This text is part of the special Culture Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean notebook
The joke is a recurring one in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean: in the pool of personalities from the Union of Artists, around half come from Saguenay… and the remaining 50%, from Lac-Saint-Jean. This is a prank, of course. The land of origin of Michel Barrette, Louise Portal and other Kevin Lambert has not seen the birth of all the figures loved by Quebecers, but the joke illustrates how vibrant the creative flame of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is, and this, in all disciplines.
Considered “the third cultural center after Montreal and Quebec”, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean stands out provincially and even elsewhere in the world thanks, in particular, to the productions of the Québec Issime collective, at the Regard festival (more great celebration of short films in North America) and the large-scale fresco The fabulous story of a kingdomwhich has stimulated tourism in this corner of the country for almost 37 years.
Locally, the picture is just as encouraging: there are, among others, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, nine professional theater companies, eighteen museum institutions (including the Louis-Hémon museum, the only literary museum in Quebec), four artist centres, a national exhibition center and six archives and heritage societies.
“Culture quickly arrived as a concern in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean,” notes Joëlle Hardy, general director of the Société historique du Saguenay. From the creation of the general regulations of the Société historique du Saguenay, in 1934, we were already talking about museums, libraries, archives, heritage plaques…”
Groups of professional writers, craftspeople and professional presenters officiate there and there are publishing houses, multiple festivals (including the popular La Noce and the International Festival of Puppet Arts), orchestras. symphony, opera, ballets, music and dance schools. Special projects are also promoted, such as the KM3 living laboratory at the Bang Contemporary Art Center.
“We had a record year in terms of cinema admissions and ticket purchases in 2023. Sales returned to their pre-pandemic level for the first time and we can feel the enthusiasm,” explains Julie Gagnon, coordinator. to the development of Culture Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, an organization dedicated to promoting the arts in the region, among other things by supporting training and accompaniment of MRC and municipalities in the provision of cultural policies. Data revealed by Diffusion Saguenay last December (207,000 show tickets produced and a turnover of $10 million in 2022-2023) confirm this success.
Living from your art
According to Culture Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, the territory had 169 cultural businesses and organizations in 2023. The number of cultural workers has increased perceptibly in recent years, going from 2,295 in 2016 to 2,525 in 2021, a “return to the earth” that the industry attributes to the pandemic and its confinements. Enough to dispel the perception that it is impossible for an artist to earn a living with his creation outside of large urban centers.
“That’s what we want as much as possible,” says Julie Gagnon. We are like a small island cut off from the world; you have to cross the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve for two and a half hours to reach the rest of civilization, then you are able to get by, to be independent. We have our audience, our [établissements scolaires] — notably the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi — which allow artists to develop professionally, even if it is sometimes necessary to multiply mandates and roles, to be multidisciplinary. »
What’s more, creative minds who move away from the locality often return there and joyfully promote it, we observe. The late actor Michel Côté, for example, never stopped being publicly proud of his Alma roots.
Still challenges
That said, the entire cultural sector is experiencing difficulties throughout Quebec – a large demonstration took place on April 18 in front of the offices of Quebec Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, to demand an increase in budgets – , and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean also has its share of challenges in this sense. According to recent reports from Culture Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, the amount of subsidies from Quebec allocated to culture in the region amounts to $33,250,000.
Julie Gagnon mentions in this regard a difficulty in disseminating works due to the scarcity of local media and a shortage of labor for stage technicians.
Kathy Boucher, general director of the Saguenay Arts Council, speaks of the great resilience of creators in a “fragile reality”. “We ask artists to innovate, to revisit themselves, sometimes with several criteria. To carry out a project, they sometimes have to make three requests to obtain their funding, with months of delay,” she laments.
Nevertheless, the legendary dignity of the Saguenéens and the Jeannois shines through in their artistic and cultural legacy, specifies with affection Joëlle Hardy, of the Société historique du Saguenay. “We have an assumed cultural life, an identity, an ability to be proud and to promote the territory. The feeling of belonging and pride allows cultural organizations in the region to make spectators, readers, visitors feel all this richness…”
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