Opening of Côte-Nord – Stretches of Time
Official opening of the permanent exhibition
Sept-Îles, January 28, 2025 – The Musée de la Côte-Nord team is officially opening our new permanent exhibition Côte-Nord – Stretches of Time this Tuesday, January 28th, along with a press conference bringing together partners, collaborators and the media. At the same time, we will unveil our new brand identity and a new website, which will get finishing touches over time.
On Sunday, February 2nd, to celebrate the first Sunday of the month, the team would in turn like to invite the public to go on free guided tours (10:30 AM and 1:00 PM). The Wheel of Discovery, a game for families, will also be launched on that day.
Context for this transformation
A pre-opening of the exhibition was held on June 22nd, 2024, just before the summer. As for the last installations, they were finalized on January 26th, 2025. The Musée now wishes to celebrate the many partners of this magnificent project and invite the public to discover the great Côte-Nord in other ways!
The Musée’s team has been working towards this transformation since 2021 in partnership with museology firm Merlicht. The ministère de la Culture et des Communications, the Société du Plan Nord and Heritage Canada have all made generous contributions. To complete the project’s financial package, a campaign on the crowdfunding platform La Ruche also allowed the $70,000 target to be exceeded, thanks to more than 200 participants. An amount of $35,000 was also matched by the ministère du Tourisme through its Fonds Horizons d’ici.
Ecoresponsible remodelling of the permanent exhibition room
For remodelling the permanent exhibition room, the Musée counted on the generous financial support of the Ville de Sept-Îles, in the amount of $154,000, and the Port of Sept-Îles, in the amount of $100,000. The deliberate deconstruction process for the previous exhibition, for its part, was financially supported by the organization Environnement Côte-Nord, in the amount of $10,000, including coaching for the firm Architecture sans frontières.
About the renewal of the permanent exhibition
Before gaining its regional focus in 1991, the Musée de la Côte-Nord was first called the Musée des Sept-Îles, in 1975. Fifty years later, after the exhibitions The Endless Shore and Land of Meaning: The Grand Voyage, a third permanent exhibition is born: Côte-Nord – Stretches of Time.
The team aims to tell the story of the Côte-Nord through the people who have visited it. Among them are Placide Vigneau, Pauline Laurin, Mathieu André (known as Mestenapéo), Louis Jolliet, Maude Watt Maloney… To tell this great shared story, some new approaches were adopted–sustainable, sensory, immersive, interactive!
For this project, our team joined forces with museology firm Merlicht and their team of seasoned designers. For content selection, an advisory committee was established, comprised of various players from the Côte-Nord, whose experience ranges from the environment to museology in an intercultural context. This new experience is now open to all: the local and regional public, tourist visitors, cruise travellers, school pupils, etc.
Departure from management
After 4 years at the helm of the Musée de la Côte-Nord, Ms. Joanie Jacques is announcing the end of her term. She will leave her post on January 31st, 2025. A call for applications to replace her is underway.
“My departure will follow the official opening of the new permanent exhibition, a project that shaped my 4 years at the Musée. The Côte-Nord is a fascinating land, with so many stories to tell! It was a real opportunity to work alongside the many collaborators involved in this adventure. I wish the Musée all the best for the future; its mission is crucial for our shared heritage.
Internally, I’m leaving behind a complete team that is well equipped to continue the Musée’s history. I thank each and every team member for their commitment to the organization and their concern for offering the best experience to the Musée’s visitors! I also wish to thank the members of the board of directors for their trust, support and commitment.
Externally, I wish to thank all of our collaborators and partners, as well as the generous donators, who enable the Musée to fulfill its mission and improve its services to the community.
I would also like to salute my colleagues in the cultural and museum ecosystem, who work passionately to ensure that culture remains as dynamic as ever, despite the difficult financial climate. Special thanks go out to Culture Côte-Nord for welcoming and supporting us.”, highlights Ms. Jacques.
About the ministère de la Culture et des Communications’ Call for projects to support permanent and travelling exhibitions
This call for projects aims to support efforts to preserve, curate and showcase the most significant heritage items by encouraging updating or renewing permanent exhibitions and creating travelling exhibitions. It also aims to support museum institutions in fulfilling their mission and implementing their action plan. Agreement amount: $376,508.00
“The outreach of our regional museum institutions is particularly dear to me, which is why I’m proud to see the Musée régional de la Côte-Nord opening its new permanent exhibition. I encourage everyone on the Côte-Nord, as well as visitors to this wonderful region, to pay a visit to this institution that is so important for the community.”
– Mathieu Lacombe, Minister of Culture and Communications, Minister Responsible for Youth and Minister responsible for the Outaouais region
À propos du Fonds d’initiatives nordiques, de la Société du Plan Nord
The Fonds d’initiatives nordiques is designed to support projects in the northern territory that promote community development, the development of the northern territory, and solutions derived from applied research. In our case, this support went towards improving pedagogical and cultural programming that will accompany the new permanent exhibition. Financial aid amount: $80,000.00.
“The Musée de la Côte-Nord embodies the very essence of our region, a region rich in history, people, and culture. This project is a shining example of collaboration and commitment towards promoting our shared heritage. This new benchmark exhibition on the Côte-Nord is a tribute to those who once occupied the land and helps us to understand it better today. I am proud that our government is supporting this new exhibition showcasing the richness and beauty of the northern territory.”
– Maïté Blanchette Vézina, Minister of Natural Resources and Forests and Minister Responsible for the Société du Plan Nord
About Heritage Canada’s Digital Access to Heritage program
Financial support offered to heritage organizations to digitize collections, develop digital content and build capacity in those areas. In our case, this financial support went towards 3D scanning a selection of our artifacts to improve access to them. Agreement amount: $267,708.00.
“Preserving and showcasing our cultural heritage plays an important role in the development of communities and their shared identity. Our partnership will help create new digital opportunities that are more accessible to the public of the Côte-Nord. Projects like these make regions even more dynamic and help us to celebrate and promote their rich history while strengthening their identity.”
– L’honorable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage
About financial support from the Ville de Sept-Îles
“Locomoteur de culture” financial partnership, as well as for the remodelling of the exhibition room. Partnership amount: $154,000.
“It is with great pride that the Ville de Sept-Îles is partnering with this new permanent exhibition that highlights a vast territory and stories on a human scale. I am confident that Côte-Nord – Stretches of Time will become an invaluable landmark for anyone wishing to discover and immerse themselves in our rich history. Congratulations to the Musée de la Côte-Nord team and their collaborators who combined ingenuity and creativity to bring the past to life in our present!”
– Denis Miousse, maire de Sept-Îles
About financial support from the Port of Sept-Îles
“Locomoteur de culture” financial partnership, as well as for the remodelling of the exhibition room. Partnership amount: $100,000.
“The Port of Sept-Îles (PSI) is proud to partner with the Musée régional de la Côte-Nord as a cultural accelerator to support the remodelling of their permanent exhibition room. The PSI is a long-time partner of the Musée, ever since we contributed to building the youth room back in 2006. Today, we are enthusiastically supporting this initiative aiming to better preserve and promote our region’s rich historical and cultural heritage. The Musée plays a key role, as a keeper and disseminator of the Côte-Nord’s culture, and is also a major tourist attraction, particularly for cruise travellers discovering our region. In line with the 25th anniversary of the Sept-Îles Port Authority, this major $100,000 contribution is proof of our commitment towards supporting the cultural and touristic development of our beautiful Côte-Nord.”
– Pierre D. Gagnon, President and CEO, Port of Sept-Îles
About the crowdfunding campaign on La Ruche
Nancy Boucher, director of La Ruche Côte-Nord, states that she is proud of the Musée de la Côte-Nord’s choice of La Ruche as a crowdfunding platform to complete its financial package. This project is the first in the Côte-Nord to qualify for the Fonds Horizons d’ici, in partnership with the ministère du Tourisme. The crowdfunding campaign, contingent on achieving its target, generated a great deal of community support. This success enabled the creation of a new permanent exhibition, benefitting both the local population and allophone, non-Indigenous communities. Fundraised amount: $70,000 / Amount matched by the Fonds Horizons d’ici: $35,000.
“This campaign brought citizens together around a common goal and raised the profile of our culture.”
– Nancy Boucher, Director, La Ruche Côte-Nord
Official press release, PDF version
Source : Joanie Jacques
Direction générale
Téléphone : 418-960-2888
Courriel : direction@mrcn.qc.ca