Hold on to your hat ! | Musée POP

The open-minded, innovative and socially focused Musée POP was looking to create its first signature exhibition. Brought on board from the planning stages, La bande à Paul joined the museum’s team to lay the foundations for the project, which was designed to showcase Quebec popular culture.

Since no consensus exists among specialists regarding the concept of popular culture, defining Quebec culture proved to be a large-scale undertaking! What characterizes Quebec culture and distinguishes it from other cultures around the world? We decided to consult the public on the question. Thanks to a partnership with Léger 360, a survey of 1,000 Quebecers across the province was conducted. Based on the popular vote, forty or so eclectic subjects representing Quebecers’ uniqueness served as raw material for the project, including language, gastronomy, hockey, First Nations, tales and legends, ingenuity, winter, music.

The eight themes are prefaced by typically Quebecois expressions, with each one coming to life in a unique universe. The multi-sensory exhibition brings together objects from its rich collection (artefacts, works of art, caricatures, popular crafts, tools, etc.) with a variety of formats: radio or television archives, musical excerpts, mechanical or digital interactive elements and video projection. 

A kid-friendly component, La virée des flos et des flounes, is also available at each station so that children to explore the theme from a different perspective. This playful, funny and interactive journey is a fabulous opportunity to recognize or delve into the heart of the socio-cultural identity of the Quebec people. 

*The Société des musées du Québec awarded this exhibition one of its Prix d’excellence.