In her role as president of Studio Georgeville, Louise Abbott recently won a bursary from ELAN (English-Language Arts Network). Her project: to conduct a tour of Montreal art galleries with three other artists who are members of the cooperative that runs Studio Georgeville. She created a report for ELAN in the form of a short video:

https://vimeo.com/326774013

An exhibition of photos by Louise Abbott and Niels Jensen  

and five short documentary films by Louise Abbott

Le Vieux Forgeron, Stanstead, QC

Thursday, July 11-Sunday, July 28, 2019

Vernissage: Saturday, July 13, 2019

The hamlet of Arviat lies on the western shore of Hudson Bay 260 kilometres north of Churchill, Manitoba. It is the southernmost Inuit community in Nunavut. It is also considered the most traditional. “Country food” produced by hunting and fishing remains the primary source of sustenance for local inhabitants. 

In exploring Arviat and its surroundings, Louise Abbott and Niels Jensen photographed a wide range of subject matter—from ancient archaeological sites and modern-day Inuksuit to portraits and wildlife studies. Their exhibition reflects the way in which the past and present co-exist for the inhabitants of this northern outpost. It includes 5 short documentaries produced by Louise Abbott for the CRIIM (Cultural Resources Inventory and Interpretive Materials) Project sponsored by NTI (Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated).

https://vimeo.com/348145535/e8bc83a09b

Polar bear swimming off the shore of Sentry Island, Hudson Bay (Louise Abbott)

 Inuit elder Ayaaq Anowtalik, Arviat (Niels Jensen)

A look back at  our key activities over the past year:

In the spring of 2018, Louise Abbott received a joint grant from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) and the MRC Memphremagog to make three short documentaries about three artists living in the Eastern Townships. She has finished shooting the videos and has nearly completed post-production on one of them. 

In the summer of 2018, Louise Abbott and Niels Jensen travelled north to Nemaska for the first screening of Cree Tourism: Creating the Career of Your Dreams, Rural Route Communication's latest documentary for COTA: 

https://vimeo.com/281174698

Louise  went on to shoot much of the footage for a documentary about the history and contemporary role of the Ayer's Cliff Fair that is scheduled for completion in 2020 for the fair's 175th anniversary.

She also completed a documentary about the history of covered bridges in Quebec titled Driving into the Past in English and Un voyage dans le passé in French.

In late 2018, she began work on yet another documentary about the restoration of a round barn in Mansonville that dates to 1912. Here's a short demo: https://vimeo.com/331100896

Niels Jensen is serving as drone operator and lighting technician for all of these films, while Montreal cameraman Vito DeFilippo is helping out on formal interviews and editing.

On December 5, 2018, Radio Canada broadcast a report about the round barn restoration project that shows a quick shot of Louise and Niels at work:

https://vimeo.com/304857135

No shortage of creative work for Rural Route Communications!  

Nantali Indongo, the vibrant host of CBC Radio's The Bridge (broadcast on CBC Radio One in Quebec on Saturday at 5 p.m.), interviewed Louise Abbott about her life and work and the music that has inspired her.

To hear an excerpt:

https://www.facebook.com/CBCMontreal/videos/10155688752306298/

Louise Abbott on preserving cultures of rural Quebec