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Artsy fartsy for free Some of the city's top cut-rate culture by KEITH MARCHAND
Ageless dinosaurs Musée d'Art Contemporain Boasting a strong summer line up with Paterson Ewen, Paul Garrin, Irene Whittome and Guillaume Bijl, the museum offers free admission on Wednesday evenings between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Although Exiles and Emigrés and a spotlight on some little Gaelic gnome are not free, entrance to the entire permanent collection is free all the time (although donations are welcome). Canadian Centre for Architecture If the half-dozen of you who actually read my magnificent, weekly opus have been paying any attention, you will recall me blathering on about the Disney exhibit--see it. Thursdays between 6 and 9 p.m. are free. More spacy stuff Now this is merely touching on the most fertile milieu of contemporary art. I will mention only a couple of suggestions in what is by no means an exhaustive list. 372 Ste-Catherine W. (aka the Belgo Building) This is a good place to spend a Saturday wandering around. Just about the entire building is gallery or studio space and you can start from the top floor and work your way down. It's always a bonus to stumble upon a vernissage and receive the gift of free alcohol. The building is home to some upscale galleries as well as some more experimental and adventuresome concerns. Just to the west of the Belgo is 460 Ste-Catherine W. This is much the same as its neighbour but is not open Sundays. Be advised that most parallel or (shall we say) less fiscally driven galleries are closed on Sundays. Gallery of the Saidye Bronfman Centre This gallery is unique in that it is well-run nad well-respected yet remains stimulating. Don't miss this summer's extravaganza, The Space Between 3, featuring rising stars from our very own art scene. Entry is (yup, you guessed it) absolutely free, always.
These are always going on and it is up to you to keep the old eyes peeled. Right now, for example, one can catch two exhibitions in the unlikely location of a shopping mall. Regards du Québec: Un Album de Famille While stocking up on some frozen fish suppers, digestive biscuits or granny clothing at Marks and Spencer, check out the photography exhibition happening right outside in Place Montreal Trust. With more than 50 photographs on display, one is shown some excellent shots of La Belle Province looking beautiful and genuinely multicultural. Performance Arts Visuels Montréal Hidden away upstairs above the main floor of the Atwater Market lies an exhibition of seven Montreal painters and sculptors. This non-profit group's aim is to present visual art in the city's urban milieu. The trip is worth it just to see the works of Sebastian Moreau, a Montreal painter who captures the unconventional essence of Montreal life in a series of scenes depicting life on Ste-Catherine Street, east of St-Laurent. All of these done in a frantic, cartoonish style reminiscent of Jorge Immendorf's depictions of Berlin. |
Summertime can be a money-sucking vortex, what with the ridiculous litany of festivals. Come the end of July, we're all looking to save some cash, yet we also want to take advantage of a fleeting season. Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to put your late grandmother's diamond tiara in hock in order to afford some of the city's best art shows. While prices may indeed seem a bit out of hand at some of the larger cultural institutions, there are ways to avoid shovelling out a load of semolinas. How does free sound? Yeah, I like it too... it leaves a bit extra for betting on the ponies. The key is to do any of these three things: (a) go to galleries, which are always free; (b) check out free shows put on in public spaces; (c) hit the museums on special nights when admission is gratis. The following are a few quick suggestions on where to go without shelling out a beach-full of clams.
Groceries and galleries