Art creates more than a meeting environment, it is a link between cultures and a bridge between different social backgrounds. On a daily basis, art is a driving force for social integration, allowing people to discover themselves, share their values and stories. During this conference, three personalities will present concrete examples showing that can be used as a tool for territorial cohesion.
Michel Vallée will present the multicultural program "Je suis..." created by the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion, which promotes respect and cultural exchanges through workshops and artistic highlights. Manuel Mathieu, a Montreal artist of Haitian origin, will present his work based on a reflection of diversity and cultural heritage. Finally, Nathalie Maillé, CAM's director, will present how the various projects of the City of Montreal promote cultural diversity through artists.
Thérèse David, professor of cultural communications at HEC and UQAM, will be in charge of the moderation.
Michel Vallée has been with the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion since 2009 and is currently Director of the Recreation and Culture Department. He has over 20 years of experience in museology and cultural management applied to cities. His various projects, where culture also fulfills an important social mission, have led him to give conferences in Canada, South America, Europe and Asia.
Among its achievements, the project JE SUIS..., created in 2010, has enabled the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion to offer its population a unique project for the development of the community through culture. It is now recognized by the UCLG Committee on Culture as one of the world's leading cities in terms of Agenda 21 for culture and was awarded the prestigious UCLG - Mexico City - Culture 21 International Prize in October 2016.
Member of several regional and national boards of directors related to culture and municipalities, Michel participated in the creation of the cultural mediation program at Cégep Saint-Laurent (Québec, Canada) and sits on the Commission on Cultural Citizenship of Culture Montréal. In recent years, he has accompanied several cities and regions from all over the world in their reflections on participatory culture applied to community development.
"Small or large, differences create conflict, isolation and prejudice. I can only respect what I know... so, what if we met! »
Manuel Mathieu is a curious and prolific artist. He was born the same year as the end of the Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti. His drive and sense of discovery have led to compelling achievements. In 2016, he completed his Masters in Fine Arts at Goldsmiths. Since then, his art work has found homes worldwide in private collections, museums and institutions such as National Museum of America in Washington, Musée de la civilisation in Quebec, Grand Palais in Paris, ICA in London, in the collections of the Rubell Family in Miami, JP Morgan in New York, Pamela Joyner in San Francisco and closer to us, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and at Hydro-Québec.
He’s the first Haitian-Canadian artist to be included in the permanent collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, to which Manuel’s instinctive reaction was to contribute to the creation of an acquisition fund for Quebec and Canada’s underrepresented artists. In 2018, he published two catalogues and a collection of drawings. His art has been part of important art fairs like Art Basel in Miami, Expo Chicago in Chicago, Frieze in London and 1-54 in Cape Town. His gallery shows include Truth to Power at Tiwani Contemporary in London in 2017 and in 2018, he presented a Solo Booth at the Armoury Show in New York, Nobody’s Watching at Kavi Gupta in Chicago and The Spell on You at Maruani Mercier in Brussels.
This year, Manuel is heading to China for his first show in Asia and he will participate in a group show at the Perez Art Museum (PAMM) in Miami. He will end 2019 in Germany where he was selected for a residency at the Akademie Schloss Institute.
Nathalie Maillé has been the Executive Director of the Conseil des arts de Montréal since July 2013. Founded in 1956, this institution identifies, assists, supports and recognizes the excellence and innovation in professional artistic creation, production and dissemination of nearly 500 Montreal arts organizations. She has a solid knowledge of cultural policies and arts and culture issues. After a major organizational restructuring focused on breaking down barriers and making operating rules more flexible, Nathalie Maillé highlighted the organizational values of excellence, boldness, creativity, proximity and transparency. It has also contributed to the advancement of equity in the recognition of the contribution of cultural diversity in the arts and of emerging artists.
Nathalie Maillé holds a bachelor’s degree from UQAM in dance and a graduate diploma in cultural organization management from HEC Montréal. She is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Université du Québec à Montréal, a member of the Events and Product Development Committee of Tourisme Montréal, Alumna of CSCLeaders, a member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF) and a winner of a Prix Femmes d’affaires du Québec, 2015 edition.
Thérèse David has been a lecturer in culture and communications at HEC Montréal & UQAM’s École des médias since 2005. Working in the cultural communications field for more than four decades, Ms. David has held a number of high-level positions in the municipal, cultural and media sectors, including head of the Longueuil’s cultural bureau and vice-president, communications, at the Journal de Montréal and the TQS network. She has received several awards and honours and is a member of numerous boards of directors.