The organization Les Impatients, whose premises were on the fourth floor of the historic Bon-Pasteur Chapel, devastated by a fire on May 25, will offer its artistic creation workshops at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) in from June 12, confirmed the organization’s director general, Frédéric Palardy.
Les Impatients, which helps people with mental health problems, will be able to resume offering their creative workshops to the 130 people who visited the heritage building on Sherbrooke Street each week.
An agreement reached this week with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will make it possible to welcome the organization’s downtown clientele, whose offices have been temporarily moved to Peel Street following the fire.
From June 12 to August 21, two workshops a day will be offered at the MMFA premises, four days a week. News that allowed the general manager of Les Impatients, Frédéric Palardy, to breathe a little.
Workshops offered at the other 25 locations across the province – reaching over 900 people – continue to be offered as usual.
The historic Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur housed the administrative offices of the organization, but also its art gallery and shop. The organization, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, reported losses of more than $700,000, including works of art, including several donations from collectors, as well as musical instruments.
“We accumulate works of art for our auctions, explains Mr. Palardy, so it is certain that there, we lost works with a total value of approximately $370,000. There were, among others, two Nicolas Baiers and a Cosgrove, but also about 1,000 pieces from our permanent collection, the majority of which are at the Mental Health Institute of Montreal. »
Fortunately, the major gifts, added to the auctions shortly before (we regularly find Riopelle, Tousignant, Sullivan, Molinari, etc.), were not there, the next auction being the annual meeting in September, Tell me about love.
Within two weeks, Les Impatients will launch “a multifaceted fundraising campaign,” said Frédéric Palardy. The September auction will follow, as planned. Last year, he brought in more than $360,000 for the organization.
The director general of Les Impatients has also made the decision to move the offices of the organization permanently.
“The City of Montreal is helping us find new permanent premises,” says Mr. Palardy. We occupied a space of 6000 square feet at the Chapel, but our needs have increased a lot, so we would like to double our area; we also need a space that overlooks the street to showcase our shop. »
The City’s Culture Department has confirmed that the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal is working closely with Les Impatients, but also with the other organizations whose premises are located in the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, in particular the Festival Vues d’Afrique, the Nelligan Foundation, Héritage Montréal, and La Chapelle, of course, which organized the concerts in the magnificent hall, which will have to be completely rebuilt.
