For 200 years, McGill has played a vital role in the development of Montreal. But the University’s impact extends well beyond the Roddick Gates.
As part of the University’s Bicentennial celebrations, the Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens will host an event showcasing McGill’s longstanding ties to the Bas-St-Laurent and Gaspésie regions of Quebec. The celebration will take place on August 21, from 3–5:30 pm.
“We are ecstatic an important institution in the Bas-St-Laurent and Gaspésie regions such as Reford Gardens has chosen to celebrate McGill’s milestone with the local community” said Gérald Cadet, the Bicentennial’s Director.
In the first part of the event, McGill’s commitment to the region will be highlighted through the work of alumni, researchers, professors and current students.
François Rioux (MBA ’10) will give an alumni’s perspective on the importance of being involved in and giving back to one’s community.
McGill Biology students Félix Lauzon and Maximiliane Jousse, and Charlotte Carrier Belleau, a PhD student at the Université Laval and the Université du Québec à Rimouski, will look at their research on mussels in the Saint Lawrence River estuary – subject of great importance to the Bas-St-Laurent and the Gaspé regions.
McGill’s Caroline Elizabeth Temcheff, Faculty of Education, and Martine Poirier of the Université du Québec à Rimouski, will discuss their work on youth and adolescent mental health and on the importance of inter-university collaboration.
Giuliana Garofalo, who holds a Master’s in the History of Medicine and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Information Sciences at McGill, will showcase the artwork of Anna Lois Dawson, daughter of Sir John William Dawson, principal of McGill. A naturalist and an accomplished artist, Dawson produced over 200 watercolors during her lifetime, largely depicting scenes from the Lower Saint-Lawrence region, particularly Métis.
The second half of the event will feature musical performances by two McGill alumni and professors at the Conservatoire de musique de Rimouski, Josée April (B.Mus. ’83, M.Mus. ’86) and Ludovik Lesage-Hinse (G. Art. Dip. ’17). Works will range from Scottish folksongs and klezmer music to pieces by Bach, Mozart and Charpentier.
The celebrations will take place on the Bicentennial Sustainable Stage, built by students from the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture at McGill and the Schulich School of Music. The sleek wood-and-steel structure boasts state-of-the-art acoustics that make it ideal for rock bands, mini-plays or intimate poetry readings.
Learn more about the event and register online