In 2006, Cégep Marie-Victorin inaugurated its Parc de sculptures, displaying the work of Jean Brillant for an entire year. Beginning with this first initiative, the cégep continues to develop its sculpture garden today, and it has become a reference point for artistic representation.

Of the six artworks on display on campus, six were the result of the Québec government’s policy to integrate art into architecture and the environment. Vibrato pour deux, by artist Liliana Berezowsky, is a glass and aluminum sculpture installed on the façade of the Music Department. Comprised of metallic bands, it evokes decomposed sheet music; a musical staff in flight, with the notes transformed into unfolding tendrils. Since 2012, the lobby of the sports complex has been the setting for Le vent les portera, a four-part piece on sport and the idea of movement. Christiane Desjardins has produced active figures on two etchings and two glassworks.

The other art graces the campus lawns. At the entrance of the main building, two pieces by sculptor Jean Brillant welcome visitors. A mix of steel and fieldstone invites the viewer to contemplate the delicate relationship between primitive nature and the refined techniques of contemporary man. South of the Guillaume-Couture building, Monument à une étoile filante, an installation by sculptor Claude Mongrain invites us to take a destabilizing journey. The three groupings of steel, marble, granite, concrete and polished aluminum evoke everyday objects taken out of their usual contexts. Michel Saulnier also borrows from familiar imagery, creating a kind of playground setting in front of the Champagnat building. At the centre, a volume looks like a diminutive house, surrounded by the silhouettes of bears, cut out of varying materials. The reduced scale of Sept ours brings adults back to their child bodies.

In addition to the philanthropic aspect of the Parc de scultpures, there is also an educational purpose. Students of the visual arts benefit from this in situ instruction, allowing them to become familiar with the different materials and fabrication techniques used for these creations designed for the outdoors. They also enjoy special encounters with the creators. The detailed descriptions available on the Art public Montréal website provide information to supplement their studios and research activities.

Without a doubt, the artwork enhances the educational, research and work setting of Cégep Marie-Victorin for its teachers, employees, students and visitors.

A word about Cégep Marie-Victorin

Originally a private college, Marie-Victorin became a public cégep in 1993. It offers quality education in a stimulating and human-scaled setting. Its more than 600 employees are proudly committed to ensuring the educational success of the 4000 students who attend its regular educational programs and the 3000 adult students registered in the Continuing Education and corporate training programs. Cégep Marie-Victorin has always placed great emphasis on art in all its forms, including with the sheer number of different art programs it offers: visual arts; interior design; graphic arts; arts, literature and communications; music.