This text is part of the special Christmas book at the museum
The Montreal museum, whose mission is to promote the history of the metropolis and its communities, offers a variety of exhibitions and activities that are perfect for family outings. Overview.
To begin with, remember that the holiday season will be the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to the McCord Museum since, to celebrate its 100e anniversary, it will provide its audience with the most grandiose of gifts, namely free entry, until January 19.
Something to amuse the children
For three years now, the McCord Museum has managed the collection of holiday windows for the Holt Renfrew store, located in downtown Montreal. This imposing donation is the legacy of a Christmas tradition dating back to 1947, today featured in the exhibition Enchanted Universes with the mechanical Christmas windows of the Ogilvy store. The luxury chain is inspired by other department stores in Paris and New York to create tiny Bavarian-style mechanical staging, in which animals, colorful characters and holiday magic intermingle. Children can have fun browsing the windows while following a Seek and Find game. Until January 2.
In order to open the discussion on Aboriginal issues at child level, the McCord Museum also presents Natu-natshishkueu: the adventure of meeting, a participatory activity that invites families to explore the exhibition Indigenous voices today: knowledge, trauma, resilience. Using an information leaflet specially designed for 6 to 11 year olds, visitors will be able to ask themselves questions about the objects dotting the room, but also reflect on Indigenous skills and traditions. At all times.
The workshop “What are you thinking?” »Will introduce 7 to 12 year olds to philosophy through a theme chosen collectively. Accompanied by a cultural mediator and a specialized animator, the children will be encouraged to dialogue, to reflect and to cultivate their listening skills. At 10 a.m., Saturday December 18, Sunday December 19 and Wednesday December 22 and 29.
Edifying … and fun exhibitions
Montreal casts a wide net, and so do the exhibitions at the McCord Museum. The programming gives pride of place to Indigenous stories with Indigenous voices today: knowledge, trauma, resilience, a new permanent exhibition that highlights the little-known knowledge of First Peoples without, however, obscuring the wounds and resilience that we know them. In total, around a hundred objects and textual and video testimonies from members of the 11 aboriginal nations of Quebec are brought together. Installation From my House to Yours and the exhibition Exquisite partition, presented until the end of February 2022 and erected in collaboration with MOMENTA Biennale de l’image, are the fruit of the collaboration between Laura Ortman and Caroline Monnet, two artists respectively from the White Mountain Apache and Anichinabe communities. Together, sounds, images and correspondence notes form the basis of a dialogue that the public is invited to pursue beyond the exhibition hall.
On a more playful note, we stop in front of the exhibitions Parachute: subversive fashion of the 80s and Chapleau. Profession: cartoonist. The first showcases the creations of the Montreal brand Parachute, known for its avant-garde, its androgynous cuts and its fiery spirit. new wave. From Madonna to Duran Duran, many have embraced Parachute’s vision. By retracing the history of this local company, the exhibition highlights the ambition of the duo behind Parachute: to change mentalities and shake up the status quo. On Chapleau’s side, there are 150 caricatures, sketches and original illustrations of the Montreal designer, still rooted in the derision and popular culture of his time.
The story that unites
Finally, two unifying activities will light up the McCord Museum during the holidays. First of all, Let’s talk about it, let’s talk!, a series of citizen discussion workshops, will attempt to forge a dialogue around nostalgia, a real driving force behind the Holidays. Why do we have rites linked to certain festivals and certain times of the year? Reservations required online. The participatory visit Centenary and still young will be offered every day. The activity promises to make known the history of the Museum, its founder and its collections through unique anecdotes. Finally, to extend the visit, dive into the podcasts Urban exchanges, a series of meetings around town planning and the city, or download the Museum application to discover the Urban circuits. These consist of various thematic circuits to be explored on foot, with your smartphone, in order to discover the allure of iconic places in the city… in a time other than ours. Colored dots affixed to the sidewalk will guide you through the discovery of the city’s archives.