CANADA REOPENS CRUISING AFTER TWO-YEAR ABSENCE: HOLLAND AMERICA"S KONINGSDAM ARRIVES IN VICTORIA AND VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Holland America's Koningsdam plies the waters of Vancouver's Burrard Inlet en route to the Port of Vancouver, its homeport for the summer Alaska season.

Holland America Line is the first cruise line to return to Canadian cruising following a 2+ year industrywide pause due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.  

On Saturday, April 9, 2022 the Koningsdam was the first ship to return to Victoria in 905 days. And on the following Sunday, April 10, the Koningsdam arrived in Vancouver, the first ship back in port in more than two years. The day was filled with events that included a pier side celebratory ceremony and an onboard plaque exchange to commemorate Koningsdam's first-ever call at Vancouver. 

In 2022, six Holland America Line ships will call at Victoria and Vancouver for the Alaska cruise season. In total, the six ships will make 45 calls at Victoria and bring nearly 75,000 guests to the port. In Vancouver, 76 cruises will begin or end in the city, welcoming approximately 140,000 guests. 

For Canada and New England cruising on the East Coast, two ships return in May, cruising between Boston, Massachusetts and Quebec City or Montreal. The Nieuw Statendam and Zaandam offer itineraries ranging from 7-24 days to more than a dozen Canadian ports.

Koningsdam's Grand Dutch Cafe

MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS PRESENTS: NICOLAS PARTY | L'HEURE MAUVE

Nicolas Party, Portrait with Mushrooms, 2019. Private collection. ©Nicolas Party. Photo Adam Reich

Swiss-born artist Nicolas Party, known for his meticulously composed pastels, painted sculptures and colorful installations, is having his first exhibition in Canada. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) has given the 41-year-old artist carte blanche in creating a dialogue between his works and a selection from the Museum's wind ranging collection. The exhibition runs February 12 - October 16, 2022. 

Through more than 100 of his works and a series of murals realized in situ, Party presents a dreamlike experience on the theme of nature. The Museum's galleries provide the canvas onto which the visual artist and muralist -- cum curator and exhibition designer -- expresses the full measure of his art. 

Partial view of the exhibition Nicolas Party : L’heure mauve, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

©Nicolas Party. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière

Nicolas Party, Sunrise, 2018. Private collection, courtesy of Xavier Hufkens, Brussels. ©Nicolas Party.  
Photo Isabelle Arthuis.

The exhibition, named after the iconic painting L'Heure mauve (Mauve Twilight) by Canadian symbolist Ozias Leduc, found in the MMFA's collection, brings together watercolors, pastels and sculptures by Party -- including about 20 works that have yet to be exhibited. The landscapes, portraits and still lifes illustrate the complex and often inextricable ties that bind humans to nature. 

Partial view of the exhibition Nicolas Party : L’heure mauve, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. ©Nicolas Party.

Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière

Party's creations combine figurative and Surrealist genres that are set against some 50 works from the MMFA's extensive collection that spans four centuries. Selected by Party, they range from paintings by such artists as Gustave Courbet, Otto Dix and Lawren S. Harris to chairs by Wendell Castle and Shiro Kuramata. 

Throughout the galleries in the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion, Nicolas Party explores the many-faceted relationships that humans have had with nature through the ages: original sin, conquest, ruined landscape, sublime space and as a place of desire, chaos, death and metamorphosis.

"At turns poetic and provocative, Nicolas Party's exhibition is an invitation to dream and to re-imagine the terms of our relationship to nature," says Mary-Dailey Desmarais, Chief Curator of the MMFA. "Setting masterpieces of the MMFA collection in conversation with his singularly fantastical creations, Party shows us that the past is deeply relevant to our present moment and that works of art have infinite stories to tell."

Nicolas Party. Photo Richmond Lam.

NICOLAS PARTY  | L'HEURE MAUVE

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Michael and Renata Hornstern Pavilion

February 12 - October 16, 2022

Tickets Available Online

An exhibition set to song by Pierre Lapointe

At the Museum’s invitation, Quebec singer-songwriter-composer Pierre Lapointe created a soundtrack comprised of 14 songs that add a musical dimension to this major immersive exhibition. 

Structured in seven themes, the album contains original creations and revisits works by masters of song from Quebec and abroad – from Félix Leclerc to Kurt Weill, as well as Charles Aznavour, Claude Léveillé and Pete Seeger. Produced by Lapointe and arranged by Philippe Brault, its sounds combine piano, guitars, percussion and voice. Some of the titles – in which the Molinari Quartet notably participated – integrate beguiling arrangements composed of choral music, strings and wind instruments. 

VICTORIA'S OAK BAY BEACH HOTEL VOTED TOP HOTEL IN CANADA

Victoria's Oak Bay Beach Hotel has been recognized with Conde Nast Traveler's 2021 Reader's Choice Award: 

#1 Hotel in Canada

#19 Hotel in the World 

 “It is a great honor to receive this recognition from Condé Nast Traveler’s esteemed readership. Personalized service and meaningful connections are at the core of everything we do. This award recognizes the best in the industry and is a great testament to the dedication, passion, and resilience our employees have embodied every day during this challenging year. From intimate getaways to wellness-inspired weekends, conferences, weddings, or events, the Oak Bay Beach Hotel is a beloved home-away-from-home for local and international guests alike. We look forward to celebrating this recognition with our team members and valued guests from near far over the coming months. Thank you!” 

Madone Pelan ~ General Manager

©SueFrausePhoto

I was a guest at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel several years after its opening in 2012. The 100-room luxury boutique property overlooks the Strait of Juan de Fuca and features the full-service Boathouse Spa and three heated outdoor mineral pools. Dining options include The Snug Pub for indoor/outdoor dining and the new FARO Handcrafted Pizza and Tasting Room. 

©SueFrausePhoto

OAK BAY BEACH HOTEL

1175 Beach Drive, Victoria BC

250.598.4556

Oak Bay Tourism

Conde Nast Travelers 2021 Readers' Awards 

Top 15 Hotels in Canada as selected by Conde Nast Traveler's 2021 Readers' Choice Awards

1. Oak Bay Beach Hotel - Victoria, BC
2. Fairmont Waterfront Hotel - Vancouver, BC
3. Hotel 71 - Quebec City
4. Hotel Gault - Montreal,
5. Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile - Montreal
6. Fogo Island Inn - Newfoundland & Labrador
7. Rosewood Hotel Georgia - Vancouver, BC
8. Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac - Quebec City
9. Manoir Hovey - North Hatley, Quebec
10. Le Germain Hotel Quebec - Quebec City
11. Fairmont Pacific Rim - Vancouver, BC
12. The Magnolia Hotel & Spa - Victoria, BC
13. Loden Hotel - Vancouver, BC
14. Auberge Saint-Antoine - Quebec City
15. Pan Pacific - Vancouver, BC

LE GERMAIN HOTEL MONTREAL UNVEILS COLORFUL MURAL

Le Germain Hotel Montreal recently unveiled a major project collaboration with the MURAL Festival of Montreal, North America's largest urban art festival. The boutique hotel now displays a permanent mural on its front facade, designed by Canadian artist Michelle Hoogvelt. 

Following its reopening after extensive renovations, Le Germain Hotel Montreal pursued its innovative relaunch by bringing an elegant touch to downtown Montreal. The initiative is part of the 2021 Mural Arts Program by the City of Montreal to revitalize its neighborhoods. It also contributes to the revival of the downtown area, at a time when art provides solace and gives hope for a desired return to normal. 

Contemporary painter and mural artist Michelle Hoogveld, a Calgary native turned Montrealer, stayed at Le Germain Hotel Montreal for one week prior to beginning the project and throughout the completion of the piece. "It allowed me to soak up the energy of the hotel and add these new feelings to my mural," said Hoogveld. "It's even more emotionally charged," added the artist, who utilizes color to convey her emotions. 

Towering at more than 171 feet, the artist had to work on a platform suspended from the roof of the hotel to apply the 80 different colors. The mural dramatically transforms the hotel's exterior.

Hoogveld's colorful works may be seen around the globe, in both the private and public realm. She creates her work on canvas and walls, and in Canada they may be seen in Montreal, Quebec, Charlevoix, Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary. Her work is also on display in the United States, Mexico, Peru, England, Portugal and Germany. 

Germain Hotels, pioneer of the boutique hotel concept in Canada, is a family-run business founded in Quebec in 1988. Its portfolio includes 18 properties across the country under the Le Germain, Alt and Escad banners.  

Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor | Canadian restrospective of the artist opens in Montreal

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) presents the first Canadian retrospective of Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976), showcasing the full scope of the American artist who set art in motion. The exhibition sheds new light on Calder's works, as seen through the perspective of innovation. It runs September 21, 2018 to February 24, 2019. 

Alexander Calder: Radical Inventor includes more than 150 works by the artist. Calder's multidisciplinary practice is shown through his wire portraits, paintings, graphics, sculpture, jewelry, and his invention of the mobile. The artist worked in a variety of fields including drawing, sculpture, painting, design and performance; his half-century career took his creations to five continents. Alexander Calder (1898-1976), Red Gongs, 1950, aluminum, brass, steel rod, wire and paint. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Fletcher Fund, 1955. © 2018 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SOCAN, Montreal. Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Art Resource, New York

Among the 150 objects are numerous works and documents rarely or never before on public display -- they have been specifically restored for the exhibition: 

• The Brass Family (1929), sculptures on loan from the Whitney Museum of Art
• Kiki de Montparnasse (II) (1930), on loan from the Centre Pompidou, Paris
• White Panel (1936), on loan from the Calder Foundation;
• Red Gongs (1950), a mobile on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (pictured above)

Also in the exhibition are little-known sculptures made by Calder in his childhood. 

Alexander Calder:

Radical Inventor

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

1380 Rue Sherbrooke O, Montreal

September 21, 2018 ~ February 24, 2019 

'Walking Figures' by Polish sculptor now in collection of Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

 Photo ©MMFA, Denis Farley

Three sculptures by the Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930-2017), Walking Figures, are now in the collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). They were donated by art lovers Marcel and Caroline Elefant, and now "stride along" the Path of Peace in the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion for Peace. The pavilion is located on the Level 3 terrace, now named for Marcel and Caroline Elefant. This is the first acquisition of the Polish artist's work by a Canadian museum. 

The three silhouettes of Walking Figures symbolize democracy and one of its tenets, freedom of individual expression. They were produced between 2004 and 2006 at the Śrem foundry near Poznan, Poland under the direction of Magdalena Abakanowicz, who was 76 at the time. Each figure is different, having been designed as a single work. The trio were taken from a group of 16 figures, a special commission for the Vancouver Sculpture Biennale (2005-2007).

©Photo Sebastien Roy

The installation of the three sculptures on the terrace was a technical feat. Each "walker," whose individual weight is nearly a ton, was anchored in preparation to be lifted 17 meters (55 feet) in the air with a crane. Once hoisted to the rooftop, a half-dozen workers built a system of pulleys to fasten each sculpture to the others and to make a metal base. 

©Photo Sebastien Roy

Often censored in the past, Abakanowicz created the headless, asexual humanoid figures to evoke a vision of people queuing for hours to obtain food, to survive. As described by Nathalie Bondil, MMFA's Director General and Chief Curator: "With both legs firmly planted on the urban ground, they follow in the footsteps of ancient Greek sculptures, the kouri, as well as The Walking Man -- the work of Rodin and Giacometti. Each of these monumental figures has its own expressionist texture, resembling wrinkled skin or tree bark. The choice of the raw material -- corroded cast iron -- evokes the fragile human condition as its telluric force." View a video: Installation of Walking Figures.

Photo @MMFA, Denis Farley

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA)

1380 Rue Sherbrooke O

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Montreal and Vancouver: New exhibitions featuring Jean Paul Gaultier and Claude Monet

LOVE IS LOVE: WEDDING BLISS FOR ALL A LA JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
May 27 - October 9, 2017

Jean Paul Gaultier, Punk Parisienne collection, Women's pret-a-porter spring/summer 1997. Photo ©Rindoff-Garcia / Angeli

The Montreal Museum of Arts presents LOVE IS LOVE: WEDDING BLISS FOR ALL A LA JEAN PAUL GAULTIER. Opening May 27 and running through October 9, 2017 this original installation brings together more than three dozen of the French designer's haute couture bridal creations.

Jean Paul Gaultier, Gay Wedding collection. 'Les Maries' wedding ensemble, men's pret-a-porter spring/summer 2005. Photo ©Patrice Stable/Jean Paul Gaultier

The exhibition features 36 wedding gowns and suits created between 1990-2017, all designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. The exhibition LOVE IS LOVE is a reflection of the ongoing commitment of both Jean Paul Gaultier and the MMFA to promote the acceptance of diversity and continue the fight against homophobia. The show's title is an allusion to the speech given by President Barack Obama in 2015 regarding the legalization of homosexual marriage in all American states.

Jean Paul Gaultier, Cutters collection, 'La Mariee' wedding gown, haute couture spring/summer 2001. Photo ©Patrice Stable/JeanPaul Gaultier 

Presented in the museum's Contemporary Art Square, the exhibition is organized around a monumental wedding cake featuring female and male mannequins -- couples of every gender and orientation. The faces of some of the mannequins are animated. LOVE IS LOVE is part of the MMFA's Year for Peace, reflecting the Museum's humanist values and commitment to peace and acceptance.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

1380 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal Quebec

mbam.qc.ca

CLAUDE MONET'S SECRET GARDEN

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY

June 24 - October 1, 2017

Claude Monet | Nympheas, 1903 | oil on canvas | Musee Marmottan Monet, Paris
Photo ©Bridgeman Giraudon/Press

Claude Monet's Secret Garden is being hailed as the most important exhibition of French painter Claude Monet's work that has been shown in Canada in two decades. The exhibition, from the collection of the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris, presents 38 paintings that span the course of Monet's long career. The Vancouver showing is the only presentation of the exhibition in North America. His art reflects a diversity of subjects, from the portrayal of modern life in his early figure studies to the inventive treatment of light in his scenes of the Parisian countryside and view of the River Thames. 

Claude Monet | Nympheas, 1916-19 | oil on canvas | Musee Marmottan Monet Paris | Photo ©Bridgeman Giraudon/Press

The exhibition culminates in a major series of paintings of his famous gardens in the French village of Giverny, where Monet lived from 1883 to the end of his life. In this series, Monet has created a visual exploration of plants and water. His renderings of weeping willows, waterlilies and the Japanese bridge in his garden are among the most iconic imagery in Western painting today. 

Stephen Shore | Waterlilies (from the Giverny Portfolio), 1977-83 | chromogenic print | collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery

Running as a complement to Claude Monet's Secret Garden is an exhibition by contemporary American photographer Stephen Shore. Twenty-five photographs from VAG's collection are being shown for the first time in Vancouver. Stephen Shore: The Giverny Portfolio is comprised of images he made during several visits to Monet's garden at Giverny between 1977-1983. 

Vancouver Art Gallery

750 Hornby Street, Vancouver

www.vanartgallery.bc.ca

Brightly lit CP Holiday Trains rock the rails in Canada and the U.S. for a good cause

Canadian Pacific Photo

Now in its 17th year, the CP Holiday Train is bringing food, cash donations and awareness to local food banks and food shelves across North America. Two brightly lit Canadian Pacific trains -- one U.S. and the other Canadian -- kicked off their tours in the Montreal area the last weekend of November. They'll be visiting approximately 150 communities along the way through December 19, 2015. 

Canadian Pacific Photo

The Canadian train travels west across Canada, ending in Port Coquitlam, BC. The U.S. Train visits communities in Quebec, New York and Southern Ontario before traveling across the US Northeast and Midwest, returning to Canada for its final "shows" in Saskatchewan and Alberta. 

Bill Watson Photo

Each Holiday Train event features performances by professional musicians performing holiday-themed songs. The shows are complimentary, but patrons are asked to bring cash or a non-perishable food donation. All the money and food donated in a community stays in the community. 

Legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Jim Cuddy will be on the Canadian train, joined by his son Devin.  Also on the Canadian train is the band Chic Gamin, who will play all the shows in Quebec, offering Francophone performances. Country singer Kelly Prescott is also part of the talent line-up. 

The U.S. Train showcases Canadian country music star Kira Isabella, winner of the 2013 Canadian Country Music Association's Female Artist of the Year. She'll be joined by Wes Mack and Doc Walker. 

For a complete schedule of dates and times, and to see a video of the train, click on the CP Holiday Train website. 

If the train doesn't pass through your community, follow its journey via social media: Twitter @CPHolidayTrain and Instagram @CPHoliday Train. Fans are posting images of the trains and entertainment, and are eligible to enter the Capture the Spirit photo contest to win an exclusive ride on next year's train. Details about the contest may be found on the Holiday Train Facebook page.

Vancouver Island's Wolf in the Fog named Canada's Best New Restaurant by enRoute magazine

A Vancouver Island restaurant came out on top in enRoute magazine's annual Canada's Best New Restaurants. Wolf in the Fog, located in Tofino on the "wild side" of Vancouver Island, bested nine other restos in enRoute's annual roundup of top restaurants in Canada. For those not familiar with enRoute, it is Air Canada's award-winning inflight magazine (and one of my favorites).

Selecting the best restaurants was the mission of food writer Andrew Braithwaite, whose month-long culinary journey took him across Canada from Tofino, BC to St. John's, Newfoundland. The ten winners represented seven of Canada's provinces: British Columbia 2, Ontario 2, Quebec 2, Alberta 1, Newfoundland 1, Nova Scotia 1, Saskatchewan 1.

Chef Nick Nutting of Wolf in the Fog in Tofino on Vancouver Island
 ©JohnCullenPhoto courtesy enRoute magazine 



CANADA'S BEST NEW RESTAURANTS 2014 | Air Canada's enRoute magazine 

1. Wolf in the Fog (Tofino, BC) | "On the extreme west coast of Vancouver Island, where rainforest meets ocean, you stumble up a flight of stairs and into a soaring cedar-clad room above a surf shop where chef Nick Nutting leads a crew trained in the precise details of fine dining." 

2. Farmer's Apprentice Restaurant | Vancouver | "Each small plate -- more often, a bowl -- conjured by owner David Gunawan is a precise jumble of textures and flavours. Digging in is a sort of black magic." 

3. Le Vin Papillon | Montreal | "Long-time Joe Beef guru Vanya Filipovic fills massive chalkboards with organic wines to run with a vegetable-focused cuisine from boyfriend and chef Marc-Olivier Frappier." 

4. RGE RD | Edmonton | "The heart of Blair Lebsack's kitchen is a wood-burning oven that consumes birch and maple at 700F, curing honey ham and smoking Salt Spring Island mussels or even dehydrated local milk during the off-hours."

5. Mallard Cottage | St. John's | "Todd Perrin spent two years restoring a heritage property in Quidi Vidi Harbour for this brilliant mash-up of fine dining and comfort cuisine on the outskirts of St. John's."

Canadian journalist and author Andrew Braithwaite at work.

6. Bar Buca | Toronto | "Rob Gentile's restaurant likes to pretend it's a simple bar for sipping Barolo. You're here to drink, sure, but you're also here to eat things like tiny fried smelt dusted with fennel salt."

7. The Chase | Toronto | "Chef Michael Steh doesn't lean on molecular trickery or audacious ingredients to wow. His food is more direct and more delightful than that, in an atmosphere that makes you want to say yes to things."

8. Ayden Kitchen & Bar | Saskatoon | "Top Chef Canada winner Dale MacKay gambled that Saskatoon was ready for lime- and lemongrass- and ginger-dusted chicken wings. Ayden isn't about showing off Prairie cooking to the world -- it's about bringing the world home."

9. Restaurant Legende | Quebec City | "Northern Quebec is the culinary hunting ground that Frederic Laplante mythologizes at his capital-city bistro. Cornish hen gets a boreal accent from balsam fir fleur de sel."

10. Edna Restaurant | Halifax | "Jenna Mooers' North End bistro digs up treasure from the fertile soils of Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley and hauls it out of the brisk Atlantic waters."

Ayden Kitchen & Bar was awarded the 2014 People's Choice Award, and all the winners are profiled in the November issue of Air Canada's enRoute and online. There you can also find out where the top chefs travel, drool over a "dream menu" and take a quiz to find out where you should eat (I got Chase in Toronto). The top 10 restaurants will receive their official awards during the annual Canada's Best New Restaurants Gala celebration in Toronto on November 20, 2014.

IKEA Montreal Reopens as North America's Largest IKEA Store

Photo courtesy Image Source

Last month, IKEA's largest store in North America opened in Montreal. It was actually the reopening of IKEA Montreal, expanding the home furnishings store from 237,473 sq. ft. to 469,694 sq. ft. Now twice the size, it also has twice the number of products, which totals 9,000.

The new store includes 54 "inspirational" room settings; two full home settings; a 600-seat restaurant; 600 shopping carts; and 1,407 parking spots. The home furnishings store also has 48 checkout stands, and the larger warehouse makes it possible that kitchen customers take home their purchases the same day. 

There's also a new play area, Smaland, which features 40,000 balls for children to play with. Smaland is named after the province in southern Sweden where IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad was born in 1926. He was raised on Elmtaryd, a farm near the small village of Agunnaryd.

According to IKEA, the new construction is 40% more efficient than the stores built in the early 2000s. And due to the increase in the size of the Montreal store, 50 additional employees were hired. IKEA has 325 stores in 40 countries, with 12 in Canada:

Alberta: Calgary | Edmonton
British Columbia: Coquitlam | Richmond
Manitoba: Winnipeg
Ontario: Burlington | Etobicoke | North York | Ottawa | Vaughan
Quebec: Boucherville | Montreal

The new restaurant in IKEA Montreal.

Irish Boy Finds Message in a Bottle Launched 8 Years Ago from Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec

St. Lawrence River in La Martre, about 86km from Grand Vallee on Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula
Photo by Sue Frause

Not only did Oisin Millea discover a message in a bottle while walking along a beach in Ireland, his treasure resulted in an invitation to visit the Canadian province of Quebec with his family. But let's backtrack a bit. 

In June of 2004, two young girls from Montreal launched a bottle out to sea with a note inside. Charlaine Dalpe and Claudia Garneau, both 12-year-olds, tossed the bottle while on holiday in Grand-Vallee, Quebec on the Gaspe Peninsula near the confluence of the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean. Inside was a message, along with an email address. Eight years later in October 2012, the bottle washed ashore on a beach in Passage East, County Waterford, Ireland. The two-liter Seven-Up bottle was discovered by ten-year-old Oisin Millea, who immediately called it his treasure.

Young Oisin, with the help of his mother and Google Translate, deciphered the message that was simply signed, Charlaine and Claudia. The email address was no longer active, but the media was quick to run with the story, and the message in a bottle mystery went 'round the world. The young women heard about it in Montreal and were astonished their bottle had made it across the Atlantic. Soon they were talking with Oisin via Skype. As a result of the find, Tourism Ireland invited the two Montreal women (now in their 20s) to visit Ireland in the summer of 2013. Not to be outdone, Tourisme Quebec invited Oisin and his family to visit La Belle Province this July. 

Pointe-A-La-Renomee, a lighthouse on the Gaspe Peninsula. Photo by Sue Frause.

The 12-day all expense paid trip was provided by Tourisme Quebec and its partners for Oisin, sister Sarah, and parents Aoife and Joseph. Their adventure started July 11, 2013 when the family traveled via Air Canada from Dublin to Montreal. The family's itinerary includes visits to Montreal; Quebec City; the Irish Memorial National Historic Site on Grosse Ile; whale watching in the St. Lawrence River at Saguenay Fjord; and even sleeping in a yurt. There;s also a visit to Grand-Vallee where the bottle was launched, and of course meeting the two message in a bottle senders.

Cap Madeleine on the Gaspe Peninsula's Quebec Lighthouse Trail. Photo by Sue Frause.

What's interesting about the launch site of the bottle and where it washed ashore are the similarities between the two communities. Both Passage East in Ireland and Grande-Vallee, Quebec are seaside villages; both are fishing communities; and both have similar populations (Passage East with 806 and Grande-Vallee with 1,200).

Oisin Millea and his family will return to Ireland on July 23, 2013. You can follow their travels on Twitter @oisin_in_quebec and read a story about Oisin's discovery and adventures in Quebec in The Montreal Gazette.

Mosaicultures Internationales (Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal) Opens at Montreal Botanical Garden

Mosaicultures Internationales Montreal 2013 - Land of Hope opened at the Montreal Botanical Garden June 22 and runs through September 29, 2013. Now in its fifth edition, the horticultural arts competition includes more than 50 creations by participants from 20 countries. Mosaicultures Internationales de Montreal was presented in the Parc des Ecluses du Vieux-Port de Montreal in 2003, attracting more than 755,000 visitors.

More than three million plants along the 2km circuit have been sculpted into living creations. The juried event includes the Grand Honorary Award along with the Qatar Airways People's Choice Award. The theme of the exhibition, Land of Hope, reflects the message of the organization: the importance of preserving our planet's biodiversity. The event itself is very green, and sustainable development practices have been integrated at all levels. Mosaicultures Internationales Montreal 2013 is the largest event to have received green certification from the City of Montreal, meeting the environmental requirements of the Bureau de normalisation du Quebec (Quebec standards bureau).

The venue for Mosaicultures Internationales Montreal 2013, the Montreal Botanical Garden (Jardin Botanique), features a collection of 22,000 plant species and cultivars, 10 exhibition greenhouses, Tree House and more than two dozen thematic gardens throughout its 75 hectares (190 acres). Designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2008, it's located minutes from downtown Montreal near the Biodome and Olympic Park. Free shuttle bus service is provided during the exhibition, running from the Pie IX station with stops at the Botanical Garden parking lots, the Insectarium and the Biodome. Mosaicultures Internationales Montreal 2013 is open daily from 9 AM to 7 PM.

Photographs by Guy Boily

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Presents 'Chihuly," a Canadian Exclusive Featuring the Glass Art of Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly, Mille Fiori (detail)
Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle, Washington, 2012
Photo by Sue Frause

American glass artist Dale Chihuly has taken his work across the border to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for a four-month run. The Canadian exclusive exhibition, simply titled Chihuly, opened June 8 and runs through October 20, 2013. Chihuly was invited by MMFA's Director and Chief Curator Nathalie Bondil to assemble an exhibition of glass sculptures specifically designed for the Museum's interior architecture. The pieces are displayed in the galleries of the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion.

The exhibition follows the successful Louise Comfort Tiffany: A Passion for Colour exhibit in 2009. Two years later, the MMFA reinstalled its collection of design and studio glass during the Museum's expansion. Bondil sees Chihuly as an ideal follow-up: "No other artist has wrestled so mightily with glass; these works have to be seen to be believed."

Chihuly, an acknowledged master of site-specific installations, measured the various galleries of the Museum's pavilion to create a unique layout. It consists of eight immersive environments, four designed specifically for the Museum. Some of the pieces are placed alone, while others are in groups along the galleries. Here are some of the highlights:

• Sun - Located in the city's public space on Sherbrooke Street, the round tower is five meters in diameter, emitting rays composed of tendrils in primary colors.
• Turquoise Reeds - A vast, idyllic forest with dozens of spear-shaped forms springing from trunks of salvaged old growth Western Red Cedars. 
• Persian Ceiling - A multitude of overhead shapes, forms and vivid colors arranged in layers over plates of transparent glass. Maybe lie on the floor to truly appreciate this Persian carpet!
• Chandeliers and Towers - A combination of blown glass with steel frameworks, with five chandeliers and one tower displayed in a single gallery.
• The 'Boats' - Horns of plenty on the reflecting surface of a rostrum. The spherical shape are an allusion to the glass floats used by Japanese fishermen, some of which Chihuly found while beachcombing as a child in Puget Sound, Washington.
• Macchia Forest - Sculptural bowls characterized with undulating sides and rims, the result of gravity, and by their large formats. They're assembled on slender steel pedestals.

Chihuly also created four special installations for MMFA: 

• Persian Colonnade - Colorful flowers arranged rhythmically on a wood framework that adorns the peristyle colonnade at the head of the Hornstein pavilion's staircase.
• Ruby Pineapple - A lost chandelier made anew for the MMFA. The original chandelier was on a ship from France to Seattle  that was hit by a storm, with one of the containers falling overboard -- taking the work with it. Fifteen years later, Chihuly recreated it for the MMFA.
• Mille Fiori - Created specifically for the MMFA, this is part of Chihuly's Fiori series introduced in 2003. An enchanted garden of shapes from nature including reeds and herons.
• Glass Forest #6 - Fluorescent structures made of blown white glass filled with argon gas and neon, producing shades of pink. 

Chihuly Garden and Glass | Seattle, Washington | In May 2012, Chihuly Garden and Glass opened on the grounds of Seattle Center. It's a fitting locale for the artist who was born in nearby Tacoma and graduated from the University of Washington. Read my review of the new venue, which also includes a slideshow of my photos.

Here's a piece in The (Montreal) Gazette about the exhibition: Studio glass pioneer exhibits at MMFA (A rare breed of abstract artist, Dave Chihuly’s work has both commercial and popular traction)

'Tony Bennett: The Art of Anthony Benedetto' on display in Montreal through April 14

Although Montreal en Lumiere is long gone (the next edition is February 20-March 2, 2014), the art of the winter festival continues on. Montreal en Lumiere and the Galerie of the Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan are presenting the Canadian premiere of Tony Bennett: The Art of Anthony Benedetto through April 14, 2013. 

The exhibit of 40 art works by the internationally renowned artist and singer is on display at the Galerie and is free to the public. A popular performer in Montreal, Mr. Bennett created a piece titled Louis Armstrong when he was a guest artist in 2000. For the 14th edition of Montreal en Lumiere in 2013, he created this exhibition of some of his loveliest pieces, signed Anthony Benedetto. They include 41 watercolors and two sketches created between 1986-2012. Three of them are original paintings that are part of the permanent ocllection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. 

The Galerie is permanently installed on the second floor of the Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan. The non-profit organization showcases the original works of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal collection. They include creations of Jean-Paul Riopelle, Marcel Barbeau, Corno, Armand Vaillancourt, Francis X. Pavy, Zilon, Lhasa de Sela, Miles Davis, Frederic Back, Miyuki Tanobe, Diane Dufresne, Richard Seguin and Yves Archambault -- the festival's poster designer for nearly 25 years. The Galerie also has limited-edition signed and numbered silkscreens, including works by Robert Lapalme and Alfred Pellan, available exclusively at the Galerie.

Also located at the Galerie is the Bell Exhibition of the Legends of the Festival, a small museum with a display of instruments, stage clothing, trophies and personal items from some of the jazz performers over the past 30 years. They include costumes worn by Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald, guitars of Jeff Beck and Ben Harper, and the legendary hat worn by Leonard Cohen. On the third floor is the Mediatheque Jazz/La Press and its collection of archives including the works of journalist Len Dobbin, jazz magazines, photographs, CDs, video recordings and archives. 

Hours are Tuesday-Wednesday, 11:30 AM to 6 PM and Thursday-Saturday, 11:30 AM to 9 PM. Closed Mondays. The Galerie is located at La Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan, 305 Ste-Catherine St. West, Montreal. Free Admission.

Canadian Screen Awards replace Gemini and Genie Awards, broadcast March 3 on CBC

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announced its first Canadian Screen Awards nominees in film, television and digital media. The nominees were announced on Jan. 15, 2013 in a webcast from simultaneous news conferences in Montreal and Toronto.

The new awards honor achievement in both Canadian television and film, replacing the Gemini (television) and Genie (film) Awards. This year's debut Canadian Screen Awards includes nominees in 116 categories (22 film, 89 television, 5 digital media).  One of the nominees, Rebelle / War Witch, has been nominated for an Oscar (Best Foreign Film).

Canadian Screen Week, which runs Feb. 26-March 3, culminates in the inaugural two-hour Live Broadcast Gala on Sunday, March 3 on CBC at 8 PM. It will be hosted by actor and comedian Martin Short. As a personal aside, my claim to fame with Mr. Short is riding in an elevator with him at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver a number of years ago. He was just like how he appears on TV and in the movies, funny and friendly!

A Canadian Screen Awards statue has been designed by Endeavour and made in Prince Edward County, Ontario by Wallis Awards. It symbolizes two screens with the public at the core. The specialty manufacturing company is owned and operated by Glen and Susan Wallis, who have worked with the Academy for the past 18 years. The statues are manufactured measure 32.5 centimeters high and weigh 2.5 kilograms. Endeavour has also created a trailer for the Canadian Screen Awards, which was unveiled during the nomination announcement on Wednesday. 

SELECT FILM NOMINEES

Best Motion Picture

• L'Affaire Dumont | Nicole Robert
• Inch'Allah | Luc Dery, Kim McCraw
• Laurence Anyways | Lyse Lafontaine
• Midnight's Children | David Hamilton
• Rebelle / War Witch | Pierre Even, Marie-Claude Poulin
• Still Mine | Tamara Deverell Jody Colero, Avi Federgreen, Michael McGowan

Achievement in Direction

• Michael Dowse | Goon
• Xavier Dolan | Laurence Anyways
• Deepa Mehta | Midnight's Children
• Kim Nguyen | Rebelle / War Witch
• Bernard Emond | Tout Ce Que Tu Possedes / All That You Possess

Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role

• James Cromwell | Still Mine
• Patrick Drolet | Tout Ce Que Tu Possedes / All That You Possess
• Marc-Andre Grondin | L'affaire Dumont
• David Morse | Collaborator
• Melvil Poupaud | Laurence Anyways

Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role

• Evelyne Brochu | Inch'allah
• Genevieve Bujold | Still Mine
• Marilyn Castonguay | L'affaire Dumont
• Suzanne Clement | Laurence Anyways
• Rachel Mwanza | Rebelle / War Witch

SELECT TELEVISION NOMINEES

Best Comedy Program or Series

• Good God (Shaftesury)  Christina Jennings, Ken FInkleman, Scott Garvie, Jan Peter Meyboom
• Kenny Hotz Triumph of the Will (Entertainment One)  Kenny Hotz, James Crouch
• Less Than Kind (Breakthrough Entertainment, Buffalo Gal Pictures) Ira Levy, Marvin Kaye, Phyllis Laing, Mark McKinney, Chris Sheasgreen, Paula Smith, Peter Williamson
• Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays (Rhombus Media Inc.)  Niv Fichman, Sari Friedland, Bob Martin, Don McKellar
• Mr. D (Topsail Productions Ltd., Mr. D S1 Productions Ltd., Mr. D S1 Ontario Productions Ltd.)  Gerry Dee Michael Volpe

Best Dramatic Series

• Arctic Air (Omni Film Productions Limited) Ian Weir, Michael Chechik, Gary Harvey, Gabriela Schonbach
• Bomb Girls (Back Alley Film Productions Ltd., Muse Entertainment Enterprises, Back Alley Films) Janis Lundman, Michael MacLennan, Adrienne Mitchell, Michael Prupas
• Continuum (Timely productions Inc.) Simon Barry, Tom Rowe, Patrick Williams 
• Flashpoint (Flashpoint Season IV Productions Inc.) Anne Marie La Traverse, Bill Mustos
• King (Indian Grove Productions Ltd.) Bernard Zukerman, Greg Spottiswood