The Conseil des arts de Montréal and the City of Montreal are delighted to announce that the Les baux et les arts videos and legal guide are now available online. Created to assist artists with the process of leasing a studio, these resources cover the many legal aspects involved.
With the provincial and municipal governments recently announcing a $30-million joint investment to develop affordable spaces for artistic creation and ensure the sustainability of studios for visual artists and craft artists in Montreal, the CAM hopes that these resources will be useful to artists and help provide them with a more stable future.
Videos1
● Les baux et les arts – Signer un bail commercial [Signing a commercial lease]
● Les baux et les arts – Comprendre et respecter mon bail commercial [Understanding and complying with my commercial lease]
● Les baux et les arts – Installer un atelier dans mon logement résidentiel [Setting up a workshop at home]
Legal Guide
The legal guide is designed to be very practical and easy to use. It covers how to manage both day-to-day studio operations as well as specific events in the leasing process. For instance, it contains useful information on negotiating and signing a commercial lease, on the sale of a building that houses a studio, and on carrying out repairs and renovations inside the premises. It also provides extensive legal information that artists need to understand their obligations and how to protect their rights.
Click here to download a free copy of the Les baux et les arts guide (in French only).
About the Les baux et les arts initiative
In December 2020, the CAM joined forces with the City of Montreal to launch two initiatives to assist artists and artists’ collectives with the development and sustainability of artist workshops. Geared to the needs expressed by the members of the arts community, they offer artists tangible support in meeting the challenges involved in preserving artists’ studios in Montreal.
The first initiative, a pilot project where technical resource groups (TRGs) support artists’ collectives in the visual and craft arts, was rolled out in February. It saw four collectives receive guidance and assistance with planning their property development projects. The second involved a series of free training sessions and the publication of legal resources developed in cooperation with Éducaloi and designed to provide tools and information to help artists negotiate and manage their leases. These are the resources that are being made available to the entire arts community today.
Acknowledgments
The teams at the CAM and the City of Montreal’s Service de la culture would like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation process and helped ensure that the Les baux et les arts guide and videos reflect community needs. Our thanks go to Ateliers Belleville, Ateliers créatifs Montréal, the Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec, Nos ateliers, the Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec and the Regroupement des centres d’artistes autogérés du Québec for their invaluable cooperation. Thanks also to Laurence Gascon and Pénélope Roussel, lawyers and plain language experts with Éducaloi, as well as to Moridja Kitenge Banza, Julia Hall and Matisse Makwanda for their participation in the videos.
Information:
Marie-Michèle Fillion
Planning Advisor
City of Montreal
marie-michele.fillion@montreal.ca
1 The information presented in this video does not constitute legal advice and does not replace advice from a lawyer or notary. Law is constantly evolving. The information is valid as of December 2020. Éducaloi is solely responsible for the video’s content, although it is financed by the CAM and the City of Montreal.
