Encountering outdoor events is also one the highlights of the weekend: go to the Quartier des Spectacles around Place des Festivals (Ste-Catherine at Jeanne-Mance) on Saturday at 1 p.m. to see the Marathon of Arts, featuring the opera, symphony and more performances, as well as installation art all the way down de Maisonneuve Boulevard to St-Denis, including a fully wrapped building by artist Dominique Pétrin, throughout the three days. Smaller events, like the International Interarts Festival, which launches its first edition with acrobatic dance performances outside Mont-Royal metro station on September 29 at 1 p.m., are great outdoor surprises too.

The city’s big museums are always a draw, with plenty of family-friendly activities and guided tours (some free, some at discounted prices). See the vast collections at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, including En Masse’s black-and-white mural-like art, as well as free screenings of films from the International Festival of Films on Art. The Musée d’art contemporain takes part in Saturday’s Marathon of Arts via a workshop called Souffle d’inspiration, and on Sunday tours and workshops related to the exhibition A Matter of Abstraction. Step into Montreal history at Pointe-à-Callière, and weave through the Urban Forest at the McCord Museum, where you might even get to know your satirical self at their Become an Editorial Cartoonist Workshop, September 29-30.

Performances – theatre, dance, opera, circus and other live acts of art – also pop up throughout the three days. The Opéra de Montréal offers activities for young people including a singing workshop on September 28 at Place des Arts at 11 a.m., a chance to dress-up in costume and have photos taken on September 29 at 1 p.m. as well as a presentation of the opera’s upcoming season throughout Saturday afternoon. The Tohu circus centre gives guided visits of the building on September 29 as well as peeks of the circus show Pfffffff, while the nearby National Circus School opens its doors all day, with students in training and instructors on hand for conversation. And the National Theatre School holds an action-packed open house on September 29, featuring performances, workshops, readings and more. There are even performances of mime, dance and more inside Berri-UQAM metro station.

Of course, visual art is in plentiful supply in every part of the city during Journées de la culture, as almost every small gallery, art collective and studio space opens its doors. The art-filled Belgo Building (372 Ste-Catherine) downtown is a good place to start gallery hopping, from Visual Voice Gallery, to Optica, Pangée, Pierre François Ouellette, Les Territoires, and many more. On September 29 at 1 p.m., see a presentation at SBC Gallery on their current exhibition Technical Temptations: The Films of Maria Lassnig, see performances at Joyce Yahouda Gallery starting at 2 p.m. with “electrokitsch” band Les Céline B. La Terreur, Nadège Grebmeier Forget and Moosy, and go to Studio 303 for their open house on September 28 with a artists Sonya Stéfan and Nébuleuse and free dance classes on September 30. In the Plateau neighbourhood, Agora de la Danse also holds free dance workshops on Sunday.

Over on St-Laurent at Ste-Catherine, music, food and art come together at the Society for Arts and Technology. On September 28 starting at 5 p.m., check out the outdoor night market, where local fresh food and gourmet treats are accompanied by performances by DJs Panton & Christopher Mac – and at 9 p.m. inside the 360-degree, dome-shaped Satosphere, see a free presentation of DJ Food’s immersive film-and-music experience The Search Engine. See more projection art made for the Satosphere throughout the afternoon on September 29-30, as well as Maurice Benayoun’s interactive art installation Tunnel sous l’Atlantique. The SAT also opens up its kitchen for a free autumnal cooking workshop at 5 p.m. on September 29, with chefs Michelle Marek and Seth Gabrielse.

THE DETAILS

Journées de la Culture, September 28-30, 2012

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(jazz fest fever) If you’re one of the lucky ones at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, you’ve got a Prince ticket for June 24 or 25. Or maybe you paid the big bucks for Robert Plant’s show June 24. Or, for that matter, Diana Krall’s appearance. Whatever the case, you can bet that someone is jealous of you, because these are some seriously sold-out shows. On the other hand, it’s freakin’ Jazz Fest, so there are about a thousand other shows going on all weekend.

On Saturday, June 25, these ladies own the night: Angélique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves and Lizz Wright, sing a tribute to continue the legacies of Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln and Odetta. Brazilian jazz great Milton Nascimento amazes, avant-jazz fans howl for Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, while Mark Bérubé and The Patriotic Few bring the folk and The Unsettlers have a good (and free!) time at Club Soda. On Sunday, June 26, British reggae legends Steel Pulse break it down and Chick Corea’s Return to Forever IV fly high. Outdoors, ska-reggae masters Fabulous Lolo sets the crowd a’ skankin’ while inside The Glenn Miller Orchestra takes on the Artie Shaw Orchestra. Later, Canadian hip-hop stalwart Buck 65 rules the roost at Club Soda.

(nights on the canal) Escape the downtown core of Montreal for the even more relaxed summer vibe of the Festival de théâtre de rue de Lachine, a festival of theatre, dance, music, circus and more designed to take place in the street and other public places, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. each night, June 23–25. See Swiss group Öff Öff Productions’s Orbite, a performance that takes place in a metal structure 20 metres above the ground. The Joseph K group leads spectators on a burlesque tour. The always inventive and accessible Le Grouped’ArtGravelArtGroup offers new concepts of public dance. And much much more, of course, plus music from Panache, We are Wolves, Alaclair Ensemble and Galaxie. It all takes place at 2901 boulevard Saint-Joseph, in Lachine. See the festival site for full schedule and easy-to-understand directions.

(quebec-wide party) June 24 has confused more than a few visitors to Montreal. The lights are off in every office, half the shops are closed, the parks are filled with people and everywhere, yes, everywhere, some kind of party is underway (often involving a barbeque). This is St-Jean-Baptiste Day, known also as Fȇte Nationale du Québec, known also as a celebration of Quebec’s indomitable Francophone culture. Get a crash course in that culture at the parade, where prominent Quebec stars can be seen alongside crazily costumed giants of Quebec history, starting at the corner of Fullum and Sherbrooke at 1 p.m. and marching East to Parc Maisonneuve, where an afternoon of family activities turns into a night of music, hosted by Guy A. Lepage and featuring, among many, Les Porn Flakes, Damien Robitaille, Vincent Vallières, Robert Charlebois, Éric Lapointe, and Rufus and Martha Wainwright!

(fire in the sky) Ah, fireworks. Yes, they’re expensive and loud and ultimately kind of frivolous, but who can resist the urge to “ooh” and “aah” as the sky lights up with the explosive combination of potassium nitrate, carbon and sulphur? I’ve tried to not feel that joy; it is impossible. Gaze upwards this Saturday night at 10 p.m. for the first night of The International des Feux Loto-Québec – and every Saturday night until July 30, for that matter –  as a new team of pyrotechnic masters from around the world competes to put on the best fireworks show possible. This weekend, it’s China’s turn: Panda Fireworks, the pyrotechnic supplier for the 29th Olympic Games puts on a martial-arts-themed light show.

(rainy-day art) Since June weather can be unpredictable, an indoor back-up plan is a good idea, making a little bit of rain into a good excuse to go see some great art. The Parisian Laundry (3550 St-Antoine W.), opens Summertime in Paris, featuring fire-starting work from artists Jaime Angelopoulos, Chloe Desjardins, Luc Paradis, Rachel Shaw and William Villalongo, who tackled the theme of “kindling” for the exhibition. Choses Simples: Works from the Battat Collection, at Battat Contemporary (7245 Alexandra, Suite 100), shows playful, experimental works on paper from the gallery’s extensive collection. Artist-run collective/gallery Articule (262 Fairmount W.) holds their annual garage sale and fundraiser Rotation Rotation on June 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Catch master artist, printer and painter Louise Bloom’s mindbending work, inspired by Alice in Wonderland, at Maison de la culture Mercier (8105 Hochelaga), until June 26. And the often-shocking (always in a good way), Kent Monkman shows us his artistic process in L’Atelier, at Pierre François Ouellette (#216–372 Ste-Catherine W.), until June 25.

(fruit & veg) Get fresh with our local farmers at Marché Fermier, re-opening this week at Parc Lahaie (St-Dominique and St-Joseph) in the Mile End neighbour. Peruse – and feel free to ask questions about – the fresh fruit (strawberry season is upon us!), vegetables, jams and jellies, sauces and smoothies available on site every Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. (and every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.). There’s also a crêpe van and music from some fine neighbourhood buskers.

(mid-june music) Contrary to popular belief, there’s musical life outside the Jazz Fest this weekend. On June 25, Montreal’s own Handsome Furs (featuring Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner), USA Out of Vietnam and Tops at Cabaret du Mile End (5240 Parc), while prolific American folk singer-songwriter Joe Purdy hunkers down at Petit Campus (57 Prince Arthur E.). On Sunday, June 26, if the sun doth shine, metro or bike over to Parc Jean-Drapeau for Piknic Electronik with Untold, Komodo, Hosta and more starting at 2 p.m. And maybe catch some Jazz Fest shows later on. Resistance is futile.

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A fabulous way to spend a meandering weekend is to visit ‘Extreme Painting’ – at eight galleries located all over Montreal. It’s a citywide art tour. Follow our directons

The citywide project was organized by  art dealer René Blouin, along with Chris Kline. Extreme Painting originally had the participation of 16 galleries. Each chose to show what they considered ‘extreme’ today, and curated their own show. Many of the galleries staggered the times. Some galleries moved on to other shows. But the show is still up in eight galleries, making an interesting art tour that is manageable in one day. Many of the galleries are in Montreal’s centre for cutting-edge culture: the Belgo Building. (Stay tuned. We are doing a special section on the Belgo soon.) There, Galerie Donald Browne shows Paul Bureau’s monochromatic work, beautiful creations that are almost sculptural with their thick layers of paint.  Galerie René Blouin is exhibiting Kim Dorland, Chris Kline and Wil Murray . Galerie Joyce Yahouda shows 12 artists, of which my favourite was Mathieu Lefevre . Loved his RIP Manet 2010. A muscled arm (male or female?) proudly bears the word Manet in gothic capital letters. The tattoo, hardly a pin-up, or an ‘I heart Mum’ is wicked: a fun urban statement. The elegance of Manet’s paintings is recalled in an old fashioned font.

Parisian Laundry, Montreal’s somewhat-off-the-beaten-track go-to destination for cutting edge contemporary art, shows six national and international artists in the gallery’s ‘Summertime in Paris’ exhibit, exhibited under the umbrella of the ‘Extreme Painting’ project. Go. Enjoy!

GALLERIES PARTICIPATING

Galerie d’Este (Métro Atwater)  1329 Greene Avenue 514-846-1515 Artists: Jean-Pierre Ruel, Ángel Mateo Charris, Paul Bourgault, Drew Simpson and Costa Dvorezky To August 15

Galerie Division (Métro Atwater) 1368 Greene Avenue 514-938-3863 Artists: Dave and Jenn, Kim Dorland, Andre Ethier, Martin Golland, Ufuk Gueray, Mathieu Lefevre, Erica Mendritzki and Allison Schulnik To August 14

Parisian Laundry (Métro Lionel Groulx)  3550 St-Antoine Street West 514-989-1056 “Summertime in Paris: Extreme Painting To August 28

BELGO BUILDING (Métro Place des Arts) 372 Ste-Catherine Street W

Galerie Donald Browne Artist: Paul Bureau To August 21 Suite 528 – 5th floor 514-380-3221  Artists: Kim Dorland, Wil Murray and Chris Kline To August 21 Suite 501, 5th floor 514-393-9969

Galerie Push Artist: Patrick Lundeen To September 4 Suite 425, 4th floor 514-544-9079

Galerie Trois Points Artists :Natalie Reis, Clint Griffin, James Olley, Scott Everingham and Cécile Ronc To August 15 Suite 520, 5th floor 514-866-8008

Joyce Yahouda Gallery Artists: Mathieu Beauséjour, Simon Bilodeau, Amélie Guérin, Benjamin Klein, Céline B. La Terreur, Mathieu Lefevre, Adrian Norvid, Savannah Lou, Britanny Pratt and Alana Riley To September 25 Suite 516, 5th floor 514-875-2323

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