This text is part of the special notebook Center of Montreal Memories
In the making for several years, the metamorphosis of the Montreal History Center (CHM) came to fruition with the opening yesterday of the Montreal Memories Center (MEM) in the heart of the city. A new place, a new name and the same mission: telling the story of the metropolis thanks to those who make it diverse.
On November 18, 1983, the Montreal History Center opened its doors on Place D’Youville, in a former fire station. Nearly 40 years later, a new center is being opened, in the heart of the Quartier des spectacles. Nestled within the brand new complex of Saint-Laurent Square, the Center des Memoires Montréal intends to continue the work of its predecessor to better highlight these little-known stories that make up the great history of the metropolis.
“The museum needed to expand to present its mission even more clearly,” explains Annabelle Laliberté, director of the MEM. Started in 2019, this move, into a space three times larger than that occupied by the CHM, was accompanied by a change of name. “There was the desire to go more to the heart of what we wanted to do by placing the emphasis on the memory, on what people say,” indicates Catherine Charlebois, chief curator of the MEM.
Memory as a collector’s item
“The idea is to include both objects and images, as you can have in any traditional museum, but also to add citizen stories to that,” continues M.me Charlebois. The CHM had already embarked on this path, quite remarkably, through model exhibitions like Scandal! Vice, crime and morality in Montreal, 1940-1960, Explosion 67 — Land of young people And Disappeared neighborhoods. “We relied on this expertise, considering memory as a real object,” underlines Annabelle Laliberté.
“Memory is really what sets us apart from other history museums. It is a strong element of our collection. » Conceived above all as a museum of testimonies and popular culture, the MEM has given itself the ultimate mission of representing “Montréality” – a notion dear to architectural theorist Melvin Charney – in all its components. To respond to this challenge, the MEM teams have surrounded themselves with several committees bringing together citizens from all sides, with diverse and varied profiles.
From residents to traders, including sex workers and sociologists, everyone had an important role to play in the establishment of the new Memory Center. “There are more than sixty people who thought with us about how this museum should be experienced,” confides M.me Freedom. “The committees were involved in all phases of the project’s development. It wasn’t just consultation, it was real collaboration,” adds M.me Charlebois.
“The citizen consultations allowed us to raise red flags, to go in one direction rather than another and to go beyond the icons of Montreal,” explains the chief curator of the MEM. “It is important to have a speech that is anchored in the Montreal of today, even if we are talking about a Montreal of the past. » Imagined by and for Montrealers, the MEM offers its visitors the keys to the city to better understand its history and its rich heritage.
A look at diversity
This beneficial work on urban memory also proves to be a formidable tool to help forge links between communities and generations. “Our goal is to create a better understanding of others,” confirms Annabelle Laliberté. “Our primary concern is to have a look at diversity, whether it is cultural diversity, ability diversity, gender or age diversity… We talk about diversity with a capital D.”
After the opening of its public spaces, the MEM will subsequently host a permanent installation. This exhibition will be composed essentially of testimonies and stories from people who have lived and still live in Montreal and who have shaped its identity. In the meantime, the Center of Montreal Memories proposes to sketch the first contours of this “Montréality”, through temporary exhibitions presented in modular spaces, as activities encouraging meetings and debates.
“Our deep wish with this place is that when people enter the MEM, they feel at home, that they find themselves as Montrealers,” summarizes the museum director. “We did small tests before opening to the public, and the best comment we heard was: “Wow! I feel at home here! I can find myself in this.” It made us really proud, because that’s what we wanted in the first place. »
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