Out on the Land

The exhibition offers a dual exploration of regional farming reality. The first part presents the evolution of the landscape and agricultural techniques through a series of historical and contemporary photographs, including those of artists Louise Abbott and Niels Jensen. “In this exhibition, we wanted to show the long memory of a territory shaped by farming,” explains the museum’s director-curator, Samuel Gaudreau-Lalande. “We were struck by the continuity of the Townships landscape from yesterday to today, visible in the photographs. This continuity is all the more striking in that it persists despite the constant technological development of the agricultural sector “.

A second part showcases the people working the land through a series of portraits filmed by Louise Abbott. “When the COVID-19 pandemic struck Quebec in 2020, I did not want to simply wait it out at home”, says the artist. “As a documentary filmmaker, I strive to bear witness to the world around me. I developed a project to investigate the pandemic’s impact on Townshippers who toil out on the land to ensure our food supply during this unprecedented time”. The films, shot in 2020 and 2021, present a full season in the lives of producers and gardeners of the region. “These documents are invaluable,” says Gaudreau-Lalande. “They are part of the long tradition of rural Quebec cinema and they preserve for future generations the state of family farming as it is practiced today”.

The exhibition will be on display at the Colby-Curtis Museum throughout the summer, from June 4 to September 19, 2021. A schedule of events related to the exhibit will be announced in the Museum’s newsletter and social media.

The exhibition is made possible by the support of the Ministry of Culture and Communications of Quebec and the Federation of UPA-Estrie, which is its official presenter.