James Lyng Vernissage: Lives of the South West

Students from James Lyng High School in St. Henri have been collecting real-life stories from residents of the South West neighbourhoods of Montreal. These are: St-Henri, Little Burgundy, Pointe-St-Charles, Ville-Emard and Verdun.

Individuals range from long-time residents to new locals. The diverse scope of perspectives shared through Lives of the South West are both personal and profound. Storytellers include world-renowned jazz pianist Oliver Jones, actor and playwright Vittorio Rossi, rapper Nate Husser, New Regine-founder Setiz Taheri and many more.

Using these stories, the students have created a multi-media exhibition in the school’s art gallery, as well as an interactive online map which will be available at livesofthesouthwest.com after December 21. The school invites the public to join us as they journey through the lives, neighborhoods, history and richness of the South West.

The Up Next Gallery opened in December of 2015 as part of the school’s transformation into an “Urban Arts High School.” The gallery is run by students and showcases the work of our own students, youth from other schools, community groups and professional artists.

A vernissage for the exhibition will take place on Thursday, December 21 (6:30-8:30 pm) at the Up Next Gallery at the school (5440 rue Notre-Dame O). The event is open to the public. Please see this excellent story by Bill Brownstein in The Montreal Gazette.