Expos: A Cultured Summer in Old Montreal

Maybe we are just more eager than usual to get out this year, or all our creators, artists, and cultural institutions have just outdone themselves, but whatever the reason, the end result is the same: Old Montreal is bursting with some of the best expos around to date!

IMMERSIVE EXPOS: lose your senses

Under the Ice, with Mario Cyr, presented by Cirque Éloize, is one of those rare expositions that make you gasp and hold your breath at the same time. Under and above the water, through the eyes of Mario Cyr, the world of the Canadian Arctic unfolds. Polar bears, walruses, narwhals, and other glacial creatures await. This educational and artistic expo shows off a grandiose, magical, and dizzying landscape.

We’re in the final weeks of the “PHI Portal” Exhibition, an “immersive public art installation and long-term participatory initiative (July 2020 to June 2021), which puts the Montreal public in touch with the communities of 50 towns across time and space”. Interested in travelling through the looking glass and visiting something new? Take your chance at Centre Phi…

HISTORICAL EXPOS: Break out the notepads!

The Marguerite Bourgeoys Historical Site has modernized in the past two years, and besides the many installations that now allow you to enjoy exhibits right on your phone, the museography itself has also evolved. Come rediscover Marguerite Bourgeoys through the “Meet Marguerite!” exhibition, a resolutely modern look at her life! And once you’re there, you should also see the temporary exhibition “Woman of Faith, Remarkable Women”, and then take a tour of the Belvedere for one of the most breathtaking views of the neighbourhood.

The Sir George-Étienne Cartier Historical Site has reopened. If you have curious children, costume fans, or dollhouse collectors in your family, this is a must-see. In Sir George-Étienne Cartier’s two attached houses, dive into the Victorian Era and discover the values and ambiance surrounding the country’s founding via activities and unique tours.

Le Château Ramezay had the brilliant idea to extend “Montreal Landscapes: Artworks from the Power Corporation of Canada’s Collection” all summer long. Like snapshots of an age long passed, these 30 canvases from 15 different artists give a unique look at life in the city of Montreal, representing mere seconds from an entire epoch… from boats to steam power!

PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOS: Smiles and People

The Fabricants d’émotions Project – 2021 Edition is being shown this summer on urban panels on St-Claude and Le Royer streets. This photo exposition is the newest initiative from the Old Montreal SDC in partnership with the borough of Ville-Marie to highlight the people of the neighbourhood! It’s a photographic one-on-one that will show you the secrets behind the curtain of le Vieux!

Great news for photojournalism fans! Making up for having to miss last year, another initiative from the Old Montreal SDC in partnership with the borough of Ville-Marie, and in collaboration with the Montreal World Press Photo Expo team, will be starting June 17th! Find the urban panels on de la Commune Street for an abridged, but free, version of the international exposition.

SUMMER-ONLY EXPOS

All summer, La Fonderie Darling is displaying Jeanette Johns’ Of Things As They Happen To Be exhibit. Inspired by architectural design, optical illusions, and scientific photography, this artist pushes the properties of textiles to their boundaries to create complex, poetic objects.

Also at La Fonderie Darling, British artist Sarah Stevenson presents Before the Storm: six floating sculptures composed of intermixed parallel and perpendicular lines suspended from the ceiling. At once imposing and airy, she shakes up our entire perspective and relationship with space.

The exhibition A Railroad to Dreams at Musée Pointe-à-Callière will end in September, so you’ve still got a few months left to enjoy it! Miniature trains and thousands of other carefully chosen items will bring you to adventure and travel. From one coast to another, through mythic routes, let’s make our getaway!

ART GALLERIES: a palette of artists and talents!

Here is a non-exhaustive list of galleries in Old Montreal. You’ll surely be able to find enough to fill an entire day, and for many days to come. Get ready, le Vieux and art go hand in hand!

ST-PAUL STREET

Galerie d’Art Inuit Images Boréales (4 St-Paul Street W)

Galerie LeRoyer (24 St-Paul Street W)

Galerie d’art Le Bourget (34 St-Paul Street W)

Galerie Beauchamp (40 St-Paul Street W)

National Contemporary Art Institute (50 St-Paul Street W)

Galerie Corno (51 St-Paul Street W)

Espace B51 (60 St-Paul Street W)

Galerie Le Luxart (66 St-Paul Street W)

Galerie d’art Place Royale (134 Saint-Paul Street W)

L’original (163 St-Paul Street W)

Yves Laroche (206 St-Paul Street W)

Galerie blanche (218 St-Paul Street W)

Galerie Bloom (224 St-Paul Street W)

Galerie S16 (377 St-Paul Street W)

Galerie Youn (384 St-Paul Street W)

ELSEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Galerie PETERwHART (367 St-Paul E),

Galerie Michel-Ange (430 Bonsecours Street)

Wallcandy (465 St-François-Xavier Street)

Galerie d’art Nuances (64 des Sœurs Grises Street)

Galerie 203 (227 Notre-Dame Street W)

Le HangArt (233 Notre-Dame Street W)

Galerie Lenoir (240 St-Jacques Street)

Just as a reminder, art galleries are “free admission”, no ticket needed! It’s a great way to discover the artistic trend of the moment without needing to think about your wallet. And of course, you could treat yourself if your heart tells you to purchase one of the works that strikes your fancy!

SMART PLAN: THE MUSEUM ATTRACTIONS PASSPORTS

Several cultural and leisure members from Old Montreal and the Old Port have teamed up to bring you some advantageous prices. Among them, you can find discounts for the Marguerite Bourgeoys Historical Site, Guidatour, the Bateau-Mouche, and Pointe-à-Callière Museum.