Lawrence Belanger,

Local Journalism Initiative

As the wind and rain raged in the dark on a cold November weeknight, it was warm, bright, and dry in the Salle le Tremplin, where Lou-Philip and his friend Benjamin gathered paints and brushes for a project Benjamin was about to begin. All the while, fragments of music from an upright piano and acoustic guitar filled the room while several others sat at vinyl-covered tables working on paintings, sculptures, and more.

Only open since last spring, the Art Hive held every Wednesday in Tremplin 16-30’s multi-purpose room is one of the region’s better-attended hives. Like most Art Hives, attendance is open to the public and free of charge.

Art Hives are a global movement, founded in Canada, to help like-minded people start community-based studios. At an Art Hive (Ruche d’art in French), anyone can work on self-directed artistic projects, with no instruction or direction. The concept was conceived by Janis Timm-Bottos, an art therapist and associate professor at Concordia University.

The history of Art Hives begins during the 1990s when Timm-Bottos was working in a community clinic serving the homeless in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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