creative forces

Blog # 72…August 2017

I was in Quebec recently and was reminded of how much value they place on artisans and the work they do.  In Iles de la Madeleine, where we spent a few days, I noticed the term Economusee kept popping up and when we visited a fromagerie, I got to the bottom of what it meant.

The Economusee Network Society was established in Quebec in 1992 as a means of recognizing and promoting the work of artisans.  Operating in the field of crafts or the agri-food sector, participants use authentic know-how in the production of their commodities.  They also open their workshops to the general public so they can share their passion and knowledge and sell products made on the premises.

We saw cheese being made (and tasted it too) at Fromagerie Pied de Vent - they produce three speciality cheeses, which contain no chemical additives, with milk from one herd of cattle fed only hay and feed available on the islands..

We also visited Le Fumoir d’Antan where three generations of Arsenaults  have been curing and smoking seafood since the 1940’s. with kippered herring a speciality.

Les Iles de la Madeleine are a sand archipelago so sand is everywhere (causing serious erosion problems on causeways and cliffs, but creating exquisite beaches). Artisans du Sable put it to many creative uses, mixing it with an agent to give it structural integrity. One series of objets that particularly appealed to us were funeral urns,shaped a bit like a wasp's nest and with the signature footprint motif.

These three examples of Economusee are but the tip of the iceberg. Since its beginning twenty- five years ago, as well as a number of locations in Quebec, the movement has spread in Canada to the Martiime provinces, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. There are Economusees in Northern Ireland and the Republic, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland  and the Faroe Islands. Products range from maple syrup to bread, berr and wine to beef, garments knitted or made from woven material, articles made from wood, ceramics or metal. There's even a taxidermist. This international network of like minded artisan-entrepreneurs share marketing initiatives, tourism campaigns and are strong regional economic generators.

Visits are currently being made to Haiti to explore the possibilities there. It's a fascinating movement, and a refreshing alternative to our highly mechanized ways of production and consumption.