCord Stewart Museum will present Faunus and SOMA by dancer, choreographer and performance artist Martin Talaga.

Space is limited. Reservation required on the Museum’s website.

Festival Quartiers Danses – Matthew Quigley – DINO

September 6, 2023, 2:30 p.m. – Free – Urban Forest

As part of the Festival Quartiers Danses, the McCord Stewart Museum will present DINO by Montreal-based dancer, choreographer, photographer and visual artist, Matthew Quigley.

National Day of Truth and Reconciliation – September 30

Miro Pimatisiwin – wishing each other a good life

10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Free – At the Museum

On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, in collaboration with Marie-Claude Nequado, an Atikamekw multidisciplinary artist from Manawan, and the Centre for Services in Restorative Justice, the Museum will hold a creative and reflective gathering on the themes of broken cultural transmission, identity and the healing needed to build sensitive and respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Participants learn about Indigenous perspectives on healing by exploring Marie-Claude Nequado’s works and unpacking their rich symbolism. This activity will serve as the starting point to create a collaborative work that expresses a shared commitment to coming together and moving forward collectively.

In French and Atikamekw. Space is limited. Reservation required on the Museum’s website.

Visit Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience

As part of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Museum is offering the public the chance to visit the permanent exhibition Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience at the reduced rate of $10 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

Free for Museum members, members of Indigenous communities and for 17 and under.

Guided tours of Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience

Two 60-minute guided tours of the exhibition will be available at 11 a.m. (in French) and 5 p.m. (in English).
Tickets: Adult: $10 | Students (13 to 30): $5 | Museum members and members of Indigenous communities: Free

Visitors wishing to join a guided tour must reserve their spot on the Museum’s website.

Event presented in collaboration with Ubisoft.

Fashion Activities

Fashion from All Perspectives – Pushing Back the Boundaries: Redefining Men’s Fashion

September 13, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Free – At the Museum

Never Was Average and the Museum invite the public to delve into the world of men’s fashion, which in recent years has been evolving and boldly breaking free from gender stereotypes. Inspired by two sumptuous, early 1990s Versace shirts from the Museum’s Dress, Fashion and Textiles collection, Never Was Average’s facilitated discussions promises lots of stimulating exchanges.

Space is limited; no reservations. On-site registration on the evening of the event at the Museum Admissions Desk.

Festival Quartiers Danses – Matthew Quigley – DINO

September 6, 2023, 2:30 p.m. – Free – Urban Forest

As part of the Festival Quartiers Danses, the McCord Stewart Museum will present DINO by Montreal-based dancer, choreographer, photographer and visual artist, Matthew Quigley.

Festive & Inclusive Fashion Pop-Up |Montreal Fashion Week x McCord Stewart Museum

September 20, 6 to 10 p.m. – Free – At the Museum

The McCord Stewart Museum is teaming up with Montreal Fashion Week 2023 to bring you an inclusive, sustainable and festive (bar and DJ) fashion fair. Six up-and-coming local brands that shape Montreal fashion according to their core values will be on hand with their products (clothing and accessories). Check out their creations and learn more about their artistic visions at this free celebration of Montreal creativity and open to all.

On the program:

• Sales of local brands such as Becca Love, Les Belles Bobettes, CiaoCiao, Mikuniss, atelierDNHN
• Access to current exhibitions
• DJ, cash bar

Montreal Fashion Week’s signature event, presented by BNP Paribas.

Space is limited. Reservation required on the Museum’s website.

City Talks

For the 12th year in a row, the city’s thinkers and builders will come together for the City Talks series to debate current, concrete issues related to urban planning and the city—topics that concern all Montrealers. The talks will be moderated by Dinu Bumbaru, Policy Director at Héritage Montréal.

After dark – Montreal By Night

November 1 – 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Free – At the Museum and online (Zoom and Facebook)

Night transforms our relationship with the city. How does history capture the evolution of Montreal nightlife? What are the current mobility and safety issues, and what initiatives are attempting to redefine this cultural space?

Guests: Valeria Tellez-Nieyer, Mathieu Grondin and Vincent Richer

Space is limited, reservation required on the Museum’s website.

City Talks are presented by Ivanhoé Cambridge.

Two additional city talks will be presented during the 2023–2034 season, on February 7 and April 24. The themes and guests will be announced at a later date.

Family Activities

Saturday Family Workshop: Seeing Landscapes Through Duncan’s Eyes

Every Saturday, from September 2 to November 25, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Free – At the Museum

After visiting the exhibition Becoming Montreal – The 1800s Painted by Duncan, participants will be guided by the Museum’s mediation team to produce their own vision of an urban landscape. In the manner of James Duncan, budding watercolorists will draw and cut out trees to frame their very personal representations of Montreal today.

Natu-natshishkueu: The Adventure of Connection

Ongoing

This participatory activity, presented by Hydro-Québec, invites families to team up and discover the new permanent exhibition Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience. Through observation, imagination and discussion, children and adults encounter Indigenous nations by exploring the Museum’s Indigenous Cultures collection and the many stories it holds. Each child will receive an exploration booklet to set off on their adventure.

Free activity, in French and English. Recommended for children aged 6 to 11.

A Hydro-Québec presentation.

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