ART HIVES : creation workshop
Presented by
The Art Hive is back at the museum for its eighth year! This activity takes place on the first Sunday of every month from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Art Hive is a space for well-being, connection, and inclusion, rooted in a philosophy of democratizing the arts. Everyone is welcomed as an artist, regardless of their level of artistic knowledge or technical skills.
Personalized support is provided by an art therapist and a museum mediator. A wide variety of creative materials is available to participants. There are no instructions; independent experiences of creativity, learning, and knowledge-sharing are encouraged. Each session begins with the presentation of an artwork from the Sherbrooke Museum of Fine Arts collection, followed by an art therapy exercise related to the theme.
Through collaboration, participants build connections and create collective works. Everyone who feels drawn to this experience is welcome. Beverages and light snacks are served during each session. The activity is open, so participants can join at any time between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Welcome to all!
ABOUT SARA GIARD PAGÉ
With over 15 years of experience in the helping profession, notably as a psychoeducator, Sara Giard Pagé transitioned her professional practice to art therapy, earning her degree from UQAT in 2021. She co-founded and co-directed the Sherbrooke Art Therapy Center (C.A.T.S.) for several years, where she provided art therapy services while also practicing in a hospital setting. She continues this work today, supporting individuals facing mental health challenges, while also offering services in her private practice as a self-employed art therapist.
Sara has developed expertise in addressing anxiety, depression, burnout, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More broadly, her skills extend to areas such as emotional expression and management, relational difficulties, behavioral patterns, and self-discovery, self-esteem, and self-assertion. Her desire to make the transformative power of art accessible to a wider audience has led her to include facilitating the MBAS Art Hives among her professional activities.
ART HIVES CALENDAR 2025
| Dates | Topics | Works from the MBAS collection | Introduction to free creative activity |
| Sunday January 4, 2026 | Winter Sleep | Paul Klee, Winter ou Sommeil d’hiver, 1938, ink on paper, 53.8 × 44.3 cm, Luc LaRochelle Collection. | A prominent figure of modern art, Swiss-German painter Paul Klee (1879–1940) drew significant inspiration from literature and music. His colorful and poetic paintings, prints, and drawings borrow from the world of dreams. Created in ink in 1938, Winter or Sommeil d’hiver is no exception. Scattered with constellations and strange stars, the work invites the eye to wander and lose itself in its composition. For this first Art Hive of the year, we invite you to reflect on your dreams, aspirations, and wishes, inspired by this famous quote from Oscar Wilde: ‘Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. |
| Sunday February 1, 2026 | Love at first sight. | Frederick Simpson Coburn, Untitled, A Kiss in the Garden, 1913, pastel on paper, 47.7 × 36.8 cm, Newlands Coburn Collection. | A leading artist in the Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke collection, Frederick Simpson Coburn (1871–1960) was born in Upper Melbourne. Throughout his career, he gained renown for his technical mastery and his depictions of snowy landscapes. Created in pastel in 1913, Untitled, A Kiss in the Garden portrays a young couple sharing a kiss beneath a flowering tree. Filled with tenderness, this drawing powerfully demonstrates the artist’s ability to immerse the viewer in his world. For this February Art Hive, you are invited to explore the theme of love at first sight and love in all its forms.” |
| Sunday, March 1, 2026 | Where children play, giants laugh. | Henriette Fauteux-Massé, Jeux d’automne, 1947, oil on paper, 30.5 × 22.5 cm, Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke Collection. | Over the years, Henriette Fauteux-Massé (1924–2005) developed her own artistic style as a self-taught artist. Today, her work is recognizable by the large colored rectangles that interlock and complement one another, as well as by the balance between experimentation and control. In Jeux d’automne (1947), the shapes echo each other, duplicate, and seem to collide as they arrange themselves like a game of Tetris. This month, the Art Hive is an invitation to bring more play into our daily lives. |
| Sunday, April 5, 2026 | April is no time to shed your layers. | Arthur Villeneuve, Charles Hamel 10.62, 1962, oil on canvas, 55.7 × 64.8 cm, Musée des beaux-arts Collection. | Born in Chicoutimi, Arthur Villeneuve (1910–1990) was first a barber before becoming a painter. With no academic training, Villeneuve began painting murals inside and outside his home. Completely covered, his house-museum remains his most notable work. In Charles Hamel 10.62, it is difficult to grasp what is happening in the scene. The narrative is nebulous, but one thing is certain: a strange atmosphere fills the piece. For this Art Hive, we propose the theme of caution, echoing the famous saying: ‘In April, don’t shed a thread. |
| Sunday, May 3, 2026 | Plant a tree, and you plant the future. | Joyce Schweitzer-Cochrane, La ville de Sherbrooke à la mi-mai, 1984, watercolor on paper, 48.5 × 57 cm, gift from Mrs. Joyce Schweitzer-Cochrane – Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke Collection. | Born in 1930, Joyce Schweitzer-Cochrane received academic training in visual arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well as at the Université de Sherbrooke. In her practice, she creates landscapes in watercolor. La ville de Sherbrooke (1984) is no exception. In this work, it feels as though we are standing on the opposite side of the river, looking toward downtown. In the distance, the cathedral rises above the rest of the landscape. For this May Art Hive, we invite you to draw inspiration from nature’s gentle awakening. |
| Sunday, June 7, 2026 | Chance is the most reliable poet.” André Breton | Marcel Gingras, Élucubration, 1982, pastel on wood panel, 35 × 51.6 cm, Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke Collection. | Born in Sherbrooke, Marcel Gingras studied fine arts in Montreal and was even a student of Alfred Pellan. Although traces of this great artist’s influence can sometimes be detected, Gingras’s artistic production goes in every direction: the subjects, materials, and styles he explored are highly varied. Élucubration (1982) presents a playful composition with vibrant colors and inviting textures, where flatness and volume blend without constraint. For this June Art Hive, we invite you to play with chance. |
| Sunday, July 5, 2026 | To sunbathe | Jean Arp, Palette, 20th century, ink on paper, 25.5 × 22 cm, gift from the Estate of Sylvio Lacharité – Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke Collection. | Co-founder of the Dada movement, Jean Arp (also known as Hans Arp) was a sculptor, graphic artist, writer, and poet for whom chance was an important element of artistic practice. His work Palette (20th century) radiates a captivating warmth and features rhythmic, dancing forms that evoke the heat of July. For this Hive, we invite you to share your vision of what ‘soaking up the sun’ means to you. |
| Sunday, August 2, 2026 | When the curtain falls. | Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, Aldous Huxley, 1966, silver print, 39 × 34 cm, Luc LaRochelle Collection. | Cecil Beaton (1904–1980) was a fashion and portrait photographer. During his career, he worked for magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vanity Fair, and became the official photographer of the royal family in 1937. He was also a set designer and costume designer for film and theater. The work shown here is a rather enigmatic portrait of British philosopher and writer Aldous Huxley, best known for his acclaimed novel Brave New World, published in 1932. This August Art Hive invites you to explore what lies behind the curtain. |
| Sunday, September 6, 2026 | To have fire in your belly. | René Derouin, Automne, 20th century, woodcut, 40 × 54.5 cm – Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke Collection. | A great traveler, René Derouin is fascinated by territory. Born in 1936, he now lives in Val-David. His work in printmaking and ceramics explores themes of blending, migration, and delves into questions of identity and territory. Automne explores an almost abstract universe, warm and captivating. It is hard to tell whether we are seeing rivers of molten lava or a shower of embers. For this Art Hive, we invite you to explore what it means to have fire in your belly. |
| Sunday, October 4, 2026 | When the moon is full, the wolf howls without hate. | Unknown artist, Untitled, 19th century, fired and painted clay, 15.3 × 15.3 cm, Gorayeb-Dubé Collection. | This small ceramic tile was made in the 19th century by an unknown artist. Hand-painted, it depicts a fox or a wolf in conversation with a bat, both illuminated by the full moon. Rich in narrative, this work serves as inspiration for the October Art Hive, where you are invited to share stories under the moonlight. |
| Sunday, November 1, 2026 | Fog in November, winter will be gentle. | André Philibert, Oror, 20th century, acrylic on wood panel, 46.5 × 46.5 cm, Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke Collection. | Born in 1944, André Philibert is a trained graphic designer. Inspired by the St. Lawrence River, Charlevoix, and the Eastern Townships, he often paints winter landscapes under the night sky. This particular luminosity gives way to ghostly yet soothing shades of blue and gray. The painting Oror presents a scene that is both unsettling and nostalgic. The pristine white snow serves as a backdrop for twisted trees with broken branches, taking on almost animal-like shapes. For this November Art Hive, we invite you to reflect on the tranquility that this season can bring as the days grow shorter. |
| Sunday, December 6, 2026 | When the cat’s away, the mice will play. | X. Xmiraux, The Enemy Asleep, n.d., pastel, charcoal, and graphite on paper, 33.2 × 41 cm, gift of Mr. Pierre Riverin – Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke Collection. | Undated, this pastel, charcoal, and graphite drawing shows a sleeping cat while two mice steal food from a plate. For the last Art Hive of the year, we invite you to draw inspiration from the phrase “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” After all, December is the best time of year to have fun and indulge in a little mischief. |