Laval artists say they have the talent but nowhere to showcase it

Laval artist Reine Goodrow uses pastels to express herself.

She recently showcased some of her favourite artwork at a symposium for artists at the Centre de la nature park in Laval.

"What you want when you do exhibitions is to basically have people discover what you do," she says.

Goodrow is one of more than a dozen artists who displayed their artwork at the small outdoor fair in May — some setting up in white tents they brought themselves, others in small cabins in the park.

They say it's one of the only places in the city where they can showcase their art.

"Artists work on their own. We're in our homes, our little workshops, and when it's time to exhibit, that's our only opportunity to show our work," says Goodrow.

The Quartier des Arts du Cheval Blanc art group organizes the symposium in Laval every other year with help from the city.

Karyne St-Hilaire, the executive director, says it helps local artists, since there aren't many other venues.

"When you're an artist, you produce something. You put a part of yourself, of your soul, into a piece of canvas," St-Hilaire says. "At some point, you want other people to know [about it] and sell it. [if it's] in your basement, it just stacks up."

St-Hilaire says the symposium is a good opportunity for Laval artists who aren't all professionals to become familiar to their neighbours and community.

Charlotte Pannacio Letendre leads Verticale, a Laval non-profit organization for professional artists. She says for decades, art has been forgotten in the city.

"Laval has a complex and very specific political context," she said. "That has been very problematic for cultural development, so culture hasn't been a priority for prior governments," she says.

Letendre says over the past decade, that's changed thanks to municipal leadership, including current Laval Mayor Stephane Boyer.

Despite this, she says, there is still a lack of infrastructure that makes it hard to be an artist in Laval, pushing many talented artists toward Montreal.