Community-supported art with a twist

“At the pick-up parties everybody will have an opportunity to see what they’ve received, but also talk to the artists and ask about the work or their process,” she says.

“The artists will also have the opportunity to connect with subscribers and find out what they do in their lives.”

After discovering similar organizations in the United States, Lampcov joined forces with like-minded friends who decided the idea could flourish in Montreal.

Partage Montreal was an immediate hit — with all 30 subscriptions for the first season sold out in less than two weeks — although its success is the result of much longer process.

“After a year of planning we were all convinced this was the greatest thing on earth, but we weren’t sure how it was going to be received,” says Lampcov.

The project’s sustainability is an important aspect for the Partage Montreal team. Its early success gives rise to the hope that a full-time coordinator can be added in the future.

For now, the nine organizers are participating for the love of art. “We’re all volunteers, which is great,” says Lampcov. “We really wanted to have as minimal administration fees as possible, and most of the money goes directly to the artists and curator.”

Curator’s role

Rhonda Meier, BFA (art history) 94, MA 99, was selected as the project’s first curator. Her role was to choose the six artists who would provide works for the premier season.

“It was kind of an intimidating responsibility because it’s one thing as a curator to follow your own idea or thematic line, but really you’re doing that work for yourself,” she says. “This was the first time that I was thinking extensively about the public.”

While Meier hand-picked the local talent — many of them award-winning, mid-career artists — her influence on the works themselves was limited.

“If I went to them it was because I trusted them and I knew from looking at their bodies of work that they would produce something interesting,” she says. “My work of curating in general is not to impose a theme on an artist.”

This season’s artists include Marigold Santos, MFA (studio arts) 11, Nadia Myre, MFA (studio arts) 02, and Juan Ortiz-Apuy, BFA (sculpture) 08, as well as Caroline Boilieau, Caroline Monnet and Rachel Echenberg.

“My interest lies in art which does not reveal itself completely,” says Meier’s curatorial statement. She says this season’s crop of artists reflect the cosmopolitan landscape found in Montreal. “People are getting an incredible surprise,” she adds.

• To get involved with Partage Montreal, visit partagemontreal.com.