by Catherine Brunelle
Who doesn’t love maple syrup? And if you love maple syrup, you probably also love Vanier’s charming community-centred Sugar Shack. And if you love the Sugar Shack, then you must love the Vanier Museopark, because that is the organization behind your lingering-winter-Sunday-morning-treat of pancakes, eggs, bacon and puddle of local maple syrup.
Today I’m so glad to introduce to you the newest director of the Vanier Museopark, Marie-Claude Dicaire. Marie-Claude arrives to our neighbourhood (having previously lived here as a student) with a background in theatre. Currently, she splits her time between working at the Vanier Museopark and acting as coordinator of French Theatre and for Zones Théâtrales at the National Arts Centre. Marie-Claude was also nominated in 2013 for a Gemini Award for Best Original Program produced for Digital Media, which is impressive and cool.
You may be wondering, what is Marie-Claude planning to bring to the Museopark?
“It’s a bit early for me to speak about what I want to bring here, cause it’s only been a week,” explains Marie-Claude. “But I surely want to keep the contact that we have with the community, the Vanier residents. We do have good contacts with older people, but one thing that I’d like to do is expand the big family of the Museopark by doing more activities for young people, for youth, and the twenty-five to thirty-five year olds, the young families and students.”
Which made me wonder, how does this potential expanded family learn about the Museopark? There are many educational programs for kids. Marie-Claude shows me the flyer listing events and talks about upcoming programming. This year, during the Sugar Festival, the Museopark will be hosting a project for teens to become involved with the publisher Les Éditions David.
However, it is interesting that when I mentioned writing this article to my friend who recently bought a home in the area (having moved over from Beechwood), she asked me, “What is the Museopark?” As if she’s heard of it, but doesn’t actually know what it’s all about.
And that somewhat puts a pin in a big question. What is the Museopark? Where does it fit in Vanier? It’s certainly more than a space hosting exhibits (pretty cool exhibits, actually. They are currently showing the history of Le Droit) on the second floor of the Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre.
According to their website, the Vanier Museopark is an organization dedicated to the tangible and intangible heritage of Quartier Vanier, Richelieu Park and the French-speaking population of Ottawa.
The museum isn’t just a stationary exhibit: it’s the Sugar Shack, it’s in Richelieu Park, it’s the Trail of Authors, it’s the activities, it’s the chronicling of our local history, it’s the murals (whether or not you love them), it’s the maple syrup ... (By the by, The Museopark is coming out with an app to walk the murals and learn the history of Vanier. That app with also include a map to walk the trail of authors, along with audio accompaniment, so the “museum experience” truly does extent into the community.)
... And it’s the heritage of a French community.
Which is where I become a little extra curious. The museum is a preservation of French Culture, but it’s also an active member of the Vanier community, which is certainly starting to shift in demographics away from being predominantly French.
So as a new director, what is Marie-Claude’s perspective on the evolution of the Museopark and the French Quarter?
“If we still want people to come, we need to adapt,” she explains. “I think there are more young families coming around here, so we’re still developing educational programs. We have a few that we are developing. [...] I think the history of the French community here is quite important. I think there are still many Francophones around. But it’s true that there is a big community of Francophones in Orleans too, but I think that people who are born in Vanier want to stay.”
No matter what side you fall on the French Quarter question, the Museopark does a good job of honouring the rich history of our area, and that’s a fortunate thing for anyone who loves Vanier – Francophone or not.
Expect more Sugar Festivals, audio tours of our neighbourhood, history lessons, Easter egg hunts, tapping of maple trees (happening this Family Day), and beautiful pilings of pancakes. Aren’t we lucky to be able to live our local history?
It was a pleasure to meet Marie-Claude, and I was excited to hear about her experience in storytelling through theatre. She was welcoming and a humble host during my visit. Actually, everyone I met that day while visiting the museum was welcoming. The admission is free, and the space is a secret that needs to stop being a secret. Next time you find yourself in Richelieu Park, why not drop in? And once released, hop onto their website and download the tour guides. There’s loads of opportunity here for a great afternoon out. And personally, I can hardly wait for those maple trees to be tapped!
Many thanks to Marie-Claude for her time and consideration in sharing the story of the Vanier Museopark. The Museopark can be found at 300, avenue des Pères Blancs, second floor. They’re also on Twitter, and Facebook too.
Photos: (top left) Muséoparc Vanier Museopark / Benoit Aubry; (top right and bottom left) Mike Steinhauer; (bottom right) Le Droit as published with “L'union de la poésie et d'une web série” article on October 25, 2012