With Valérie Plante, mayor of Montréal, and Isabelle Gautrin, director of the Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne riding office and representative of MNA Dominique Anglade, in attendance, Caroline Andrieux, founder and artistic director of the Darling Foundry, has officially unveiled new production studios and training programs designed for the Montréal art community.
The new production studios will be available to professional artists so that they can explore new techniques and open their practices to other media. An indispensable site for visual arts creation and display, the Darling Foundry is enhancing its activities by providing an extensively equipped multidisciplinary production facility.
This offering, the only one of its kind in Montréal, is complemented by innovative training courses based on the exchange and pooling of technical skills. By encouraging sharing of expertise, the Darling Foundry hopes to strengthen collaborations within the Montréal art community.
Ever since the former industrial building was converted into a visual arts centre, adding spaces for local and international artist residencies, the Darling Foundry has always promoted a spirit of cooperation by supporting the creation and display of works by emerging artists. This is why they thought it was important to make state-of-the-art equipment accessible at a very affordable membership price.
The Darling Foundry, a beacon of heritage and artistic resistance in a rapidly changing neighbourhood, is therefore continuing to develop an art ecosystem in the heart of the city, in a building emblematic of Montreal’s history.
The construction and renovation work
Modernization of the production studios made it possible to create a safe environment that improves the conditions for producing artworks, thanks to the installation of a high-ventilation, insulation, and soundproofing system.
The Ville de Montréal also contributed to the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment. The studios, divided into different stations, offer an exceptional multifunctional work environment.
The equipment
CNC station: Computerized cutting machine for wood, metal, plastic
Wood station: band saw, compressor, surfacer, miter-box saw, table saw, router, sander, planer, countersinker
Metal station: metal saw, band saw, metal sander, welding equipment
Paint station: high-ventilation chamber, airbrushing equipment, compressor
Ceramics station: ceramics kiln
Conditions for use
The Darling Foundry operates in a spirit of sharing and exchange on the social economy enterprise model. Access to resources and equipment associated with the production studios is therefore subject to the condition of becoming a user-member.
The Darling Foundry offers two membership types:
- Unlimited access for one year: $600
This introductory price includes: access to all equipment in the production studios in the time slots available, introduction to its use by a technician, and all benefits offered to active members of the Darling Foundry.
- Unlimited access for one month: $100
This introductory price includes: access to all equipment in the production workshops in the time slots available and introduction to its use by a technician.
The production workshops will open on Monday, May 14, 2018. You can already get your monthly or annual membership, and book time slots to use one of the work stations.
