As part of its 26th edition, FAVA presents the interactive exhibition Irréductibles racines at the Museum of Founding Cultures in Grande-Anse; initiated in 2004 and presented for the first time during the 2009 World Acadian Congress.  The exhibition presents fifty artists who were invited to create a work of art on communities with Mi'kmaq and Maliseet names, from targeted locations in New Brunswick.

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The exhibition includes twenty-five works by First Nations artists, paired with twenty-five works by Acadian artists; a unique collection.

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The Irréducibles racines art collection reflects the artists' sensitivity to the natural world around them, but also the imprint of the land on their imagination; crossing the landscape and being crossed by the landscape.  From the movement of colour on canvas, to the sensual twists of clay, to the curves of grass woven into an everyday object, the works in this collection also bear witness in their own way to the beauty and singular vitality of the 25 New Brunswick communities targeted for this project.

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This interactive exhibition includes a sound and visual framework with texts read by actors Diane Losier and Albert Belzile; these sensitive and poetic texts were written by the famous writer (the late) Claude LeBouthillier. These texts are about the twenty-five communities targeted by this project; they are linked to photographs of natural sites in the different communities.  The photographers who participated in the project are Karine Wade, Serge F. Robichaud (Sito Bito) and Michel Vienneau.

This exhibition would not have been possible without the generous support of the following people: (the late) Gilbert Sewell (First Nations historian), (the late) Margaret Labillois, Cynthia Sewell, (the late) Claude Le Bouthillier, Jocelyne Thériault(CMA 2009), Gaston Hachey (President of the Museum of Founding Cultures). 

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In conclusion, we are happy to have finally found a home under which to install the Irréducibles racines interactive exhibition for a few years.  We hope to contribute through the arts to the development of New Brunswick's diverse communities in a vision that is meaningful to all; a vision that includes the importance of safeguarding our natural living environments and its biodiversity; and in this sense, we have much to learn from the First Nations.

 

Enjoy your visit and we look forward to reading your comments.

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Pauline Dugas, artistic director                                                                                                      Joane Dugas, executive director