Some institutions begin their life as projects imagined by developers at heart, who have then entrusted their growth to trustworthy people. It is thus that the Centre SAGAMIE, founded 40 years ago, has become one of the most important artist-run centres in Quebec. Originally named Atelier d’estampe de la Sagamie by its spiritual father Jean Laliberté, and supported by several accomplices, the digital image technologies centre is now well established in the contemporary art network, at Alma in the Lac-Saint-Jean region.

Though the distance one must travel to go on a stay there was at first viewed as an obstacle, this has now been transformed into an enviable characteristic: the opportunity for artists in residency to be fully immersed in a countryside work context where they can enjoy a green oasis or a winter wonderland.

Thanks to his enlightened vision, the director general, Nicholas Pitre, has adroitly adapted the centre to the times and expectations of the art world by investing in cutting-edge equipment over the course of the years. Beyond providing professional artists with access to these specialized tools, it is the support of a qualified and polyvalent team that makes all the difference: thanks to Émili Dufour and Mathilde Martel-Coutu (co-directors) as well as Élise Bouchard and Isabelle Brassard (graphic artists and print media technician). In privileging human relations, co-management and collegiality at work, SAGAMIE seeks to stimulate the emergence of ideas both among its staff and its artists in residency.

It is in this welcoming space that we have witnessed the emergence of a big family of artists from all over, a group of proud ambassadors, faithful companions of art who are always striving for renewal and reinvention so that the adventure may carry on. In setting up a publishing house, an exhibition and experimentation centre, in addition to a production workshop, the centre is constantly seeking to support artists. The organization recently renovated its 6,000 square foot space to allow it to, among other things, reinstall its traditional silkscreen, engraving and lithography workshops and thus offer a new way of experiencing the residencies. 

SAGAMIE is guided by a unique philosophy that has grown and become more defined over the course of many encounters and challenges. SAGAMIE is a permanently evolving organization that openly welcomes a future of many possibilities limited only by the imagination.

- Text by Christine Martel