Meet La Guilde: An Inuit and First Nations Museum Run by Women

La Guilde’s New Move Makes Museum More Accessible to Concordia Students.

Fringe ArtsGabrielle Béland — Published January 8, 2018

Newly located at 1356 Sherbrooke St. West, just up the street from Concordia University’s downtown campus, the museum currently hosts an Inuit and a glass exposition.

For more than 100 years, La Guilde’s mantra has been the same—the promotion, preservation, and encouragement of the fine crafts profession.

The museum has come a long way from where it started. The concept began as the Montreal branch of the Women’s Art Association of Canada. The founders wanted to pursue more of a crafts art approach, and decided to break off from the organization to become the Canadian Handicrafts Guild in 1906. Founded by two women, Alice J. Peck and Martha May Phillips, the initial idea was to give woman a role within the community. What is now a museum gallery started off as a store.

From its beginnings, the organization has been female-driven. It allowed women to give back and financially support their family. It created a sense of independence and individuality. To this day, all of La Guilde’s directors have been women.

“The importance is to keep La Guilde’s artistic direction,” says Karine Gaucher, their programming and communications manager.

Gaucher says that “there was no distinction between Aboriginal and Inuit crafts and Quebec or immigrant artisans” when La Guilde first began. With time, the museum diversified and identified the different craft arts. Through the years, they’ve welcomed ethnographic and historical expositions. They own over 1,000 works of art and artifacts, the oldest one being arrowheads from the second half of the 19th century.

The museum chose to have Inuit and First Nations art to preserve traditional craft techniques. They also promote those techniques and encourage artistic standards through educational workshops, exhibitions, and sales.

One of the main expositions at the moment is called Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, which roughly translates to Inuit ancestral knowledge. The exposition is a partnership with EVOQ Architecture, a research center that specializes in Inuit and First Nations Architecture. EVOQ Architecture called on artists throughout the Nunangat Inuit territory to create artwork showing traditional knowledge in relation to science and technology development, in order to demonstrate the community’s creativity.

La Guilde is hosting the projects of the nine winners. Gaucher said that, for editorial reasons, they are only presenting the sketches—with the exception of one sculpture by Koomautuk Curley. This exhibition was created to pay tribute to the Inuit Culture. The museum wanted to present a new generation of artists, and showcase a new perspective with a more contemporary approach to Inuit art.

The glass art section of the museum is eclectic—numerous glass techniques and materials are on display. Artist Susan Edgerley distinguishes herself by sculpting the glass and playing with her glass creation’s circumference. Each piece is made individually. Sebastien Duchange’s acidified art pieces promote an environmental discourse.

“There is great attention to detail that is extraordinary,” says Gaucher.

What makes glass art unique, Gaucher explained, is that once you start a piece, you have to finish it. This allows reflection on the interrelations of nature and humans, and on the passing of time.

While glass is the dominant material, some artists like to think outside the box. Artist Ito Laïla Le François is a pioneer in her art, incorporating wool and felt into her creations.

“Her vision is completely explosive,” Gaucher said. “It’s a challenge that makes us move forward at La Guilde.” Other artists like Montserrat Duran Muntadas blend glass with textiles, and Carole Frève’s avant-gardist art incorporates electrical components.

Featured artists have always been selected by the team. When selecting expositions, they try to find innovative artists that will challenge the museum. Social media has been an important platform, where a great amount of support by the community has been shown. They also use it as a way to discover new artists and find inspiration, Gaucher explained.

“To not create, I would die.” —Sylvain Rivard

“To not create, I would die,” are the wise words of Sylvain Rivard. The artist and ethnologist has been partnering with La Guilde for a little over three years. Last year, his exposition Pulpe Fiction featured works created with handmade paper and fabric. The technique he used is called basket weaving. He’s also known for his contemporary approach to the Abenaki art. “I like mixing up genres. I never want to put myself in a niche,” Rivard said. His work ethic is simple: He likes to create with whatever he can get his hands on.

Rivard’s interest in the Abenaki culture first came from his grandparents, who have Abenaki origins. His second inspiration comes from Joseph Laurent, a Chief of the Abenaki village of Odanak, Quebec in the late 19th century. Laurent founded the first Abenaki museum and wrote the first Abenaki-English dictionary. As a way of remembering his impact on the culture, Rivard likes to incorporate this character into his art.

The best way Rivard learned to create art was through other artists. Rivard said that he never wants to feel restricted to a specific type of craft, and would rather practice multidisciplinary art. “I like playing with taboos,” Rivard said.

Rivard felt that often people are quick to judge, and there remains an incomprehension for the profession of an artist. This is one of the reasons why he enjoys collaborating with La Guilde. “They have an incredible open mind and they really respect the artistic approach,” he said.

La Guilde’s desire to hold on to the core of fine crafts creates a strong bond with commercial and noncommercial artists.

The museum is registered as a non-profit organization. Its main source of income comes from donation and system membership.

“Nobody’s putting money in their pockets,” Gaucher said.

Part of the money goes to the artist and the other part goes directly to the museum.

Most visitors are professors, Concordia students, and people who attend La Guilde’s vernissages. They hope that their new location attracts a broader range of people who want to learn about the arts of Inuit, First Nations, and fine crafts.

The museum’s recent move allowed the museum to have a space that was four to five times bigger, which enabled them to keep some exhibitions longer. They also only used to welcome around 15 people a day, and can now see around 60 people. This new space inspires change, Gaucher said, such as adding an Inuit commissioner to the team. “We want to implement a new discourse that is more authentic and integrated,” Gaucher said.

Looking forward, La Guilde’s hope is to reach out to more established and emerging artists who are located throughout the country. For a long time, Gaucher said the museum restricted itself to artists in Quebec and Ontario. With the new space, they hope to extend, and possibly collaborate, with artists who have more advanced training in their artistic practices. As a non-profit organization, La Guilde will continue to educate the public on Inuit and First Nations crafts art. “The importance is in the niche,” Gaucher said. “Artists need a place to showcase their art’s magnitude in all its splendor,” said Gaucher.

New projects are in the works. They are currently working on having a textile and beading exposition, possibly with glass artists. They will continue to have “chat with the artist” types of events at least once every exposition, and vernissages for several artists. And for the night owls, in partnership with the Festival du Nouveau Cinema, the gallery will be open all night during Montreal’s Nuit Blanche.