16 environmentally responsible projects on the Island of Montréal

Montréal, September 21, 2023 — The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) and the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM), in collaboration with Culture Montréal, are pleased to announce $338,000 in funding for 16 organizations through the Environmentally responsible production, dissemination, promotion and consolidation component of the Programme de partenariat territorial en lien avec la collectivité de l’île de Montréal. This component will support environmentally responsible partnership initiatives.

Description of projects selected for funding

Professional arts organization funding – Total: $338,000

• Art Souterrain (visual arts) will receive $25,000 for Les Rendez-vous Angus, an event that will feature experiences bringing together contemporary art and the environment and will involve the public in an eco-responsible approach.
• Ateliers Belleville (visual arts) will receive $25,000 to create and deploy a strategy to reduce the environmental footprint of its production workshops.
• Casteliers (theatre) will receive $15,000 to explore ways in which the international Festival de Casteliers can reduce its environmental footprint and to develop an action plan.
• Ecoscéno (multidisciplinary) will receive $25,000 for an inventory pooling project in collaboration with Duceppe, Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, Théâtre Denise-Pelletier and Quat’Sous.
• Montréal’s Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival (literature and storytelling) will receive $5,000 to design and create the literary circuit Petits poèmes &  Grands jardins and to publish promotional materials that highlight the festival’s green initiatives.
• The FTA – Festival TransAmériques (multidisciplinary) will receive $25,000 to create a practical eco-design guide for artists and creative companies in the fields of dance and theatre, in collaboration with Écoscéno and the Conseil québécois des événements écoresponsable (CQEER).
• Kino Montréal (film and video) will receive $25,000 for the Kino Kabaret Vert, which will teach participants about environmentally responsible filming methods.
• Compagnie Jean Duceppe (theatre) will receive $18,000 to pursue and consolidate its eco-design approach for the 2023–2024 season, with the help of Écoscéno.
• Les Compagnons Baroques (theatre) will receive $20,000 for a project exploring “ultimate theatrical destitution,” specifically centred around the decline in writing, music and staging.
• L’Idylle arts vivant (multidisciplinary arts) will receive $24,000 to create the project Pointe de l’Île, communauté des possibles, which brings together individual actions and eco-responsible initiatives in a photo series on the socio-ecological transition in Montréal’s East End.
• Marguerite à bicyclette (circus arts) will receive $25,000 to set up bike tours for eco-designed outdoor performances in partnership with La compagnie des autres.
• Productions de brousse (literature and storytelling) will receive $14,000 to produce the documentary Si j’avais pas de char, about sustainable mobility in the Regions.
• Projet MÛ (théâtre) will receive $25,000 for Après Tout, a public art project centred around a Pascal Brulleman play for young audiences.
• Théâtre à l’eau froid (theatre) will receive $18,000 to sustainably produce the play Cygnes noirs and document the process.
• La Banquette arrière (theatre) will receive $25,000 to sustainably produce a theatrical work by Sébastien Dodge that aims to raise public awareness about environmental issues.
• La TOHU (circus arts) will receive $24,000 for its project Laboratoire de cirque écoresponsable, which proposes a path forward for artists focused on sustainability and eco-transition accounts through workshops, exchanges and public presentations.

Selection process

Applications were analyzed by peers working in various artistic disciplines, in a committee convened by CALQ. Projects were selected based on their merit, excellence, and how well they responded to program objectives.

A word from our partners

“The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec wants to support the cultural community’s desire to innovate while addressing environmental issues and finding solutions for them. We are thrilled by the response to this call for proposals, as well as the quality and creativity of the projects we are supporting. There is no question that audiences will learn from these projects and that other artists, organizations and communities will be inspired by them.” —Anne-Marie Jean, President and CEO of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec

“The Conseil des arts de Montréal wants to serve as a catalyst in the collective efforts to decarbonize the art world, in particular by strengthening the arts community’s ability to make this crucial eco-responsible transition. We are delighted to be actively helping bring about change by supporting the inspiring and mobilizing projects of these arts organizations.” —Nathalie Maillé, Executive Director of the Conseil des arts de Montréal

“Culture Montréal acknowledges the diversity of the submitted proposals and the arts and culture community’s genuine desire to come together and bring about a socio-ecological transition in Montréal. By combining creativity with environmentally responsible practices, we believe that the public will also be inspired to join the movement.” —Emmanuelle Hébert, Executive Director of Culture Montréal

About the Entente de partenariat territorial en lien avec la collectivité du territoire de l’île de Montréal

The Entente de partenariat territorial en lien avec la collectivité du territoire de l’île de Montréal stems from a three-year agreement (2022-2025) between the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Conseil des arts de Montréal, in collaboration with Culture Montréal. $1,000,000 has been made available for projects that formally involve partnership initiatives on the Island of Montréal.

– 30 –