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On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, our Executive Director Valérie Duchesne-Carle, partners from the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Robert Beaudry, City Councillor of Montreal, and several members of the Centre-Sud community of Montreal gathered for the inauguration of a new public space located behind the Marché Saint-Jacques in the Ville-Marie borough.
The event was also an opportunity to unveil a collective artwork commemorating the losses and griefs of the pandemic: the “Arbre aux galets” (Tree of Pebbles).
Since 2020, several art therapy workshops using painted pebbles as a medium have been offered to over 200 people from the Des Faubourgs neighborhood, including residents of the three closest long-term care homes (CHSLDs): Émilie-Gamelin, Ernest Routhier, and Jean-de-la-Lande.
These workshops provided participants a chance to express their grief over lost loved ones as well as other losses, such as employment, social connections, and even the loss of normalcy.
The painted pebbles are also featured in an exhibit at the Écomusée du Fier Monde, which traces the mobilization that began in the first year of the pandemic to highlight the various losses endured by the community. This exhibit allows for a deeper understanding of the context and meaning behind each pebble, individual and collective testimonies of this challenging period.
This unique project is the result of a close collaboration between various community organizations: Communauté Compatissante Montréal, Gestion des Trois Pignons, Pastorale Sociale Centre-Sud-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, the Jeanne-Mance Users’ Committee, and the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (Community Development), with support from the Ville-Marie borough.
The public space, designed with two distinct sections, meets the community’s diverse needs: one area encourages social exchange and conviviality, while the other invites quiet reflection and contemplation.
This space aims to honor the memory of these losses while creating an environment of hope and solidarity.
We are very pleased to have been able to contribute to this beautiful project.
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© 2024 Fondation Santé Urbaine
Charitable registration number: 11892 3291 RR 0001
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