Galerue d'Art 2012

This past weekend I visited the 13th edition of Montreal's Galerue d'Art, running one kilometer along Ste. Catherine Street East, which has been turned into a pedestrian mall for the summer.

On arrival, it was easy to understand the dimensions of the exhibit, because bright pink balls were strung above the path from one end to the other.

Over 85 artists and artisans, mostly from Quebec, showed their work for five days. Each artist occupied a tent of about ten feet square. The very first artist I encountered was Sabine Alpers, who makes small animal heads of felted wool, mounted on disks to resemble the traditional mounted heads of game. I was particularly taken with the pig.

The second artist, Lucky Jackson, also works in fibre. She uses hand embroidery to create imagery in a retro, "pop" fashion. The cloth used for the backgrounds evokes the fifties and sixties, stretched on embroidery hoops for display. Lucky's objective is to make one piece a day for a year, and you can follow her progress at www.365luckydays.blogspot.com.

 

The blocks between St.-Hubert and Papineau are filled with lively terrasses and interesting buildings, and the artists' tents are interspersed between colourful gatherings of café patrons.

The event was very much like the Allée des Arts held in St.-Lazare June 23 - 24, in which I participated. With more artists and a five-day span, the art was perhaps edgier and more urban, but I would say the standard was similarly high for both events.