Images de femmes Turns 20

Images de femmes Turns 20

The all-woman art collective, Images de femmes, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and will be featuring work by some 70 women artists. The official kick-off will be this Saturday, March 2, at 1:30 pm at the Mile End library with a reception and vernissage. In addition to a sister art exhibition across the street at AME ART until March 10, workshops given by local artists are scheduled throughout the week, which culminates with Rythmes de femmes, a celebration of women and music at the Rialto Theatre on Sunday, March 10.

While Images de femmes has always had a strong visual arts focus and a growing music component, in the past it has also featured literature and film.

At the vernissage in 1994, Governor General recipient, playwright and novelist Marie Laberge and internationally acclaimed playwright Abla Faroud read from their work. Award-winning documentary filmmaker, screenwriter and director Mireille Dansereau presented Les seins dans la tête in 1995 and Les cheveux en quatre in 1997. While documentary filmmaker and long-time Mile End resident Sophie Bisonnette showed Des lumières dans la grande noirceur in 1996, with the film’s star Léa Roback in attendance. In recent years, Bisonnette has been widely praised for Sexy Inc. Our Children Under the Influence, a documentary about the media's hypersexualization of children.

As one might expect, the idea behind Images de femmes arose around a kitchen table in the fall of 1992, when Claudine Schiradin and some friends discussed what Mile End women artists could do to celebrate International Women's Day. The abundance of cheap, spacious apartments attracted droves of young women artists. "But they had no venue in the Mile End where they could show their work," said local historian and long-time Images de femmes participant Kathryn Harvey.

The Mile End of the early 1990s was hardly the thriving artistic neighbourhood it is now. "It didn't have much identity at all," said the local historian. Empty storefronts lined Park Avenue, and north of St.Viateur, there were plenty of crack houses. "I can’t count the number of times I witnessed police cuffing some young dealer lying face down with a cop’s boot on his back," she said.



The Mile End's turning point came in 1993. Not only was the dilapidated YMCA torn down and rebuilt, but the Habs also won the Stanley Cup, filling cafés on Bernard and St. Viateur streets with screaming fans during the playoffs. There was also another important initiative. A citizen's action group, le Comité des citoyens du Mile-End (CCME) successfully convinced the city of Montreal to buy the old Anglican Church on Park Avenue and convert it into a library. This development project not only provided the neighbourhood with a library and meeting place, and but it also provided Images de femmes with a much-needed venue.

The CCME has been instrumental in assisting initiatives like Images de femmes. "Their work has made the neighbourhood the creative, vibrant place it is today," said Harvey.

CCME member Baska Séguin, artists Françoise Barraud and Nancy Héroux, and Josée Moreau from the city of Montreal were key figures in organizing the first ever Images de femmes. However, by 1996, the annual event had become so popular that they had run out of exhibition space. An obvious solution was to ask local merchants to display the work of up-and-coming artists.

"Residents of the Mile End did their socializing where they shopped, in doorways, and out on the street, having no other place to congregate," said the local historian. As a result, there has always been a strong relationship between members of the community and shop owners, who have always been more than willing to lend a hand to aspiring artists.

This tradition is alive and well today. A number of Mile End businesses still feature the work of local artists in their storefronts and shops. The first week of March is a great time to go for a walk in the hood and see the work of the next generation of artists.

For a listing of the Images de femmes events, "like" their Facebook Page or follow them on Twitter at @MileEndIdF. Tickets to the March 10 Rythmes de femmes are on sale at the Rialto ticket office or can be purchased at the door ($15 general admission, $10 for students and seniors).


Other related links:
Images de femmes 2010
Images de femmes 2011
Rythmes de femmes at Rialto Theatre 2011
19th Images de femmes 2012



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Rythmes de Femmes at Rialto Theatre

Rythmes de Femmes at Rialto Theatre

Last week, I received an invitation from Marilyn Berzan-Montblanch to take part in the closing festivities of the 2011 Images de femmes at the Rialto Theatre on March 20. Rythmes de femmes is the finale of the Images de femmes event, which pays tribute to Mile End women artists. This year Rialto owner Ezio Carosielli generously offered the Mile End landmark for the event, throwing  in a few extra surprises, such as a chocolate fountain fondue and homemade cannoli.

I arrived at the sumptuous theatre just as the best costume was being awarded. Participants had dressed in wearable art for the occasion. I recognized a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, including that of Mile End Councillor Richard Ryan. I also had a chance to snap a picture of Alice Cantine walking around in her ball gown made entirely from Loto 649 tickets.

My last visit to the Rialto was for a New Year's Eve Party in 1988. At the time, they still had the original theatre seats in place. In the 1920s, when the Rialto was built, it seated 1,000 (small) people and was known as a "movie palace." The seats on the bottom floor have since been removed and replaced with cabaret seating.

During the intermission, I had a chance to speak to Ezio Carosielli, who disclosed his renovation plans. A previous owner had redone the theatre, but had chosen red, blue and gold, which were not the original colours. Ezio and his partner were in the process of restoring the balcony to its original green and beige. Although that may sound dull in comparison, when I saw a part that had been restored, the muted colours definitely enhanced the beauty of the original features. Unfortunately, the balcony was closed, but catching a glimpse certainly piqued my curiosity.Carosielli also spoke of a beautiful a cappella performance that had taken place on the previous evening. As I quickly learned when the Images de Femmes musical performances started, the acoustics at the Rialto are indeed magnificent.

In short, Mile End women artists were honoured in the style they deserve, and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day and the 18th annual Images de Femmes than a party at the Rialto Theatre. Special thanks to Ezio, the wait staff at the Rialto, Robin Gorn for all her help and Linda Morrison who came in spite of feeling under the weather.




Related posts:
Navarino's and Images de Femmes
Guerrilla in the Midst
Bagel Conundrum
Mile End's Ring of Fame
What it is by Lynda Barry
The True Gender
Almost a Visit to Gender
St-Viateur: the Polish Bazaar
The Mile End Buzz Around Beekeeping
For the Love of Vinyl
Airing Our Dirty Laundry


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