History
Founded in 1975 originally as the Musée d’archéologie de l’Est du Québec, the Musée du Bas-Saint-Laurent (MBSL) was renamed the Centre d'animation et de diffusion culturelles du Bas-St-Laurent in 1978. From then on, the MBSL embraced a new mission oriented towards education and outreach and developed an important niche in photography and ethnology. Furthermore, during the 1980s, the MBSL became a significant actor in contemporary art in Québec. The Musée du Bas-Saint-Laurent officially adopted its current name in 2006.
Over the years, the MBSL’s commitment to modern art and ethnology has evolved into a broad expertise of these spheres of activities. Enriched by its achievements, the MBSL, as a major museological institution, preserves its dual mission in order to adequately serve the regional population and the passing clientele.
Mission Statement
The MBSL’s mission is articulated around conservation, research, outreach and education. Its main fields of interests are Québec contemporary art, ethnographic photography of Eastern Québec and the artistic production in the Lower St. Lawrence region. The MBSL specifically targets the regional population and tourists while seeking to exhibit its own original museological productions outside of the Lower St. Lawrence region.
Vision and Mandate
The MBSL is intended to be an inclusive place for discovery and learning. Through various actions unfolding both inside and outside of its premises, the MBSL aims to make its exhibitions, activities and collections accessible to as many people as possible. Over the past few years, the MBSL has proposed unusual events within its walls while maintaining the rigorous and profound nature of its content which it particularly values.
The objectives established by the MBSL regarding conservation and research derive directly from its mission: to ensure the sustainability and the documentation of its important collection of artworks by influential Québec contemporary artists and to build a significant collection of photographic archival funds of Eastern Québec