Up-date, January 5th 2016
As some of you may have deducted it while reading the final article of the 2015 edition of Quartiersnord.photos about Ahmed B., it is possible that the shut-down of Cité Historia is only temporary. The museum could resume operations after a consolidation of its finances and restructuring. Vincent Garneau recently told me he has received a notice of a temporary lay-up. He and his colleagues would be glad if such was the outcome.
Furthermore, the founding of the Société d’Histoire d’Ahuntsic-Cartierville (SHAC) has no direct relation to the situation at Cité Historia. A group, of which Vincent is part, has voluntarily worked since spring 2015 towards its establishment motivated by the conviction that such a body was necessary.
Original text, July 21st 2015
As some of you may have deducted it while reading the final article of the 2015 edition of Quartiersnord.photos about Ahmed B., it is possible that the shut-down of Cité Historia is only temporary. The museum could resume operations after a consolidation of its finances and restructuring. Vincent Garneau recently told me he has received a notice of a temporary lay-up. He and his colleagues would be glad if such was the outcome.
Furthermore, the founding of the Société d’Histoire d’Ahuntsic-Cartierville (SHAC) has no direct relation to the situation at Cité Historia. A group, of which Vincent is part, has voluntarily worked since spring 2015 towards its establishment motivated by the conviction that such a body was necessary.
On a sunny day, I knocked on the door of Cité Historia, an organization that has the status of recognized museum, asking if any member of the staff lived in the area and would be willing to answer some questions and to be portrayed in photo. It was Vincent, historical development director, who volunteered a few days later.
Native Montrealer who lived and Hochelaga, and, among other parts, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, it is through a summer job at Cité Historia in 2008 that Vincent became acquainted with the borough of Ahunstic. He was initially a welcome agent while he completed his MA in history at UQAM. Little by little, he held various jobs in Cité Historia, including Project Manager for the renewal of the exhibition at the maison du Pressoir. Although the preparation of the new exhibition was prepared by a consulting firm, Vincent and his colleagues acted to have their say in the development of content.
His personal field of study is the record of the historical changes stemming from citizen action. He bore a strong interest to the 60’s and the role of the citizen’s action committees in the neighborhoods of the East and South-west of Montreal at the time.
Not knowing Ahuntsic-Cartierville on his arrival, he has since learned to appreciate this neighborhood that many people of the central districts associate to the suburbs. He stressed in particular the presence of three types of territorial organizations here: the persistence of the village cores of Sault-au-Récollet and Bordeaux, the neighborhoods typical of the city with a higher population density that appeared before 1950 and more recent developments that are structured around the car and actually have more to do with Laval than with the Plateau. He also expressed disappointment that a place like the Nature-park of the Ile-de-la-Visitation is associated on some tourist maps to the Greater Montreal rather than the city itself. Cité Historia’s premises: the maison du Pressoir, which houses the exhibition rooms, and the maison du Meunier, before which he is photographed, are located at the entrance of this important park.
Today, Vincent, who lives in the Ahuntsic district has great reasons to enjoy this environment. He met his girlfriend here and they are now parents of a child only a few months old.
In my notes, I see that told me Cité Historia has projects related to the living memory. If you meet him at work, he will surely be willing to tell you more.