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W8banakiak
By : La bande à Paul inc.
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN 18th edition
Discipline : Interior Design
Categories : Culture, Sport & Leisure / Museum & Gallery : Gold certification
The Musée des Abénakis, founded in 1965 by community members and missionary Rémi Dolan, is located in Odanak, on the banks of the Saint-François River. The first Indigenous museum institution created in Quebec, it occupies the former Catholic school of the community to which a contemporary expansion was added in 2006. On this occasion, a museum reserve as well as new exhibition rooms were integrated into the original building.
As its founders wished, the Museum is a place for the transmission of the knowledge, traditions, and skills of the W8banaki Nation to future generations. Traditionally semi-nomadic, the Nation's ancestors lived for a long time from fishing, hunting, and gathering while maintaining a culture rich in oral and artistic traditions.
Thanks to its annual program of exhibitions, cultural events, and workshops, the Musée des Abénakis immerses visitors in an ancient culture. The educational offer is also rich, with many school groups visiting the site each year. Furthermore, the institution's collection, including nearly 30,000 objects, is constantly evolving notably through acquisitions or regular donations. Among the most extensive collections of Indigenous objects in Quebec, it consists of ethnological items witnessing daily life, many archaeological artifacts, and works of art or craftsmanship.
In the fall of 2022, the museum's board of directors and management entrusted the team of La bande à Paul with the renewal of the institution's permanent exhibition. The clearly expressed wish from the outset was for the community to recognize itself in this new exhibition. Likewise, the desire was for the exhibition to reflect contemporary issues, presenting the Nation's history but above all the Nation today.
It should be noted that before the project's start, a significant consultation process, in the form of sharing workshops, took place with the members of the Odanak and W8linak communities. This process helped determine the envisioned guidelines for the future exhibition: objectives, messages, main themes, and significant objects. It is based on this valuable process that the firm was able to begin its conceptual work in close collaboration with the resource people associated with the project (museum staff, board members, and community members).
Collaboration
Scenography : Vanessa Landry
Photo credit