File

This file focusses on Clarence A. Gagnon's proposal to found an open-air museum on Île d'Orléans. It presents the theoretical foundations and principles behind the project, which was inspired by similar ventures created in Scandinavian countries in the early 20^th century, as well as Clarence A. Gagnon's vision of how it could be carried out. In a broader sense, the fonds chronicles the concern for preserving national traditions and customs in the face of Quebec's rapid urbanization and industrialization during the first third of the 20^th century.

The file contains handwritten notes on various subjects and several handwritten and typewritten versions of Gagnon's project presentation, written primarily in English. In the document entitled The Ile d’Orleans as an Historical National Park, Gagnon describes and expresses his admiration for the expertise that Scandinavian countries have developed to preserve ancestral traditions and illustrate the history of everyday living. He notably praises Artur Hazelius, the founder of the open-air museum in Skansen, Sweden, a large-scale project that includes several historic buildings, and Anders Sandvig, the driving force behind a similar project in Maihaugen, near Lillehammer, Norway. The artist then makes the case for his chosen site by discussing the island's natural beauty and identity motives like its inhabitants’ deep French-Canadian roots and the Norman architecture of its buildings. He underscores the urgent need to preserve the ancestral character and charm of the island, which has been little affected by "modern progress," but which could be threatened by the increased access that came when the newly built bridge opened to traffic in 1935. The document then sets forth a seven-point plan for carrying out the project, which notably includes creating an independent company to manage it, reconstructing buildings on the museum site, developing traditional crafts, classifying as historic sites off-site buildings that could not be moved, and supporting homeowners who would like to restore their properties.

A press clipping reports an interview that Gagnon gave to journalist Alfred Ayotte of Le Devoir newspaper, in which he recounts the origins of his project. Other articles chronicle the various forms of support the artist received, notably from the mayor of Île d'Orléans, Mr. Maillard, and the Art Association of Montreal.  The file also contains the handwritten rough draft and typewritten version of a speech, which was probably the lecture Gagnon gave at the Club Kiwanis Saint-Laurent de Montréal on July 11, 1939, and a typewritten text in French about a proposed open-air museum on top of Mount Royal.