Today, Montreal holds a strong and enviable position on the international artistic scene.
With its torchbearers such as Arcade Fire, Cirque du Soleil and Leonard Cohen, Montreal continues to churn out a dynamic new generation of artists including internationally renown filmmaker Xavier Dolan, DJ A-Trak, singer Grimes and artist Marc Séguin. There is also an incredible wealth of emerging local artists that are making our city rich and vibrant for citizens and tourists alike.
Philanthropists Stephen and Claudine Bronfman, proud long-time supporters of the arts community in Montreal, have recently mentioned in a La Presse editorial that “it is the respect shown to art by Montrealers that makes this city so pleasant and attractive to visitors. We can all participate in the cultural future of Montreal.”
Indeed, I think it is our shared responsibility to support our artists. More precisely, the support of financial partners from the business community is more important than ever in supporting the vitality of Montreal’s artistic and cultural scene.
With a father in finance and a mother who is a painter, you sometimes ask yourself about your place in the universe. I strongly believe that the mixture of the antipodal passions of my parents gave me the desire to create in my own way from a young age. Having strong interests in design and photography, a hobby I’ve practised for several years in my free time, I can say that the arts inspire me and bring to me a new perspective on many aspects of life.
A Cabaret for Creators
Recently, I agreed to participate in the Cabaret du PÀP evening, as co-president alongside actor Éric Bruneau, for the benefit of the Théâtre PÀP (Petit à Petit), an experimental theatre operating in the Espace Go on St-Laurent, a couple of streets away from where I reside and work in the city’s Mile-End.
The Cabaret du PÀP will be held on April 15th, and will this year constitute a tribute to stage director Claude Poissant who founded the theatre 36 years ago and is now handing over the reins to the next generation. It will also be an occasion to celebrate the emerging local creators of the Mile-End from both the artistic ecosystem and start-up community in the neighbourhood. The evening will feature exclusive performances from musicians such as Philémon Cimon. This particular night will also help the theatre to acquire the majority of its annual operating budget.
Collaborating in the organization of this event has really helped me to understand the vital role that patrons play in ensuring the sustainability of our collective artistic scene.
In the Artists’ Corner
The good news is that businesspeople who support art abound in Montreal! Some go forward and lead the parade. Prime examples include Alexandre Taillefer, who was involved with the Opéra de Montréal before finalizing plans for the expansion of the Musée d’Art Contemporain (MAC), or Jacques Ménard, who was heavily involved with the OSM and Les Grands Ballets. Nowadays, a new generation of business leaders is also becoming involved!
Éric Hamelin, associate at the digital agency Akufen, has been a member of the board of the Théatre PÀP for over two years. He has brought a marketing and communication expertise to the troupe, and is involved in the visual and digital development for cultural enterprises of Quebec such as Québec Cinéma, Festival Coup de Coeur Francophone and Arts Souterrains. He is also co-owner of the Chez Baptiste bars, which have encouraged the neighbourhood’s painters by displaying their works on the bars’ walls. “Because of our sensitive role as new decision makers, young entrepreneurs and investors in society, we must support and encourage the culture here in order to allow it to grow and influence our common creativity,” he says.
Ubisoft also clearly has the arts at heart, as demonstrated by its involvement in numerous organizations such as M pour Montréal, Elektra, Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois, Fantasia, Chromatic and the Théâtre PÀP. Ubisoft is also particularly active locally in Mile-End, supporting organizations that promote the emergence of new talents, such as Pop Montréal and the Ateliers Portes Ouvertes. Francis Baillet, VP of Corporate Affairs at Ubisoft, explains this choice: “We are positioned in the heart of the neighbourhood with the highest concentration of artists in the country. It is our duty, as a responsible corporate citizen, to support the artists and the cultural life. Our developers mix daily with writers, musicians, painters or filmmakers and are inspired by them.”
For his part, Nicolas Rubbo, director at McCarthy Tétrault and a young community leader, chose to become involved at the MAC and the Grands Ballets Canadiens on multiple levels. He says that he is “passionate and attracted by the artistic talent, there is something fascinating, mysterious that reminds me of a certain magic of my childhood.” Rubbo adds that “art and culture provide a certain degree of social cohesion, enrich the Montreal identity and generate a significant amount of economic activity. I am proud of my city and of being able to contribute a little to what defines it in people’s minds. Art belongs to everybody, and it is everybody’s duty to contribute to it in a certain way.”
Even the start-up community comes alive through art. Each year, the International Startup Festival, held in mid-July, invites its festival-goers to participate in the creation of an art wall. It is an “artistic experience,” which takes entrepreneurs out of their usual business environment, and allows them to express themselves without words and really connect in a group. The art wall for the 2014 edition of the Festival, which was created by 800 people, was recently hung in the main room of the Notman House. “There are many parallels between artists and entrepreneurs,” said the festival’s director, Philippe Telio. “The two must stand out with few resources, take their place and continue to innovate in order to stay relevant.” This is, perhaps, yet another potential explanation of the links between our artistic and business communities here in Montreal.
[Note: This article was originally published in Les Affaires].