"The Forest of the Unloved", a Museum's Educational Display

The Michel de la Chenelière International Atelier for Education and Art Therapy is presenting The Forest of the Unloved, an exhibition of photographs by students in Grades 9 and 11 at École du Coteau in Mascouche. Following a visit of the Museum’s collection and using a thematic, multidisciplinary approach, they wrote stories and took photos based on the works. The exhibition features forty-three of these photographs.

“Our works are inspiring, and the project by the students of École du Coteau is a fine example of this. The students took an original look at the works in the Museum’s collection from the angle of storytelling. Their multidisciplinary project speaks eloquently to the relevance of art as the crossroads for different types of knowledge, which is essential in today’s society,” said Thomas Bastien, Interim Director of Education and Community Programmes at the MMFA.

This exhibition is the result of a collaborative project involving a Grade 9 French class and a Grade 11 cultural exploration class. The Grade 9 students wrote stories based on different narrative universes, and the Grade 11 students developed their own artistic approach and took the photographs.

The exhibition will subsequently be presented at the Centre Diane-Dufresne in Repentigny from March 31 to April 3, 2017. The photos and excerpts from the stories by the students from École du Coteau will serve as the foliage for an imaginary forest created by students from École de l’Odyssée in Terrebonne.

The exhibition is organized by Education and Community Programmes at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with the École du Coteau.