![\"Montreal](\"http:\/\/artbridgesblog.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Montreal-photo-11.jpg\")
<\/a>Catherine, ready for a day of site visits!<\/p><\/div>\n
Last June, ArtBridges\/ToiledesArts\u2019s Project Director, Seanna Connell and Francophone Community Arts Coordinator, Catherine Lamaison, spent a week in Montr\u00e9al to visit and meet 19 community partners and learn about the work that they do on the ground. While most of the ArtBridges\/ToiledesArts\u2019 team’s work is done online or over the phone from our Toronto office, getting a chance to travel, see community arts programs in action and finally meet partners in person is always highly inspiring and gives all the meaning to our work.<\/strong><\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ve decided to dedicate a series of three blog posts to the amazing community arts and arts for social change initiatives we\u2019ve discovered in Montreal. Check out part 1<\/a> and part 2<\/a> here.<\/p>\n Thursday June 23rd<\/strong> Exeko<\/strong><\/a> is a very innovative and progressive organization offering a variety of programs, all extremely creative and aiming at achieving social inclusion through art and philosophy. Exeko’s<\/a> approach consists in creating collective thinking spaces where everyone is equal, through the organization of critical or creative workshops and programs<\/a>. \u00a0They are Spectrum Productions\u2019 neighbours, in a big arts building in Le Plateau.<\/p>\n Raymond Vigier, founder of Caf\u00e9 Graffiti, in the arts studio.<\/p><\/div>\n Caf\u00e9 Graffiti<\/strong><\/a> is an organization that has existed for 30 years in the Maisonneuve neighbourhood, relying on an interesting business model. The publication of a magazine (a prevention tool sold all over Qu\u00e9bec, mostly in schools, in French and English and edited by the founder of Caf\u00e9 Graffiti, Raymond Viger) and the profit of a bar\/restaurant across the street (Bistro Ste Catherine) generates money to fund the organization. Caf\u00e9 Graffiti<\/a>\u00a0aims at offering a space where youth can come, hang out, make art and feel safe, while developing professional skills, fighting exclusion and marginalization.<\/p>\n Seanna dropped in to see the renowned organization – Les Impatients<\/strong>. Aside from large meeting\/art rooms and gift shop there is a museum that showcases sculptures made by program participants. Here art therapy, hands-on arts activities and incredible art exhibits are all in progress!
\nAfter three days of visits, we were so inspired by all this new information and discovery that it became difficult to talk about it right away, we needed time to process it all. In the meantime, we kept going and were on our way to more exciting meetings for our last day in town: Exeko, Cafe Graffiti, NDG Seniors Atelier, Les Impatients, ELAN and Cirque Hors Piste.<\/p>\n<\/a>Seanna dropped in at the NDG Seniors Atelier<\/strong>\u2019s weekly workshop founded and run by Nicole Macoretta, a masters student in art therapy at Concordia. This new Art Hive is situated in the rec room on the ground floor of a senior\u2019s residence. This beautiful weekly program works so well because it is accessible to the residents and neighbourhood (the program came to them! rather than residents travelling out to a program); there are no overhead costs, as there is an arrangement with the facility to not charge rent; the facility has given them a secure storage area for art supplies (so that materials don\u2019t need to be carted back and forth every week and so that artwork in progress can be stored). Mostly it works so well because Nicole has created an environment for creativity that is warm, supportive, non-judgemental, joyful and accommodating. Participants are free to work on a new weekly art activity or their own project.<\/p>\n