Fonds P128 - La Centrale fonds

La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse is a not-for-profit organization founded in December 1973 in Montreal, Quebec. La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse, then known as Powerhouse, was the first feminist art gallery in Canada. The gallery was the initiative of a group of women artists that grew out of The Flaming Apron, a shop and gathering place located in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG). The gallery was officially incorporated in April 1974 under the name Galerie et atelier La Centrale électrique - Powerhouse Gallery & studio. Today, it is generally known as La Centrale.

Powerhouse Gallery started with two exhibition rooms, and was located on the 2nd floor of a four-room apartment at 1210 Greene Avenue in Westmount, Quebec. It moved to 3738 St. Dominique Street, Montreal, in 1974. In 1976, a performance space was opened at the same location. In 1987, the gallery moved to 4060 Saint-Laurent Boulevard, where six other arts-related organizations were located. Together with DARE-DARE and Skol, La Centrale relocated to 279 Sherbrooke Street West in 1991. In June 1996, the galley moved again to 460 St-Catherine Street. Since July 2004, La Centrale is situated at 4296 Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

From 1990 to 1996, La Centrale was part of the Société du 5 avril. Since 1986, the gallery is member of the Regroupement des centres d’artistes autogérés du Québec (RCAAQ).

La Centrale is one of the oldest feminist artist-run centers of Canada. Originally, the objective of Powerhouse Gallery was to stand up against the under-representation of women in the visual arts in Canada by supporting and presenting the works of women artists who could not afford the cost of exhibiting elsewhere. Over the years, La Centrale has become an important exhibition space focusing on contemporary art created by women, presenting works from artists in all stages of their career. In 2007, La Centrale changed its mandate to serve not only women, but any groups marginalized in dominant cultural institutions.

Programming at La Centrale integrates works from different artistic fields, including sculpture, painting, drawing, intervention, performance, installation, 3D animation, audio art, and new media. Programming consists of art exhibitions, video presentations, book launches, conferences, studio visits, artist talks, and round tables. In addition to the general programming, La Centrale was involved in Mois de la performance, which was held every two years between 1994 to 2004. In 2006, Mois de la performance was replaced by the citywide biennial event VIVA! Art Action, of which La Centrale is a founding member and partner. La Centrale also participates in the HTMlles festival organized by Studio XX in Montreal since 1997. In addition, the gallery supports research on art practices, feminism, and gender theory, among other subjects. In response to the changing art world and the interests of its members, La Centrale is in permanent evolution and encourages the development of new ways of artistic expression.

In order to be able to represent the interests and the dynamism of its community, La Centrale implemented an organizational structure based on member participation. All members form the general assembly and are invited to participate in gallery committees. Permanent committees correspond to the main functions of the gallery, while ad hoc committees are established by the Board of directors on a temporary basis to support specific activities.