MONTREAL, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024–
Cher public et chers·ères artistes,
C’est avec une certaine émotion que le conseil d’administration de Quartier Éphémère annonce par ma voix le départ de sa fondatrice, madame Caroline Andrieux au poste de directrice générale et artistique et la nomination de madame Milly A. Dery au poste de directrice générale et artistique de Quartier Éphémère.
Our immense gratitude to Caroline Andrieux
Dear public and dear artists,
It is with some emotion that Quartier Éphémère’s Board of Directors announces, through my voice, the departure of its founder, Ms. Caroline Andrieux, from her role as General and Artistic Director and the appointment of Ms. Milly A. Dery as the new General and Artistic Director of Quartier Éphémère.
Our immense gratitude to Caroline Andrieux
Co-founder of Quartier Éphémère in 1993, Caroline Andrieux left her native France in 1996 to assume the role of General and Artistic Director of the organization after the departure of the three other founders. In 2002, supported by a dedicated team and a Board of Directors inspired by her commitment, she invested in the Darling Brothers’ metal foundry in the then-abandoned post-industrial neighbourhood of Griffintown to create an innovative contemporary art institution. Thanks to contributions from funders and sponsors who believed in the project, Quartier Éphémère acquired and renovated the site, gradually transforming it into the major cultural hub that our institution is today.
Through an ambitious and exploratory programming, Andrieux and her team established a true structuring space for artists and their audiences: site-specific projects, artist residencies, the Montreal Studios, and Place Publique are the main programs that she developed over the course of more than twenty years, cementing Fonderie Darling as an essential visual arts venue both locally and internationally.
In her role as founder and director, Andrieux developed a team of more than ten people, solidifying the foundation of an ever-evolving organization. After thirty years of loyal service to Quartier Éphémère and forty years of commitment to non-profit organizations that she co-founded, she has now decided to focus on promoting a new project at the Gare de Matapédia – Art and Community Centre. This is a timely decision as the current team is the one that helped our institution to take a new turn, while still upholding its fundamental mission, and launch various major projects, including the acquisition of the building, the inauguration of Place-du-Sable-Gris, the events surrounding the 20th anniversary of Fonderie Darling and its anniversary publication, its recognition as a cultural heritage site of Quebec, and the opening of the Gare de Matapédia.
To ensure their longevity and instill new energy in Fonderie Darling and Quartier Éphémère, Andrieux’s final gesture is to pass the torch to a young, strong, and motivated team, capable of continuing her efforts and propelling the organization towards new perspectives and a promising future. She is particularly pleased to be handing over this major role to a brilliant and longtime collaborator, Milly A. Dery, who will succeed her as General and Artistic Director of Quartier Éphémère.
A warm welcome to our new director, Milly A. Dery
Quartier Éphémère’s Board of Directors is pleased to endorse the appointment of Milly A. Dery as the new General and Artistic Director of our institution. She will begin her new position on September 30, 2024.
From the beginning, Dery has distinguished herself in the various key administrative and artistic programming positions that she has held at Fonderie Darling. Over the years, she has earned an excellent reputation with the artists and public of the Fonderie, prompting our founder and current director to recommend her appointment without reservation.
Rigorous, with a keen sense of analysis, a deep understanding of the contemporary art scene, great curiosity, independence of mind, a collaborative and horizontal vision of leadership, and an in-depth knowledge of our institution, Dery is the ideal person to successfully carry out the first major transition in our institution’s history.
After pursuing graduate studies in art history, Dery gained experience in private galleries before joining the Quartier Éphémère team eight years ago. Inviting her to write articles in specialized journals and act as a research consultant, a key interlocutor in public consultations, and a jury member, the local and international art communities recognize her contribution to the development of contemporary art and public art practices by seeking or commending her expertise. Within our organization, whose institutional memory she now holds, Dery has proven herself to be a determined and dynamic professional, a curator appreciated by artists, a savvy manager capable of developing partnerships and generating independent revenues, and a co-editor of exhibition catalogues respected for her writing and editorial work. We are confident that Dery will lead our organization towards new horizons without denying its past.
While we express our heartfelt gratitude to Caroline Andrieux for the exceptional institution that she has entrusted to us and whose legacy she leaves to the vibrant visual arts scene, we warmly welcome Milly A. Dery as the new General and Artistic Director.
We wish both of them great success in their new roles.
Stéphane Martelly, Ph.D.
President of the Board of Directors
Quartier Éphémère