A permanent exhibition in tribute to the history and maritime heritage of the municipality of Les Coteaux was inaugurated on Friday at the Édifice Laurier-Léger located at 199, rue Principale.
Entitled “Fragments de mémoire. Les Artéfacts de l’Anse-aux-batteaux”, this exhibition also includes artworks representative of the large territory of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM.
Visitors will be able to observe more than 100 original pieces listed under different categories of artifacts such as clay pipes, glass bottles, pottery, crockery and everyday objects. These items add to the history of several maritime remains.
“Following several decades of major maritime and commercial activities, the occupation of the cove has left several remains, including several boats and a wharf”, recalls Sébastien Daviau, head of collections and research at the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges and project manager for this exhibition. “This is how a large number of archaeological finds, the majority of which comes from the 19th century, has been brought to the surface during incidental underwater findings.»
Interactive panels
Initiated by France Richer, citizen of Les Coteaux, this new exhibition was created under a partnership between the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the Municipalité Les Coteaux. It was made possible with the financial support of the Government of Quebec, the Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM, the Conseil des arts et de la culture de Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the Municipalité Les Coteaux as part of a cultural development agreement.
Over the past year, the municipality of Les Coteaux, in collaboration with community partners, has carried out several development work on the ground floor of the Édifice Laurier-Léger to meet the conservation standards issued by the Ministry of Culture and Communications. The investments and renovations made have made it possible to provide a place where archaeological finds are protected while being an exhibition site accessible to the community.
The exhibition is also equipped with interactive panels or «touch screens with iconographic and historical content» thanks to the financial support of the Conseil des arts et de la culture de Vaudreuil-Soulanges through the cultural innovation program. «Culture being recognized as an essential component in the development of society, the municipality wanted to promote the access and participation of citizens in cultural life and ignite interest in the history of Quebec. This exhibition will contribute to the development of the heritage and to the dynamism of the municipality”, explains the mayor, Denise Godin-Dostie, who thanked all the collaborators (citizens, researchers, museologists, designers and municipal staff) who helped to implement this project.
Jean-Yves Poirier, President of the Conseil des arts et de la culture de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, concluded: “The project, which is unveiled today will, I hope, be a source of pride and belonging for citizens of Les Coteaux and even of the whole region. In fact, these artifacts are important evidence of the past and the exhibition that presents them gives an unprecedented voice to our history. Bravo to the Municipalité Les Coteaux for this desire to consolidate its cultural offer, to highlight the importance of Lac Saint-François in the development of the southern village core and to pay tribute to its predecessors.”
