WHAT IF…? Strengthening Intercommunity and Intergenerational Bonds through Artistic Expression
WHAT IF… our fears and our dreams were somewhat alike? AND IF… we made things together? The EducExpo WHAT IF…? at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) puts together collaborative works created by the residents of several neighbourhoods in Montreal and Quebec City that represent a variety of languages, cultures and socio-economic circumstances. This presentation is part of a research and intervention project led by the SHERPA Research and Training Centre and the RAPS team (Research and action on social polarization), which has as one of its goals the countering of social polarization and isolation, which are often sources of violence.
Since 2014, the MMFA has been participating in the WHAT IF…? project led by Dr. Cécile Rousseau, the scientific director of SHERPA and head of the RAOS research team in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of artists, art therapists, anthropologists, psychologists and sociologists. This project is mainly based on accounts of the use of artistic experience to reinforce the ties between people from a range of communities and generations.
Image: Bas-relief created by pupils from the De L’Excellence and Marie-du-Saint-Sacrement schools. Artistic direction: Joëlle Tremblay. Photo: Renée Méthot
