Winter-Spring 2024 Programming

Fashion Photography and Contemporary Indigenous Art

Montreal, December 20, 2023 – Three exhibitions will make their North American premiere at the McCord Stewart Museum during the first months of 2024. Photographs of celebrities and muses shot over seven decades by British photographer Norman Parkinson – a favourite of Vogue, Vanity Fair and other magazines – will appear alongside iconic portraits and fashion photos by 17 Quebec photographers with international careers. These two exhibitions, presented by Holt Renfrew Ogilvy, will take visitors on a journey through portraits and fashion photography, from the studios of the 1930s to the present day, where the boundaries between artistic expression and industry norms are increasingly blurred. In addition to this double program dedicated to photography, multidisciplinary Kanien’kehà:ka artist MC Snow will present Presence of the Past, an installation bringing together contemporary art and Indigenous creations from the past. Finally, from January to April, visitors will have the chance to discover or rediscover three remarkable exhibitions highlighting treasures from the Museum’s collections: Mother Memory Cellophane – Séamus Gallagher (until February 4), Wampum: Beads of Diplomacy (until March 10) and Becoming Montreal: The 1800s Painted by Duncan (until April 21).

A number of cultural events will tell the story of the city’s rich history. In February, the Museum will mark Black History Month with the return for a second year of the Festival Afropolitain Nomade and the screening of Sheila S Walker’s Afrodiaspora Global. A symposium featuring international wampum experts will be held alongside the exhibition Wampum: Beads of Diplomacy, on February 22 and 23, 2024. Family activities every weekend and special programming during spring break will round out the full slate of exhibitions and activities on offer at the McCord Stewart Museum in winter and spring 2024.

Exhibitions

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Presence of the Past by MC Snow – Contemporary Native Art Biennial

From March 1 to August 18, 2024

For its first collaboration with the Contemporary Native Art Biennial, the Museum will host Kanien’kehà:ka artist MC Snow. In two original works, the artist explores the messages and emotions conveyed by the Kanien’kehá:ka objects in the Museum’s Indigenous Cultures collection. As the artist wished to highlight the importance of researching and preserving Indigenous cultural assets, MC Snow and Jonathan Lainey, Curator, Indigenous Cultures, selected over forty objects from the collection, including pottery, baby carriers, dolls and arrows, to accompany the artist’s works.

Norman Parkinson: Always in Style

April 19 to September 2, 2024 – North American premiere

Recognized as one of the pillars of 20th-century fashion photography, Norman Parkinson dazzled the world from the 1930s to the 1980s with his sparkling inventiveness. His long association with Vogue and extensive work for Harper’s Bazaar, Queen, Town & Country and other international magazines earned the British photographer worldwide recognition.

The exhibition Norman Parkinson: Always in Style presents 79 of his best-known images, as well as recent discoveries from his remarkable photographic portfolio. The exhibition, also shown at the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Centro Cultural de Cascais in Portugal, will be complemented by a dozen refined dresses and outfits from the 1940s to the 1960s from the McCord Stewart Museum collection, including garments by British designers Hardy Amies and Digby Morton, and hats by Quebecers Fanny Graddon and Yvette Brillon.

Portraits and Fashion – Quebec Photographers Beyond Borders

May 31 to September 29, 2024 – North American premiere

This exhibition highlights celebrated contemporary Quebec photographers with international careers, including Royal Gilbert, Max Abadian, Nelson Simoneau, Monic Richard, Shayne Laverdière, Carl Lessard, Richard Bernardin and Andréanne Gauthier, through nearly 130 prints immortalizing Quebec and international celebrities or couture models. Their approach and their subjects reflect the wide diversity of genders, generations and backgrounds in the fashion industry and society at large.

The exhibition, presented by Holt Renfrew Ogilvy, is curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot, the man behind the exhibitions Thierry Mugler: Couturissime and The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier and winner of the 2019 Vanguard Award at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards.

More to see in 2024

Manasie Akpaliapik. Inuit Universe

From October 4, 2024, to March 9, 2025

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.

Michaëlle Sergile– Artist in residence

From September 13, 2024, to January 12, 2025

Founded in 1902, the Coloured Women’s Club brought together several Black women working in various fields to meet the needs of newly immigrated families. For this exhibition project, Michaëlle Sergile explores the Museum’s collections, reflecting on the social and political context in which this foundational club for Montreal’s Black communities was created, and on the women who contributed in one way or another to its creation.

Costumed Balls

From November 8, 2024, to April 20, 2025

This exhibition will transport visitors back to the days when costumed skating carnivals and historically themed balls were unforgettable events. For the first time, this stunning exhibition will present the eccentric outfits worn on these occasions from the McCord Stewart Museum’s celebrated Dress, Fashion and Textiles collection.

Exhibitions to (Re)visit

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Wampum: Beads of Diplomacy

Until March 10, 2024 – Don’t miss it

Children’s tour of the exhibition (ages 9 to 12)

Wampums are remarkable objects made from shell beads that were exchanged for over two centuries—from the early 17th to the early 19th century—during diplomatic meetings between nations in northeastern America, including European nations. For the first time, this unprecedented exhibition brings together over 40 wampum belts from public and private collections in Quebec, Canada and Europe. Some forty cultural objects from the period also help to contextualize and explain their fundamental role.

The participation of contemporary Indigenous voices in the exhibition highlights the continuing importance of wampum in Indigenous cultures today. Discover the work of artists Hannah Claus, Nadia Myre, Teharihulen Michel Savard and Skawennati, inspired by wampum, and hear stories from members of several nations through a series of videos.

*Important: The wampums from the Trésor de la cathédrale de Chartes will be on show until January 14.

Exhibition developed and co-produced with the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris.
Presented exclusively in Canada at the McCord Stewart Museum by Rio Tinto.

Activities related to the exhibition:

• Wampum: Honouring Your Word with PAAL – Saturday, December 30, 2023 – Free – At the Museum
  
  Activity presented by Rio Tinto.

• Symposium – Around the Wampum: Histories and Perspectives – Thursday, February 22, and Friday, February 23, 2024 – Bilingual format – Free – At the Museum and online (with simultaneous translation)Capitalizing on the unprecedented interest generated by Wampum: Beads of Diplomacy, the Museum is organizing a symposium devoted to these unique cultural objects, bringing together a dozen Indigenous, Quebecois, Canadian and international specialists. These experts, from a wide range of specializations, will discuss the social, political and religious practices surrounding wampum in 6 seminars through the prism of their multidisciplinary perspectives.
  6 lectures and panel discussions. Space limited, reservation on the Museum website.This event is made possible by the generous support of Power Corporation of Canada.

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:

• 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.
• Looking after our stories in Montréal/Tiohtiá:ke – Every Sunday from January 13 to April 21, 2024, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Free – At the Museum.

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

Until February 4, 2024 – Last chance

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.

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, 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

Call Me Human by Kim O’bomsawin

Screening – Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 6 p.m. – Free – At the Museum.

On the trail of Papakassik, the master of the caribou, Call Me Human offers a glimpse into the history of the Innu people alongside Joséphine Bacon, a woman of great spirit who has devoted her life to passing on her knowledge and that of her ancestors.

“Sauvage,” says Josephine Bacon, “means to be entirely free.” When elders leave us, a link to the past vanishes along with them. Innu writer Joséphine Bacon exemplifies a generation that is bearing witness to a time that will soon have passed away. With charm and diplomacy, she leads a charge against the loss of a language, a culture and its traditions.

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

Black History Month

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Festival Afropolitain Nomade X McCord Stewart Museum

Concert – Friday, February 9, and Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. – Admission Fees – At the Museum.

The Festival Afropolitain Nomade, in collaboration with the Museum, invites the public to a multicultural event that will be full of new music! This unique concert will be the result of an international residency project as part of a partnership between Canadian Heritage, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, La Table ronde du Mois de l’histoire des Noirs, the Afromusée, the Festival Afropolitain Nomade and the Museum.

The creative residency will be held at the Afromusée (January 29 to February 8, 2024) and will bring together artists Sandrine Masse (Huron-Wendat), Lydol (Cameroon), Mariusca La Slameuse (Congo) and Sarah Bergeron (Canada), under the artistic direction of Fredy Massamba, composer and arranger as well as artistic director of the festival. These four artists, instrumentalists, singers and creators will present the results of their collaborative creation at the McCord Stewart Museum.

Fees: General admission: $10 | Seniors and students: $5 | Museum members and members of Indigenous communities: free

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

Afrodiaspora Global by Sheila S Walker

Screening and discussion – Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at 6 p.m. – Free – At the Museum.

The public is invited to a screening of the documentary Afrodiaspora Global presented in collaboration with Table ronde du Mois de l’histoire des Noirs.

LThe United Nations has declared 2015–2024 the International Decade for People of African Descent, whose first theme is recognizing the contributions of the African continent and people of African descent to the development, diversity and richness of world civilizations and cultures. Sheila S Walker’s Afrodiaspora Global project aims to contribute to this “recognition” by serving as a platform for her field research, cultural and intellectual experiences, and insight into the global African diaspora and its links to its ancestral roots.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with filmmaker and anthropologist Sheila S Walker and Khadiatou Sarr, a doctoral student at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) specializing in international law.
Activity in English. Space is limited. Reservation required on the Museum’s website.

The event is made possible thanks to financial support from the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Canada.

kisewâtisiw miyootootow – S/he is Mercifully / Iel est miséricordieux.se – Indigenous fashion show with Caroline Monnet and Jason Baerg

Saturday, February 17, 2024 – Paid Activity – At the Museum

The McCord Stewart Museum invites the public to discover Indigenous creativity in a fashion show in the Museum’s galleries co-curated by Armando Perla, Chief Curator, Textile Museum of Canada, and multidisciplinary Métis artist Jason Baerg. As an Indigenous futurist, Baerg finds inspiration in the concept of metamorphosis, and emphasizes the radical need for respect, love and care.

Presented in conjunction with Jason Baerg’s exhibition at Art mûr from January 13 to February 24, 2024, in collaboration with the Contemporary Native Art Biennial.

Space is limited, reservation required on the Museum’s website. DJ and cash bar on site.

Fees: Adults: $10 | Students and Museum Members: $5 | Members of Indigenous communities: free

McCord Stewart Discoveries – Half-day conference

Friday, March 22, 2024, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Activity in French and in English – Free – At the Museum and online (Zoom and Facebook).

In the McCord Stewart Discoveries, the Museum’s experts present the research projects they’ve been working on and share their recent discoveries related to the Museum’s collections and archives.

Program:

• James Duncan : correspondant artistique au magazine The Illustrated London News.Presentation in French by Christian Vachon, Head, Collections Management and Curator, Documentary Art.
• Uncovering emotions in the archives: The Shared Emotions project. Presentation in French by Mathieu Lapointe, Curator, Archives.
• The Curious Case of the Kul-e-Tuk Parka: Appropriation of an Inuit Garment.
  Presentation in English by Alexis Walker, Associate Curator, Dress, Fashion and Textiles.
• Threads of Black Emancipation in an Eighteenth-Century Dress.
  Presentation in English by Cynthia Cooper, Head, Collections and Research; Curator, Dress, Fashion and Textiles.

The event is geared towards an academic audience as well as anyone interested in history and archives, museum studies, or material culture. The talks will take place in French or English, with a question period in both languages.

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

Fees: Adult: $5 | Students, Museum Members and members of Indigenous communities: Free

Activities for the whole family

Family tours of the exhibition Becoming Montreal: The 1800s Painted by Duncan

Available every Saturday from January 13, to April 20, 2024:

• Tours in French: 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
• Tours in English: 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Holiday Schedule

Every day from December 23, 2023 to January 7, 2024:

• Tours in French: 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
• Tours in English: 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m.

Immerse yourself in the past with a family-friendly guided tour of the exhibition Becoming Montreal: The 1800s Painted by Duncan. Let us take you on a journey through the lives of Montrealers of the time, dotted with objects you can handle. You’ll learn how winter was experienced in Montreal over 150 years ago, and the origins of some well-known sports.

Spring Break at the Museum

Wampum Making Workshop

Every day, from March 3 to 10, 2024, ongoing from 1:30 to 4 p.m. – Free* – At the Museum

For spring break, the Museum invites children to learn the art of beading in this mini wampum making workshop for families, inspired by the exhibition Wampum: Beads of Diplomacy.

Little ones will have fun designing wampum and their symbols and drawing them on canvas, while older participants will be able to learn the basics of beading with the Museum’s mediation team.

Family creative workshop, in French and in English.

Space is limited; no reservations. On-site registration on the day of the event at the Museum Admissions Desk.
* Free with the purchase of admission to the Museum. Access to the Museum is free for ages 17 and under.

Family tours of the exhibition Becoming Montreal: The 1800s Painted by Duncan

Every day from Monday March 4 to Friday, March 8.

• In French: 10:30 a.m.
• In English: 11:30 a.m.

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.

The FIFA at the McCord Stewart Museum

In 2024, the McCord Stewart Museum will present a selection of three documentaries in collaboration with the Festival International du Film sur l’Art (FIFA).

Beyond Paper– January 31, 2024, 6 p.m. – In French, English, Romanian, Italian, Arabic and Spanish (French subtitles) – Admission Fees – At the Museum

At a critical moment in the history of the written word, as humanity’s archives migrate to the cloud, one filmmaker goes on a journey around the globe to better understand how she can preserve her own Romanian and Armenian heritage, as well as our collective memory.
Blending the intellectual with the poetic, she embarks on a personal quest with universal resonance, navigating the continuum between paper and digital—and reminding us that human knowledge is above all an affair of the soul and the spirit.

In the presence of filmmaker Oana Suteu Khintirian.

Fashion Reimagined – April 17, 2024, 6 p.m. – In English (French subtitles) – Admission Fees – At the Museum

In the lead-up to Earth Day, the public is invited to discover Amy Powney, the designer behind cult label Mother of Pearl. Amy is a rising star on the London fashion scene. Raised off-the-grid in rural England by activist parents, Amy has always felt uneasy about the devastating environmental impact of her industry. When she wins the coveted Vogue award for the Best Young Designer of the Year, Amy decides to use the prize money to create a sustainable collection and transform her entire business. In three years, her personal revolution becomes the prelude to major societal and industrial change.

The screening will be followed by a discussion on environmental issues in the fashion industry with Alexis Walker, Assistant Curator, Dress, Fashion and Textiles, and Vanessa Mardirossian, doctoral candidate, whose research-creation work is based on an iterative approach combining textile design, chemistry and environmental health.

City Dreamers – May 1, 2024, 6 p.m. – In French and in English (French subtitles) – Admission Fees – At the Museum

Phyllis Lambert, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander and Denise Scott Brown: four trailblazers who got accustomed to being the only woman in the room. They are each known for their many achievements in architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture spanning more than six decades. They have inspired generations of professionals. As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, the ideas of these forward-thinking women are more relevant than ever.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with director Joseph Hillel.

Tickets: Adult: $10 | Students, Museum members and members of Indigenous communities: Free

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, tangible 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.

This series of City Talks is presented by Ivanhoé Cambridge.

Tourism and neighbourhoods – How to balance attractiveness with livability? – Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. – Free – Online (Zoom, Facebook and LinkedIn)

Tourism has been in constant evolution since the 19th century. Tourists’ interest in experiencing Montreal’s cultural scene and its neighbourhoods has increased the city’s popularity as a destination. Faced with local issues like the housing crisis, and international ones like the impact of mass tourism, how can we protect the authenticity of our living spaces and local services?

Panel: Michel Labrecque, Rachel Van Velzen and Dominic Lapointe

Are our large urban parks havens of nature or social spaces? – Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. – Online (Zoom, Facebook and LinkedIn)

2024 marks the 150th anniversary of our first major urban parks, Saint Helen’s Island and what’s now Lafontaine Park, built for the collective health of a working-class society. The recent pandemic revealed the appeal of these sanctuaries in an increasingly dense urban environment. How can we preserve and increase the number of parks, while reconciling biodiversity protection with democratic and healthy access to nature and green spaces?

Panel: Malaka Ackaoui, Karel Mayrand and Michèle Dagenais

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Press release (WORD)