On Thursday, November 14, at 7pm, the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges invited local culture lovers to the third edition of its immersive benefit evening. This year, the De toutes les couleurstheme was explored by nearly 100 artists, who were challenged to create an original work of art on pieces of salvaged exhibition panels.

The evening was attended by Vaudreuil MP Marie-Claude Nichols, Vaudreuil-Dorion city councillor Luc Marsan, Saint-Lazare mayor Geneviève Lachance and Bernard Bourbonnais, Chairman of the Board of the Musée régional. Several employees of the cultural venue were also on hand to welcome guests and ensure the smooth running of the evening.

Inspired by the Un bardeau pour toit/toi (2017) and De nouEs à vous (2022) projects, the Museum has decided to repeat this year with a third edition of this much-appreciated eco-responsible activity.

In total, 95 works of art of various formats and mediums were exhibited and auctioned for one hour. The majority of these were created by artists from the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region, who have the museum institution and its mission at heart. The purpose of the event was to raise funds to support the Museum’s educational activities. 

“Last year we raised about $18,000 with this activity, it still depends on how many canvases were sold at auction. The bets started at $150 and people could bid higher by $10. For each work that is accepted, the artist who created it receives $50. The remainder is used to partially finance the purchase of equipment and the design of workshops that are offered in our premises to school groups in the region. Only this week, we received eleven classes,” said the Museum’s communications manager, Pascale Jeaurond-Lajoie.  

The outgoing General Director of the Museum, Daniel Bissonnette, made a statement at this special benefit evening.  “This event brought a lot of excitement to the participating artists and it is heartwarming to see their commitment to the Museum. They show great solidarity with our institution. We are very happy and touched by their generosity. Once again this year, I am impressed by the results and creative drive of the participating artists. They did a great job.”

The curator of visual arts exhibitions and head of the museum’s educational department, Chantal Séguin, also had nothing but good words for the participating artists.   “They are always there when the time comes to help our institution. I am glad to see so many of them this evening. I love artists from the bottom of my heart, as do my colleagues at the Museum. Every time I do this charity event, I always wonder how the artists will take up the challenge. Every time, I am pleasantly surprised by the result. I love all the works that give a story to these old exhibition panels.”

Richard Dubois, director of communications and associations at Desjardins Vaudreuil-Soulanges, wanted to speak.  “We fell for it and saw all kinds of things (laughs). We are very happy to be associated with this activity that combines imagination and community engagement. The green, more environmental side of the activity is also very interesting. The event demonstrates all the talent in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.”

Artists who are very attached to the Museum 

While new artists took part in this colourful exhibition at the Museum, most of them were participating for the third time. This was the case of Philippe Corriveau, a well-known artist in Vaudreuil-Soulanges. 

"The Museum is a well-established exhibition space in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region. It was here that I held my first professional exhibition, "Champs" a few years ago. It’s a really nice concept to create a work from an element of the Museum. In the past, it was on a piece of shingle. It’s fun to make it your own way and do whatever you want with it. I was also curious about what other artists did with it. It was a great challenge this year, because the pieces of board that we had to work on were filled with different colors. You should have played with that. I made a work that represents the imprint of my hand, as if you could see it from an infrared camera in the dark,” he imaged when met on site. 

For this exhibition, the artist created two works, but only one was auctioned.  "If I cut the first one quickly tonight, I’ll probably replace it with the second one. I’ll see what happens."

For her part, bird lover Jade Cousineau has transposed her passion for the winged fauna into her work.  ” I felt indebted to the Museum after participating in the TRACE art project. We had a nice showcase and it was the least thing I could do to get involved in this project. I tried a new technique: engraving. I chose a blue jay drawing, a bird that I like. It was a good challenge and took me more time than expected to do. My hands hurt faster than usual, so I had to adjust. I got tired faster. But in the end, I enjoyed my experience and it was relaxing.”

For Louise Séguin, an artist from Saint-Lazare, it was important to get involved in this fundraising activity. ” The Museum is a beautiful showcase that allows to discover artists from here and the extent of their imagination and know-how. The challenge was more difficult this year.  I submitted two works, one of which featured a jewel.”

Along with her husband, Pierre Laurin, who also had a work at auction.  “It is so important to encourage the Museum. It’s hard for museums today to get funding. Culture is after money. The Museum’s team is amazing and working very hard to bring culture to our region. We must support them when we can,” said the artist, who was in his third participation in this benefit activity. 

He also found the challenge more challenging this year.  “The panel was made of wood and had several layers of paint. Finally, I created a work with glass, a ball and brass. I dug the wood, sandblasted it and it gave a planet. So I thought it would be Saturn and added some elements to make the scene look like it’s in space.”

This Thursday, 30 works exhibited and auctioned were sold during the evening. To allow interested parties to discover these masterpieces, the Museum has decided to exhibit them on Saturday and Sunday at its premises. The interested parties can purchase it.  The unsold creations will then be on display in the multi-purpose room from November 19 to February 19. 

 A photo album of all the creations is also shared on the Facebook page and the website of the Museum to boost sales. Note that all people who acquire one or more works will receive a tax receipt.