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Add vibrant colours to your autumn with visits to Quebec’s museums!

September 5, 2024 Nathalie Lampron, museologist and writer

847x483 — Marais de la Rivière-aux-Cerises / Photo : © Marco Bergeron

Back-to-school is here! Take advantage of the ambient excitement and let yourself be surprised by the wide range of museum offerings. Combine various activities to heighten your experience; there's something for every taste! Here are a few suggestions to liven up your cultural outings program of this season.

Combine nature and culture

Fall still brings us many beautiful sunny days, ideal for taking a breath of fresh air while getting your fill of cultural activities.

The Centre d’exposition du Vieux Presbytère in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville welcomes you to Topographies/Perforations, an exhibition by the artist Anna Binta Diallo, who delicately highlights the forms and symbolism involved in map making. While you're there, why not step outside to enjoy a stroll around the adjacent lake and contemplate the magnificent portraits that the photographer Arianne Clément is presenting in her exhibition Vieillir et beautés.

In Magog, at the Centre d’interprétation du Marais de la Rivière-aux-Cerises, explore the romantic, misty world of painter Alexi-Martin Courtemanche, who draws inspiration from flora in the exhibition Nature sacrée. You can also wander along the Marais footpaths to enjoy the plants and wildlife of this precious ecosystem at your own pace.

Get to know the works and the artists

At the Galerie d’art Stewart Hall in Pointe-Claire, the exhibition De terre et d’onde / This shore is a body is a world is a house brings together works by Lynn Kodeih, Catherine Boivin and Frédéric Bigras-Burrogano. The artists examine our sense of belonging and uprootedness, as well as our ways of inhabiting various spaces. On October 27, Catherine Boivin will present a performance echoing the Atikamekw nehirowisiw culture of which she is a descendant.

In Trois-Rivières, at l’Espace Pauline-Julien, the artist Gabriel Mondor presents the multimedia installation Brûlures abstraites, which delves into our relationship to “real” artworks in an era dominated by digital formats. On October 20 you will have the opportunity to hear the artist speak about her creative approach.

Let yourself be inspired… to create

Starting on October 5, the Le Grand Salon des espoirs pacifiques is opening at the Musée des beaux-arts de Mont-Saint-Hilaire. This exhibition-competition brings together several artists around a theme that, in a world torn apart by conflict, will bring a little peace. In addition, you can register for Saturday's creative workshops for adults.

Over in Drummondville, at the DRAC gallery, the photographer Lucie Rocher collects different photographic subjects and transforms the various materials or artifacts of her art practice in order to place them in dialogue with their immediate environment. On Saturdays, ceramics decorating workshop are offered for families and adults.

For its part, the Musée du Haut-Richelieu, invites you to visit the exhibition Politique en images : une nouvelle perspective sur notre histoire where you will be able to relive the region’s key events. In addition to local history, this museum also showcases old and contemporary Quebec ceramics, for which the region is renowned. Why not add a ceramics decorating workshop to your visit on a Sunday?

Discovering history and the people who make it

Did you know that Terrebonne played a role in the continental fur trade? The exhibition De Terrebonne à Fort Chipewyan, presented at the Bureau seigneurial de l'Île-des-Moulins, tells the story of the North West Company men who left the region to blaze their trail in Western Canada between 1784 and 1821. For more about history, be sure not to miss L’histoire avec un grand…T at the Maison Bélisle, an exhibition featuring the people who built Terrebonne from 1673 to the present day. Two fascinating opportunities to learn about local history!

On Île d'Orléans, schedule a stop at Manoir Mauvide Genest for a trip back to the seigneurial era. Stroll through the home of Jean Mauvide, surgeon and apothecary by trade, to imagine his daily life and learn more about medicine in New France. You can also get to know seven women who left their mark on their era in the exhibition Le pouvoir seigneurial au féminin. Plenty of material to learn more about the role of pioneer women in the 18th and 19th centuries!

Beyond appearances

After a visit to Musée du Fjord, in Saguenay, you will no longer view some unattractive animals in the same light! The temporary exhibition Moches : quand la laideur devient un chef-d’œuvre humorously features animal species that, despite their ugliness, contribute to biodiversity in an essential way. Also, make sure to visit the Museum’s huge 53 000 litres aquarium, where marine animals will reveal some of their secrets to you.

At MUSO – Musée de société des Deux-Rives located in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, mysterious creatures await you from October 2. In the exhibition Cryptides. Le cabinet de l’insolite et de l’étrange you'll encounter some fabulously strange animals. Do they really exist, or are they just myths? Plenty of surprises to spark a conversation or two! Nightlife is also front and centre at MUSO. The exhibition 150 years of nightlife presents various testimonies about entertainment that has delighted the population over the years.

Clearly, Quebec’s museums have plenty in store for you during this colourful season. Whether you wish to explore new places or rediscover your favourite institutions, the cultural offer is abundant! Don’t forget to check the exhibition and activities presentation dates.