On Thursday, July 4, at 5 p.m., the Conseil des Arts et de la culture de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, the Réseaux organization and the project's collaborators unveiled the two-part outdoor touring exhibition, Contamination culturelle and Contamination Interculturelle, Odyssée migratoire, live from the Parc de la Maison-Valois in Vaudreuil-Dorion. 

The event was attended by a number of local dignitaries, including the Mayor of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Guy Pilon, the Member of Parliament for Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Peter Schiefke, the Member of the National Assembly for Soulanges, Marilyne Picard, and the Mayor of Saint-Lazare, Geneviève Lachance. The representative of Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nichols, Mélanie Maranda, was also present. 

"The location is ideal for this exhibition. Since its inception, the goal of the Je suis pars has been to bring people together and foster contacts between them. These exhibitions are great opportunities to get together and chat, and to discover the people who make up our community, like Maria, who posed with her family as part of Contamination Interculturelle," said Mayor Guy Pilon at the unveiling. 

CACVS General Manager Nadine Maltais unveiled the artists participating in the 5th edition of Contamination culturelle, as well as the new features planned for this year.  

"We're delighted to be back with Contamination culturelle for a 5th edition, and to have been able to enhance it thanks to the Réseaux organization. Thanks to Francine St-Denis for her trust, and thanks to the families who agreed to pose for this project. I hope to see more partnerships like this one in the years to come. What's more, we improved the structures on which the works rest this year to make them more weather-resistant," she commented. 

The talent of the following ten artists will be on display: 

- Isabelle Parson;

- Céline Poirier;

- Emilie Parent;

- Gabriel Lalonde;

- Gabrielle Larouche;

- Isabelle Deprez;

- Johanne Mitchell;

- Karine Giguère;

- Marie-Ève Longtin;

- Nathalie Plouffe.

These ten artists, all citizens of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, present an original creation inspired by this year's theme: Les couleurs de Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

"These two exhibitions mean a lot to me. It's a great showcase for our artists and for families in the region. This project will help visitors and tourists to appreciate the diversity of the region, which they will be able to admire in four different locations over the coming months", confided MNA Picard. 

Peter Schiefke, Member of Parliament for Vaudreuil-Soulanges, also appreciated the exhibits. "It's a great project for the community. We're lucky to live here, in one of the best countries in the world, built by immigrant families looking for a better place to raise their children. It's thanks to them that we have what we have today, and we mustn't forget that."

Exhibitions not to be missed in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Saint-Zotique, L'Île-Perrot and Rigaud 

In keeping with the concept of this outdoor exhibition, the artistic approach will be invading the festive and tourist events of Vaudreuil-Soulanges once again this year. 

Art lovers can admire it in the Parc de la Maison Valois until July 31. From Thursday, August 1, it will take its place at the Saint-Zotique beach, where it will be presented as part of the 10th edition of the Festival régional de la grillade de Saint-Zotique on August 16 and 17. 

In September, the two exhibits will be installed at the Parc des Générations in L'Île-Perrot, to be presented at the VIP en blues festival scheduled for September 13 to 15.  Finally, the regional tour will conclude in October, in Rigaud, as part of the Festival des Couleurs de Rigaud from October 12 to 14. 

The CACVS also took the opportunity to announce a new partnership with the organization Réseaux through the exhibition Contamination interculturelle : Odyssée migratoire. The exhibition, which will be shown simultaneously, will feature 10 portraits by artist photographer Josiane Farand, presenting the stories of immigrant families living in the region.
 
The Odyssée migratoire open-air photo exhibition in Vaudreuil-Soulanges is part of an ambitious collaborative approach, uniting various partners around a common mission: to raise awareness of the realities of immigrants and help deconstruct prejudices.

By highlighting the stories and faces of people from immigrant backgrounds through captivating portraits and moving narratives, the works aspire to create an inclusive and revealing dialogue within the community.

"With this project, we wanted to denounce racism and encourage dialogue about diversity. Initially, in my head, the project didn't have this shape at all, but it's even better when I see the final result. Thanks to Desjardins for the funding, and to Josiane Farand for putting into words and images these foreign families who had to overcome so many obstacles to make a new life among us. They opened their hearts to us," continued Ms. St-Denis.