Press release
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and the Conseil des arts de Montréal
unveil the finalists of the 2007 Prix Arts-Affaires de Montréal
Montréal, Monday, October 15, 2007 The honourary co-chairs of the Prix Arts-Affaires de Montréal, Isabelle Hudon, president and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, and Louise Roy, chair of the Conseil des arts de Montréal, announced the names of the nine finalists in the competition's 2007 edition during a cocktail party at Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.
In the Large enterprise category, the finalists for the 2007 Prix Arts-Affaires de Montréal are Power Corporation of Canada, proposed by the CCA; the Société de transport de Montréal, proposed by the Board of Montreal Museum Directors; and the SSQ Financial Group, proposed by TOHU.
In the SME category, the finalists are Fjord marketing interactif, proposed by Festival TransAmériques; TP1, proposed by the Pont Bridge theatre, and Vasco Design, proposed by the Groupe de la Veillée theatre.
In the Arts/Business Personality category, the finalists are Marcel Côté (founding partner of Secor, chair of Compagnie Marie Chouinard), proposed by Compagnie Marie Chouinard; Jean-Marc Eustache (president and CEO, Transat A.T. Inc.), proposed by the Espace GO theatre, and Florence Junca-Adenot (UQAM professor), proposed by Agora de la danse.
The candidates were nominated by organizations in the artistic milieu wishing to thank companies and individuals who had provided them with outstanding support. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 6, 2007, during a business luncheon where the guest speakers will be Lorraine Pintal, artistic and general director of TNM, and Pierre Karl Péladeau, president and CEO of Quebecor Inc.
The jury of the Prix Arts-Affaires de Montréal is made up of Lise Bissonnette, president and CEO of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec; Marie-Josée Gagnon, ARP, founding president of CASACOM; D Kimm, artistic director of Les Filles électriques; Elliot Lifson, vice-chair of the board of Vêtements Peerless Clothing Inc.; and Paula de Vasconcelos, co-artistic director and general manager of the Pigeons International theatre company.
At the Board of Trade, we are convinced that Montréal's development will be propelled by the extraordinary richness of our cultural vitality. That's why we work so hard to ensure the importance of developing the arts within society is appreciated by our business leaders. The business and cultural communities have complementary strengths, and their collaboration results in stimulating and original projects, as this year's finalists have demonstrated so clearly. These alliances yield economic spinoffs, but they also benefit the entire community. The vision of Montréal as a cultural metropolis thus entails not just economic prosperity but also enhanced quality of life. And, with the great Montréal, cultural metropolis Rendez-vous November 2007 just a few weeks off, I am proud of these examples, which will no doubt inspire us to do even more and even better, declared Isabelle Hudon, president and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
At the Conseil des arts, we feel that it is very important to highlight the commitment of companies and individuals in the arts and culture in Montréal. Their involvement is particularly important because it helps to unite two sectors which are both generous, innovative, and passionate. The Prix Arts-Affaires aim to support their participation and nurture their shared passion for artistic creation, added Louise Roy, chair of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
About the Prix Arts-Affaires de Montréal
The Prix Arts-Affaires de Montréal are an initiative of the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, in partnership with Quebecor Inc., SITQ, in collaboration with daily newspaper Le Devoir, to reward businesses and individuals who have shown their support for Montréal arts and cultural organizations. A multidisciplinary design collective called Rita, composed of Stéphane Halmaï-Voisard, Karine Corbeil, and Francis Rollin, created the work of art that is presented to Prix Arts-Affaires winners.
In 2006, the winners were: Quebecor Inc. (Large enterprise category), Caisse populaire Desjardins du Mont-Royal (SME category), and Alvin Segal, president and CEO of Vêtements Peerless Clothing Inc. (Arts/Business Personality category). A citation of excellence was also presented to the law firm of Fasken Martineau.
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants and businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is the largest private organization in Quebec dedicated to economic development.
A dynamic partner of Montréal artistic creation, the Conseil des arts de Montréal supports and recognizes excellence in professional artistic creation, production, and distribution through financial support, advice, and cooperative and development actions. For over 50 years, the Conseil des arts de Montréal is contributing to the development of "Montréal, cultural metropolis."
-30-
For information:
Sylvie Paquette
Coordinator, Media relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, ext. 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca
Christian O'Leary
Director, Communications and Development
Conseil des arts de Montréal
Tel.: 514 280-3991
christian.oleary@cum.qc.ca