It will turn 35 in October 2023. It represents one of the greatest gifts a society can give itself: a tool for preserving its collective memory. Since its creation, this brainchild of the Québec government has never failed to amaze us with exhibitions and events that go far beyond what museums usually offer.
The mission entrusted to it is specifically:
- to present the history and various components of our civilization, in particular the material and social cultures of the inhabitants of the Québec territory, as well as those that have enriched them;
- to ensure the preservation and promotion of the ethnographic collection and other collections representative of our civilization;
- to ensure a Québec presence in the international museum scene through acquisitions, exhibitions and other cultural and educational outreach activities.
The Musée de la Civilisation is unique in that it DARES to engage with themes, subjects and issues that reflect our deep realities as a Québécois people.
Since opening to the public on October 19, 1988, the national museum institution has, over the years, been given additional responsibilities by the Québec government: conservation and promotion, the creation of the Centre national de conservation et d’études des collections, and the promotion and programming of Place Royale, etc.
Today, the expertise of the Musée de la civilisation is consolidated, known, and recognized throughout the Canadian network and the international circuit of major museums. The creativity, know-how, and efficiency of its craftspeople are a hallmark of the Museum.
Firmly committed to the 21st century
According to the Museum's CEO, Stéphan LaRoche, "the MCQ's cultural offering, through its diversity, abundance and quality, has left its mark on the imagination of the Québécois and visitors from everywhere. The sheer variety of its outreach methods continues to surprise. Like any living organization, it adapts and transforms, continuing to explore new avenues and develop new ways of doing things."
Innovation, digital engagement and organizational optimization are at the heart of the work carried out by the skilled team of more than 230 people, with the goal of being more creative and more effective, and of strengthening the museum's positioning as a gathering place for the community.
The daily work of all these people includes mounting exhibitions and cultural and educational activities, conserving and handling objects, communications, sound management, and welcoming and engaging different audiences.
“Our museum is a ‘house of the world’, where families, young people and communities of all backgrounds come together to better understand the past, build the present and dream of the future. Our diverse programming of exhibitions and activities eloquently reflects this,” continues Mr. LaRoche.
Extraordinary and incredibly welcoming places
As soon as you enter the Museum's grand hall, you are struck by the sheer size of the space, its brightness and its truly astonishing layout.
Indeed, below the reception area, a rather unusual installation can be seen. Archaeological excavations carried out in the Guillaume-Estèbe house during the construction of the Musée de la civilisation revealed a boat dating from the French Regime, preserved because it was not exposed to the open air. The boat is displayed prominently in the museum's hall.
She "navigates" amidst a large-scale sculpture, La débâcle by Astri Reusch. This was the winning entry in a 1982 province-wide competition to design and create a sculpture on the theme of the Saint-Laurent River. These large blocks of cast reinforced concrete evoke the melting of the river's ice in the spring. A truly impressive display.
It's quite incredible to think that at high tide some 250 years ago, the Museum's hall was submerged. Where the doors are today, the water would have been knee-deep.
An exhibition that really makes you think!
After the presentation of the retrospective photography exhibition Evergon – Theatres of Intimacy Following the exhibition by the MNBAQ on the Plains in 2022, on a plurisexual theme that truly broke new ground, the MCQ is now offering in 2023 an exhibition that also "dares" to address pressing issues in contemporary Québec society, entitled "One of a kind".
We are truly invited to dive into the heart of the human experience and its diversity by exploring the multiple realities linked to gender identities. In Québec, as elsewhere, we see how these identities transform over time and evolve across cultures. The visibility of trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit people is gaining importance, but gender-based violence persists despite the efforts of communities to have their identities and rights recognized.
After two visits (the first, shorter one, during the launch last May, and the second, more in-depth one, on June 27), we must admit that the informational content of this exhibition is phenomenal. By presenting video sequences with various people who have experienced, or are still experiencing, particular situations related to gender identity (including parents, doctors, psychologists, teachers, various experts, etc.), the exhibition helps us better understand the reality of these individuals, while also helping us move dynamically through a world that is often confusing for those unfamiliar with it.
To help visitors or anyone else interested in better "navigating" this world of gender issues, the Museum team has prepared a "One of a kind" guide
which can be downloaded. Recommended for a fully informed visit to the exhibition (before or after).
Through this exhibition, the Museum wishes to participate in these important discussions and contribute to demystifying and celebrating the plurality of gender identities.
For his part, at the MNBAQ in 2022, the immensely creative Canadian artist Evergon explored identity, bodily diversity, love, desire, and aging at the heart of his work. All facets of life were celebrated, often with humour. Evergon incorporated notions of autofiction and extimacy (a revelation of the intimate in the public sphere), common today, but which he explored early in his career. Evergon delved into the terms of queer masculine and feminine identity, shaking up overly rigid perceptions.
A Green Museum!
In addition to presenting an exhibition until October 10th that invites visitors to see Life in Green Thanks to a carefully selected spectrum of objects from the Museum's various collections, the MCQ has just realized an old dream: that of keeping a vegetable garden on the roofs of the building.
A temporary vegetable garden project was installed in 2008 to mark the 400th anniversary of Québec, but the Museum dreamed of creating a permanent green space. In partnership with Nature Québec, the green roof project was finally put in place in October 2021. On your next visit to the Museum, you must climb the grand staircase and go see the greenery!
The concept of this greening reflects the natural functioning of an ecosystem: its process of evolution and development. At the bottom of the stairs, a familiar, man-made world welcomes the visitor. The higher one climbs towards the roof, the more one moves towards a dense, almost wild natural environment, where life can flourish.
This path allows us to realize the extent to which humans can exert influence and control over this fragile natural world. It fosters awareness of how we have taken over these places, and ultimately, the need to return them to a wilder, more natural, and healthier state for all living things. The project's concept and objectives are perfectly aligned with the role of the Musée de la civilisation: that of a museum of society.
Among the greening projects in development are perennial, native and fruit-bearing plants, flowers, and even trees! But above all, the priority was to create a shared, community vegetable garden. In fact, the MCQ wants to give back and redistribute to the community, to local organizations, for example.
Musée de la Civilisation
mcq.org
85, rue Dalhousie
Québec (Québec) G1K 8R2
418 643-2158
Expo "One of a kind"
Presented until April 2024.
Click the link for description and tickets.
The century-old Bain Généreux building, which houses the Écomusée du fier monde, on Atateken Street, with its Art Deco facade, the work of Montréal architect Jean-Omer Marchand.
Éric Giroux, director of the Écomusée du fier monde
Martin Desgagnés, guide-interpreter, MMC
The FURIES management and coordination team: Priscilla Guy (on the right), Sébastien Provencher and Karla Etienne
Sébastien, Heather, and their children.