Registration – Interstice: Outdoor School

The Est-Nord-Est team is thrilled to announce the inaugural edition of the Interstice Seminar! To launch this series of interdisciplinary exchanges, we are delighted to welcome artist Diane Borsato as our mentor for a seminar titled Outdoor School, taking place June 24–26, 2025, at Est-Nord-Est.

 

Outdoor School, mushroom picking at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Organized by Diane Borsato and Amish Morrell. Image courtesy of the artist

 

Outdoor School / Saint-Jean-Port-Joli

At this seminar, Diane Borsato – artist and co-founder of the Outdoor School collective with Amish Morrell – will share pictures of and stories about her own environmental art practices informed by her many seasons as a mushroomer, beekeeper, swimmer, orchardist, and tea sommelier. Together with many local collaborators, Borsato and attendees will participate in a series of activities that may include lectures, conversations, an outdoor movement workshop, foraging, walks, teas, cold-water swims, and a communal dinner.

 

Our mentor and collaborators

 From left to right: Diane Borsato, Chantal Caron, Julie Aubé, Catherine Avard 

Diane Borsato is an award-winning artist, writer, amateur mycologist, orchardist and beekeeper – who works closely with other artists and naturalists. She has performed and exhibited across Canada at venues including the Art Gallery of Ontario, The Power Plant, the AGYU, the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, the Walter Phillips Gallery at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Esker Foundation, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the National Art Centre, Fogo Island Arts and with the Toronto Biennial of Art, and at galleries and museums internationally. She recently published two books, Outdoor School: Contemporary Environmental Art (2021) co-edited with Amish Morrell, and MUSHROOMING: The Joy of the Quiet Hunt (2022), a guide to mushroom foraging and an exploration of fungi in contemporary art. She is also an Associate Professor of Experimental Studio at the University of Guelph, where she teaches courses exploring conceptual art, video and performance art; along with social, site-responsive and environmental art practices. See Diane Borsato’s works at www.dianeborsato.net

 

Chantal Caron founded École de danse Chantal Caron in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli in 1986, wishing to bolster accessibility to dance in the region and to democratize contemporary dance. Twenty years later, she created Fleuve | Espace danse and developed a specialty in outdoor choreography and filmmaking, inspired by the magnificence of the St. Lawrence River and its precious ecosystems. In 2018, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada, “for her artistic creations highlighting national heritage and her contribution to the development of the next generation of dancers.” Her short dance films have been selected by many prestigious international film festivals and have received a number of grand prizes since 2014. Her in situ shows have toured throughout Québec and in British Columbia, Atlantic Canada, New York, and Europe. Her commitment to the environment and her region has also led to her being appointed Ambassador of the St. Lawrence for the David Suzuki Foundation and receiving the Artist of the Year Award, Chaudière-Appalaches, from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec in 2023. She is also a mentor and gives talks on the many themes involved in her art practice and environmental concerns. In March 2025, she was honoured to receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal. She will lead an outdoor movement workshop, inviting participants to explore the connection between their body and the natural environment.

 

Julie Aubé, nutritionist, author, and speaker has an insatiable curiosity about and boundless enthusiasm for everything involved with food. No matter how she reaches out to the public (creating recipes, writing, speaking, events, and so on), her mission remains the same: to (re)connect people who eat with the passionate people who provide high-quality, locally available food. In her most recent book, Cœur de fermière, she tells about her return to the land and the creation of her seasonal microfarm in Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Roch le fermier, which she has operated since 2021. She will introduce us to her microfarm, in which vegetable gardens, poultry, and orchards thrive together. During the visit, she will share her expertise and give a live demonstration of how she makes her farm-fresh pasta. Participants will leave with new knowledge and prepare a fresh pasta meal together at ENE, continuing the reflection on food culture.

 

Catherine Avard is trained in agronomy, herbalism, environmental education and the founder of La Louve. She provides guidance to people who want to protect their agricultural land in perpetuity under the fiducie d’utilité sociale agroécologique (social benefit agroecological trust) model, and she has been practising prenatal herbalism for more than ten years. Medicinal plants are tools that help women (re)connect with their personal power in their reproductive life, from the decision whether – and when – to have children to how to bring them into the world. Her gardens are rooted in a small piece of land in St-Aubert, beside the Trois-Saumons River. She will welcome us into her medicinal garden for an introductory workshop on herbalism. Participants will have an opportunity to explore plants through the lens of reciprocity. The session will be followed by a swim in the Trois-Saumons River, extending our connection to the living world.

 

Informations

 

Experience Required

None! Just curiosity and a desire to learn in a group setting.

 

What to Bring

• Weather-appropriate outdoor clothing (hiking shoes, rain jacket, hat, comfortable clothing), sunscreen, reusable water bottle, mosquito repellent, etc.
• Swimsuit
• Headphones/smartphone for listening exercises

 

Practical Information

• Dates: June 24–26, 2025
• Location: 335 Avenue de Gaspé Ouest, Saint-Jean-Port-Joli
• Cost: $270 ➝ This fee includes participation in the seminar as well as 3 lunches prepared by La Cambuse – épicerie en vrac and all the ingredients and equipment needed for the joint preparation of a fresh pasta dinner.
• Language: Please note that basic comprehension of French and English is recommended to take this seminar. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call or email us. 
• Accommodation: At the participant’s expense. ➝ It is possible to book a studio at the centre at member pricing.

 

Registration

Only 10 places available! To sign up, email us at info@estnordest.org. We will send you a form to confirm your participation.

The seminar is reserved for Est-Nord-Est members. For more information on membership, click here.

 

We look forward to sharing this experience with you!