First Art Hive in a Museum at the MMFA
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), in collaboration with Concordia University, inaugurated, on March 29, its Art Hive in the Michel de la Chenelière International Atelier for Education and Art Therapy. This new facility for multidisciplinary creative projects is the 105th in the Art Hives Network, and the first one in a museum. Open to all, this art studio will be supervised and facilitated by an art therapist newly hired by the MMFA thanks to the support of the Rossy Family Foundation. The MMFA Art Hive is part of the extensive Rossy Art Therapy and Wellness Programme at the Museum.
Nathalie Bondil, Director General and Chief Curator of the MMFA, said, “Thanks to our special partnership with Concordia and the support of the Rossy family, the MMFA is continuing to innovate for the well‐being of society: we are reinforcing our involvement in the community and hiring our first art therapist.”
The MMFA Art Hive was developed in collaboration with Concordia’s Department of Creative Arts Therapies. Founded in Montreal in 2011 by Dr. Janis Timm‐Bottos, Associate Professor at Concordia, the Art Hives Network now comprises 104 projects across Canada and around the world, including 45 in Quebec. These creative arts studios are aimed at promoting community spirit and arts‐based social inclusion. They provide numerous opportunities for dialogue, sharing of expertise and artistic creation among people from a variety of socio‐economic backgrounds, ages, cultures and abilities.
Thomas Bastien, Interim Director of Education and Community Programmes at the Museum, said, “Thanks to the opening of this Art Hive and the addition of an art therapist to our team, our projects in health and wellness will continue to grow and flourish. Through these initiatives, the MMFA is continuing to set down roots in the community to provide a place where people are welcome to exchange, create and grow.”
A free creative experience for all
The MMFA’s Art Hive will serve as a place where all of the Museum’s clienteles — school and community groups, families and the general public — can come together to share ideas. It will take the form of a creative community studio supervised by an art therapist, with art materials provided free of charge. The Museum will provide traditional art supplies, such as brushes, paints, scissors and glue, and the Art Hive’s Honey Pot in Saint‐Henri and Concordia’s new Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR) will contribute household and institutional recycled supplies: fabric, wood, metal, CDs, beads, buttons, and all kinds of paper.
Schedules adapted to the needs of the Museum’s audiences
The Art Hive’s schedule is designed to be as accessible as possible so that everyone can participate in the activities. It will be flexible and adapted in response to demand. At first, the Art Hive will be open two days a week: Wednesdays from 3 to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Rossy Art Therapy and Wellness Programme at the Museum, including the Art Hive, is made possible through the major support of the Rossy Family Foundation. The MMFA also extends its sincere thanks to its major patron Michel de la Chenelière, who has made it possible to the Museum to prioritize education and art therapy on an on‐going basis. The Museum would also like to thank Bell and the J.A. DeSève Foundation for their major support of the Sharing the Museum programme and DeSerres for providing art supplies used in all the Museum’s workshops, including the Art Hive.
