Métiers d’art 2015: Remise de prix

Salon des métiers d’art 2015 - Winners

Awards Ceremony

December 16, 2015

The Awards Ceremony of the 2015 edition of the Salon des métiers d’art de Montréal was hosted by Annie-Soleil Proteau. The Salon is an excellent opportunity to showcase the exceptional work, creativity and unique expertise of its artisans. The winners this year for the several categories of the awards were (see the winners group photo at the top of the article) the following artists and craftsmen:

Career Award
($60,000) - Awarded by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec to Quebec fine craft artists to recognize their contribution to Quebec's cultural vitality and help them continue their experimentation and creative activities:

Odette Drapeau, bookbinding artist


Jean-Marie Gauvreau Award
($10,000 value) given by Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec to showcase the excellent work of an artisan with 10 years of professional craft experience:

Marie-Hélène Beaulieu and Sebastien Duchange (Sebomari) (Loft B 1103) for the works in the category "lithosphere" which stand out for their aesthetic forms, refinement and mastery of the techniques used.

Jean-Cartier Award
to Pay Tribute to Young Talent ($500 value) given by Salon des métiers d'art to an artisan with less than five years of professional craft experience:

Marie-France Labrosse, ceramist (Loft 247 A) for the originality of her production.


Visual Presentation Award

Stand & Loft (value of $500 each) for artisans who have excelled at designing their stand or loft:

Jaimie Robson and Maya Ersan, ceramists (Workshop Make), (stand 267)

Geneviève Lugaz, toy maker, (Shed Creative space), (403 loft A)

First Attendance Award
($1,000 value), given by Institut des métiers d'art to support graduates in one of the craft programs at Cégep du Vieux-Montreal:

Marion PUARD (Mademoiselle Poire - Miss Pear), creative and textile imprimeure (Loft 903 D) for the originality, visual brilliance and a very original way to present her products.

Following are photos of two winners at their stands after the Awards Ceremony:

Marion PUARD, Mademoiselle Poire - Miss Pear (Loft 903 D), First Attendance Award

Marie-France Labrosse, ceramist (Loft 247 A), Jean-Cartier Award 

Food and drinks at the Awards Ceremony, with authentic Quebec artisanat cheese and beer on the menu.

Click on images to enlarge them.

The admission is free.
For more information in this years show, visit the Salon des métiers d’art de Montréal website.

Salon des métiers d’art 2015

Salon des métiers d’art de Montréal
Montreal Annual Arts and Crafts Show

December 11 - 20, 2015

This year, Salon des métiers d’art de Montréal (SMAM)  is celebrating its 60th anniversary. More than 420 professional exhibitors from many corners of Quebec, as well as other parts of Canada and even from France are participating and showcasing their one-of-the-kind creations. This is a very much anticipated Quebec arts and crafts show which takes place annually at Place Bonaventure just before the winter holiday season and offers an excellent opportunity for the visitors to acquire some unique holiday and Christmas presents.

All works of art at Salon des métiers d’art de Montréal are recognized as "fine crafts" in accordance with the norms and standards of Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec (CMAQ). This makes sure that every piece has been designed and made by artisans in full mastership of their craft.




The visitors will find many practical and very useful objects for the kitchen.

There are also may kiosks with fine clothing.

One will see a number of works from the MANO a MANO project (photo just below), Artisans sans frontière, in Bolivia. You can read about it here. 

This year, the Food Court is the largest ever. Visitors will find many delicacies, and could spend a long time tasting all the food displayed.

There are also alcoholic drinks to discover, like apple and pear ice wine, or honey, tomato, and other types of wine.

Many foods will delight people with a sweet tooth. Those who are more healthy minded would enjoy the cranberry stand. Others will be more excited about cookies or chocolates.

Click on images to enlarge them.

The admission is free.
For more information in this years show, visit the Salon des métiers d’art de Montréal website.

APCQ 2015 - Tournée des destinations

Tournée des destinations
Tour Destinations

December 3, 2015

This year the APCQ (l'Association des professionnels de congrès du Québec) invited organizers of business events to a special culinary Tour Destinations of different Quebec regions. The 32 regions had demonstrated its cuisine to the attendees of the event at the Hyatt Regency hotel today.

APCQ  is a network dedicated to Business Tourism. It brings together organizations and qualified speakers who know the market for congresses, meetings, and other events. The APCQ offers congress and event organizers different types of quick connections and business links, and this service is efficient and free to all 32 destinations forming its network, including about 100 hotels as well as convention centres at those destinations.

An organizer looking for a place to hold its next event saves time and money by using the APCQ. The APCQ works with organizations and business events organizers to assist them in looking for sites.

Today's event began with a motivational lecture by Sylvain Guimond. His inspiring and also comical discourse kept the audience's attention. At the end, I noticed one woman wiping off a tear, as something he said about love, or rather the absence of love in one's life, must have touched a cord in her. 

After Sylvain Guimond's presentation he mingled with people and displayed his published books.

The food from 32 Quebec regions was very popular with the attenders.

The culinary variety was great, and the food was displayed and arranged with great mastery.

Those present were able to experience the type of service that would be available at the future events they will be organizing. They were also connected to and networked with their contacts and colleges.

To find out more about APCQ, visit the APCQ website.

Click on images to enlarge them.