Louise Lapointe, founder and artistic director of Casteliers, was appointed Tuesday to the rank of knight of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic.
Posted at 4:49 p.m.
The Montreal broadcaster dedicated to the arts of puppetry has notably set up the Festival de Casteliers and co-founded the Maison internationale des arts de la marionette. It presents seasons of shows and organizes workshops to introduce neophytes.
The honorary decoration awarded by the French Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, “comes to reward Louise Lapointe for her remarkable contribution to the influence of the puppetry arts and to the strengthening of cooperation in this artistic field between France and Canada” , can we read in a press release.
Initiated at the “11and art” alongside German-Quebec master Felix Mirbt, Mme Lapointe was trained at the École Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette in France. Upon her return to Quebec, she became involved with the Association québécoise des marionnettistes and the International Union of Puppetry, before founding Casteliers in 2005.
Among the Quebecers who have received the insignia of knighthood are cartoonist Michel Rabagliati, novelist Marie Laberge, playwright Michel Tremblay and filmmaker Xavier Dolan. The French Ministry of Culture nominates 450 recipients every year.