The Salle Culturelle Alfred-Langevin (SCAL) is concluding its 2024 programming with the presentation of artist Alyson Champ’s installation entitled Étalement/Sprawl, which will run from November 10 to December 8 at the Huntingdon-based gallery.
The captivating installation explores the impact of urban development on farmland in the Montérégie-Ouest region, where arable land is at risk from rampant residential and commercial development.
Drawing on personal observations of urbanization’s encroachment on rural land in six local communities, including Ormstown, Howick, Saint-Urbain, Sainte-Martine, and Saint-Etienne-de-Beauharnois, Champ proposes a visually arresting work that combines a variety of techniques and media. The main installation is a 2.3-metre-high by 4.3-metre-long screen depicting agricultural landscapes and urbanized scenes. This is accompanied by 12 charcoal drawings detailing intersections between nature and development.
“This exhibition pushes us to think about local issues that have global repercussions, such as the loss of farmland and biodiversity in the face of urban sprawl,” explains Champ, who was particularly interested in presenting a rural-themed project to a rural audience.
This exhibition was made possible thanks to the support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation (MAMH), and the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent through the Entente de partenariat territorial pour les arts et les lettres en Montérégie, as well as generous private donors.
Champ says the MRC’s participation in the territorial partnership, which funds innovative projects by local professional artists, has been a game changer. “It has allowed me to explore and develop and expand my practice in ways that I could never do before because I was always working within the constraints of the market,” she explains, noting the partnership offers artists the freedom to innovate and experiment.
“From the point of view of an art career, it is wonderful,” says Champ, while pointing out the partnership and the resulting grants provide opportunities for the community as well. “It breaks down those barriers to access so that people can actually experience art,” she explains.
The vernissage for Étalement/Sprawl will take place on Sunday, November 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the SCAL in Huntingdon. Admission is free on weekends from 1 to 4 p.m. and by appointment during the week by calling 450-264-5411 ext. 237.