Spotlight falls on works of 80 artists in Laval’s historic Vieux Sainte-Rose
While the dates may change a little from year to year, and the weather can vary from warm sunshine to sudden downpours of rain, there’s one thing about the Sainte-Rose Art Symposium you can always count on.
This popular summertime artists’ gathering – held in a setting as romantic as it is historic – is always a guarantee of four days of appreciation for sculpting, photography and other visual arts by the thousands of patrons who drop by every year.
Symposium’s 30th anniversary
This year, the Corporation Rose-Art’s annual show is taking place from Thursday July 23 to Sunday July 26. Those with discerning taste for fine sculpture and inspiring visual creations – or who simply know what they like – will be arriving from all over Québec, as well as other parts of eastern Canada, for this year’s celebration of the three successful decades of the Symposium de Ste-Rose.
In addition to the symposium’s 30th anniversary, the Corporation Rose-Art is celebrating its 35th year of activity promoting the work of Laval’s artists.
As part of this, the organizers will be holding a special silent auction during the symposium, featuring 33 canvases by Rose-Art members, with the goal of raising $5,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
In an homage to Corporation Rose-Art’s well-founded roots, a group of “original six” artists (Yolande Lapalice Daneau, Diane Lafond, Monique Lafond, Lise Dupuis, Maxime Lacourse and Carole Laurence), who were in at the beginning, will be exhibiting in a special segment of the symposium.
Legendary Québec chanteuse Shirley Théroux
This year, the organizers from Corporation Rose-Art have again persuaded legendary Quebec singer Shirley Théroux to be the official spokesperson for the Sainte-Rose Art Symposium. Sainte-Rose MNA Christopher has also again agreed to serve as the event’s honorary president.
Théroux had a string of song hits in Québec during the 1960s and 1970s and was also a highly popular late-afternoon program host on French-language television.
An accomplished painter in addition to her musical talents, Théroux will be offering a range of art works, with potential collectible value, in a special segment of the show.
‘The beginning of a dream’
In an address last week to guests attending a special preview of the 2026 symposium, Corporation Rose-Art president Oprina-Felicia Dolea set the tone for this year’s event.
“Thirty years ago, it was the beginning of a dream in these enchanting surroundings of Vieux Sainte-Rose – the creation of a bridge linking the artist and the public directly, between feeling and artwork,” said Dolea.
“For three decades, our historic neighborhood is transformed over the course of a summer into a gallery open to the sky where creativity has no limits,” she added.
“What was only a dream by artists in the beginning has become a highly-respected cultural gathering, shining a spotlight on Vieux Sainte-Rose far beyond the limits of Laval.”
Eighty artists taking part
Many visitors will be purchasing works produced by the 80 participating artists, who express themselves in styles ranging from traditional and impressionistic to modern and abstract.
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. Sainte-Rose was also at one time the home of landscape painter Clarence Gagnon. Both influenced generations of artists here and around the world.
After winning a range of awards for excellence over nearly three decades, the organizing committee continues to uphold the standards that have established the Sainte-Rose Art Symposium’s reputation for excellence in art circles across eastern Canada.
Rose-Art’s award-winning efforts
The organizers have received some significant recognitions for their efforts. In 2019, the Laval Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented them 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.
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 Hampshire and New York.
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.
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 July 23, 10 am to 6 pm; Friday July 24, 11 am to 6 pm; Saturday July 25, 10 am to 6 pm; Sunday July 26, 10 am to 5 pm. Additional information is available on the website www.roseart.ca. E-mail: roseart@videotron.ca. Phone: (450) 625-7925.
