Montreal Museums Day offers worlds to discover, for free
Montreal celebrates its museums of all kinds on Sunday. There are worlds of art, history and culture to discover, with more than 30 participating venues; bus, walking and métro circuits to take in more than one; a contest to win one of 10 museum exploration packages; and free admission everywhere.
Here are 10 hot tips for Montreal Museums Day:
1. The Biosphere (9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 160 chemin du Tour-de-l’Île, Île-Ste-Hélène, 514-283-5000, parcjeandrapeau.com/en/biosphereenvironment-museum-montreal).
Located inside an iconic, golfball like metal structure, Montreal’s environment museum is hard to miss. Take in exhibits on the state of our city; Expo 67; photographs of the Canadian landscape; design for the future; the challenges facing the Arctic, and more.
2. Centre des sciences de Montréal (10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 2 de la Commune St. W., 514-496-4724, montrealsciencecentre.com).
The kids will have a blast taking in an exhibit on DreamWorks Animation; Fabrik, offering an array of interactive creative challenges; and Human, an exhibit on the body.
3. Château Ramezay (9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 280 Notre Dame St. E., 514861-3708, chateauramezay.qc.ca) and Pointe-à-Callière (9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 350 Place Royale, 514-8729150, pacmusee.qc.ca).
Montreal’s vibrant past is revisited from multiple angles at these two historical/archeological museums, and enjoy the walk between them.
4. DHC/ART Foundation for Contemporary Art (11 a.m. to 6 p.m., 451 St-Jean St., 514-849-3742, dhcart.org). Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (185 Ste-Catherine St. E., 514-847-6226, macm.org).
Former DHC curator John Zeppetelli is now director and chief curator at the MAC, so if contemporary art is more your thing, take in this cool double bill. DHC is currently showing the vibrant work of Indian artist Bharti Kher, while the MAC has the provocative “anti-monuments” of Mexican-Montrealer Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.
5. La Guilde (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1356 Sherbrooke St. W., 514-849-6091, laguilde.com) and Stewart Hall Art Gallery (9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 176 Lakeshore Rd., Pointe-Claire, 514630-1254, pointe-claire.ca/galeriedart).
Take in works from the 4th Contemporary Native Art Biennial (BACA) at both venues. La Guilde offers guided tours by BACA curator Niki Little (with reservations), at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; as well as Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, a special exhibit on Inuit art, architecture and traditional knowledge. And the Stewart Hall Gallery has workshops and outdoor activities including live music and art in the park.
6. The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site (10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1255 St. Joseph Blvd., Lachine, 514-6377433, pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/qc/lachine) and Musée de Lachine, Pavillon Principal (10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1 chemin du Musée, Lachine, 514634-3478, museedelachine.com).
Bring the kids and explore Montreal’s past in the fur trade, with historical characters and artifacts, activities in the park, music and other family fun. Both venues on the free Circuit Bleu bus tour, from Angrignon métro.
7. Montreal Holocaust Museum (9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 5151 Côte-SteCatherine Rd., 514-345-2605, mhmc.ca).
Take a tour of the permanent exhibit, To Learn, To Feel, To Remember; experience the virtual exhibit, Building New Lives; tour the Jewish Public Library’s exhibit, The Adventures of Lea Roback, “labour leader, community organizer and social activist”; and hear Holocaust survivors’ testimonies, at 11 a.m. (in English) and 1 p.m. (in French).
8. Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 1380 Sherbrooke St. W., 514-285-2000, mbam.qc.ca).
There are a range of exhibits at the Montreal Fine Arts Museum including Face-to-Face Picasso, Past and Present; Here We are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art; From the Hands of the Masters II: From Parmigianino to Matisse; the work of Indigenous artist Nadia Myre: Scattered Remains; Mnemosyne, When Contemporary Art and Art of the Past Meet; and Bon Appétit: Contemporary Foodware Designs in Quebec.
9. McCord Museum (9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 690 Sherbrooke St. W., 514398-7100, musee-mccord.qc.ca).
Nicely timed following the end of the Leonard Cohen exhibit at the MAC, the McCord presents Shalom Montreal: Stories and Contributions of the Jewish Community, looking at “how the Jewish community has participated in the city ’s growth and development during the 20th century.” Also at the museum is the permanent exhibition Wearing Our Identity: The First Peoples Collection, examining the importance of clothing to the identities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis; and Marisa Portolese: In the Studio with Notman, featuring a series of portraits of women by the Montreal artist, inspired by her research into the Notman photography collection. With workshops for kids from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and story hour at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
10. Shriners Children’s Hospital Museum (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1003 Décarie Blvd., 514-842-4464, shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/ montreal).
Visitors will learn about the history of the Shriners hospitals in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico in hourly guided tours of the exhibit A Tradition Moving Forward: The Evolution of Orthopaedic Pediatric Care and Research, and of the hospital. There will be a quiz afterward, and prizes.