Winds give way to sunshine during four-day painting and sculpture event
In spite of a weather-related snafu that got the 2024 Symposium de Ste-Rose off to a somewhat shaky start, patrons attending the four-day artists’ gathering this year enjoyed some splendid weather – in sharp contrast to the rainstorms that impacted attendance at symposiums in the past.
From July 25 to 28, appreciators of fine sculpture and exquisite art came from all over Quebec as well as other parts of eastern Canada to enjoy the 27th annual Symposium de Ste-Rose.
A historic setting
As has been the case for almost 30 years, the symposium took place in downtown Sainte-Rose along Sainte-Rose Blvd., next to the Old Firehall (La Vieille Caserne), near the historic Église Sainte-Rose-de-Lima.
According to Oprina-Felicia Dolea, president of the Corporation Rose-Art which organizes the event, high winds on opening day made things a little chaotic.
“We had at least one tent fly off,” she said in an interview with The Laval News, adding that although the tent was damaged beyond repair, it was covered by insurance. Nonetheless, there were clear skies and warm sunshine over the following three days.
More than 20,000 visitors spent time at the Symposium de Ste-Rose this year. The event’s honorary president was Christopher Skeete, the Member of the Quebec National Assembly for Sainte-Rose.
Home to great artists
The village of Sainte-Rose 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 and are honored by local street and place names.
The symposium is regarded by some as one of Canada’s most successful gatherings of visual artists and a first-rate showcase for their works. Each year, attending is seen by art connoisseurs as an opportunity to enjoy the works of a range of visual creators who express themselves in a variety of styles.
As the Symposium de Ste-Rose’s reputation has grown across Quebec and other provinces, the organizers have also received some significant recognitions. In 2019, the Laval Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented them with a Dunamis award for helping to promote tourism in Laval.
Promoting local tourism
The symposium’s organizers were also a finalist for a second Dunamis in 2020 as a “sustainable” organization or enterprise. It’s notable that 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. discover hidden treasures such as the Symposium de Ste-Rose.
As an added bonus this year, archeologists who’ve been working on archeological excavations on the grounds of the historic Église Sainte-Rose-de-Lima agreed to set up a display of some of the artifacts they recovered. They included antique household objects as well as religious items.
