Works by 70 artists to be showcased in one of Quebec’s most historic settings
While the dates may vary a little from year to year, there’s one thing about the Sainte-Rose Art Symposium you can always count on.
This popular summertime gathering of artists always guarantees four days of enjoyment of the visual arts for thousands of satisfied patrons.
The 28th symposium
This year, the Corporation Rose-Art’s art exhibition is taking place from Thursday July 25 to Sunday July 28. Those with a discerning taste for fine sculpture and inspiring visual creation will be arriving from all over Quebec, as well as other parts of eastern Canada, for the 28th symposium.
Many visitors will be purchasing works produced by the 70 participating artists, who express themselves in styles ranging from traditional and impressionistic to modern and abstract.
The event’s honorary president this year is Member of the National Assembly for Sainte-Rose Christopher Skeete. “Art nourishes the soul,” he said during a recent press conference at the Vieille Caserne art gallery on Sainte-Rose Blvd. where the 2024 lineup of artists was revealed.
Home to great artists
As always, the symposium will be taking place alongside the Rivière des Mille-Îles in the charming and historic Laval neighbourhood known as Vieux Sainte-Rose. The village is renowned as the birthplace of internationally-acclaimed Québécois painter Marc-Aurèle Fortin. Saint-Rose was also at one time the home of landscape painter Clarence Gagnon. Both influenced generations of artists.
After winning a range of awards for excellence over nearly three decades, the organizing committee, led by Corporation Rose-Art president Oprina-Félicia Dolea, continues to uphold the standards that have established the Sainte-Rose Art Symposium’s reputation for excellence in art circles across eastern Canada.
Archeological exhibition
As an added bonus at this year’s symposium, archeologists who’ve been working in the past few years on archeological excavations on the grounds of the historic Sainte-Rose-de-Lima Church have agreed to set up a display of some of the artifacts from past centuries which were recovered. According to sources, they include antique household objects as well as religious items.
The organizers have received some significant recognitions for their efforts. In 2019, the Laval Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented the organizers with a Dunamis award for helping to promote tourism in Laval. They were also a finalist for a second Dunamis in 2020 and 2022, as a sustainable organization or enterprise.
Guests from all over
More than 20,000 people are expected to attend. Although most are usually from the Laval and greater Montreal regions, the busy vacation season is also known to bring in visitors from Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as well as from the U.S. states of Vermont, New York and New Hampshire.
Tourism has been growing by leaps and bounds in Laval over the past few years, as travellers from all over Canada and the U.S. begin to rediscover hidden treasures such as the Symposium de Sainte-Rose, in an upsurge of interest in travel since the end of the Covid pandemic.
Some of the best times to go
The Symposium will be taking place along a stretch of the main street in downtown Sainte-Rose, next to La Vieille Caserne (216 Ste-Rose Blvd.), a stone’s throw from Sainte-Rose-de-Lima Church, between Filion and Deslaurier-Hotte streets.
All the events are free. The hours are as follows: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm; Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Additional information is available on the website www.roseart.ca. E-mail: roseart@videotron.ca. Phone: (450) 625-7925.
