For the pleasure of the eyes, public artworks by Quebec artists can be enjoyed in public access areas, outdoor or indoor, for the benefit of residents. The City has acquired some of these works of art through the Policy of Integrating art into the architecture and environment of government and public buildings and sites. Have you admired them?
The Glass Books
Linda Covit
- Created in 2000
- Made of glass and metal
- Admire it at the Civic Centre (De Salaberry Blvd.)
- Artist's website: lindacovit.com
Description
In 1992, during the construction of the public library, the City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux sought to integrate a public artwork into this new cultural space. A few years later, as part of the celebrations marking the year 2000, the City chose to install its very first public sculpture: The Glass Books, a glass and metal artwork created by artist Linda Covit.
Unanimously selected by the municipal council from a model submitted by the artist, the sculpture consists of a slender metal column topped with a stack of glass books. Today, it welcomes visitors at the entrance of the Civic Centre and the Dollard-des-Ormeaux Public Library.
This location dedicated to learning, sharing knowledge, and opening oneself to the world is an ideal setting for the artwork. Lifted toward the sky by the metal column, the glass books symbolize our highest aspirations: the beauty of thought and contemplation, knowledge, communication, and the future. As part of the City’s millennium celebrations, this artwork marks an important milestone in the cultural history of Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
Two Whales
Susan Davy-Hodgson
- Created in 2010
- Made of St. Marc limestone, a Québec stone
- Admire it at the Civic Centre (De Salaberry Blvd.)
Description
Created in 2010 as part of Atelier Sculpture 213 in Laval, this work was produced for a collective project themed Water. Members of the studio were invited to carve large stones destined for installation in the garden of the Centre de la Nature in Laval, where the sculptures were displayed for three years.
St‑Marc limestone, a Québec stone known for its rich textures and brilliant polish, reveals embedded sea shells. These prehistoric traces, brought to light through the artist’s carving, add a natural depth to the piece.
For Susan Davy‑Hodgson, water evokes personal memories of boating, swimming, travelling, and a lifelong fascination with whales. Having observed these majestic creatures in Québec, Alaska, and Mexico, she drew inspiration from their size, grace, and beauty to imagine two descending whales. The raw shape of the stone guided the development of the concept. The concrete base, whose edge suggests splashing water, completes the composition.
A resident of Dollard‑des‑Ormeaux, sculptor, and former art teacher, Susan Davy‑Hodgson donated this sculpture to the City in October 2015. A bridge between water and art has thus been crossed.
Inner Mouvements
Pierre Fournier
- Created in 2010
- Made of anodized aluminium
- Admire it by des Sources High School's soccer and football fields (Lake St.)
- Artist's website: artpublicmontreal.ca/en/artiste/fournier-pierre
Description
Created as part of the Government of Québec’s program for integrating art into architecture, Inner Movements is an anodized aluminum sculpture that reflects the distinctive approach of Pierre Fournier, whose work explores the relationship between art, technology, and organic structures. The work consists of kinetic sculptures, set in motion by the wind, installed on lighting poles of the soccer–football field at École secondaire des Sources.
The artist designs playful forms using multiplied elements. Through repetition, shifts in scale, and the assembly of 2D cut pieces that become three‑dimensional structures, he questions our perception of reality. Inspired by nature, he organizes matter into a multitude of unique and often complex shapes and combinations, where drawing serves as the starting point for the sculptural object.
Animated by the wind, the components of the sculpture move with a continuous energy. Some guide the motion, others rotate on themselves or sway in subtle balance. Together, they form a dynamic landscape governed by the laws of physics, where each element interacts with the others. These movements express the inner dynamics that shape our intentions, motivations, and our relationship to the world.
Ricochet
Francis Montillaud
- Created in 2011
- Made of pillars of galvanized steel, arches of aluminum tubes, and spheres of polystyrene and polymerized cement
- Admire it at Dollard-des-Ormeaux Park (De Salaberry Blvd.)
- Artist’s website: francismontillaud.com/
Description
Created as part of the Government of Québec’s program for integrating art into architecture, Ricochet is a sculptural installation inspired by movement and play, responding to the sports activities that take place in Dollard-des-Ormeaux Park. Designed for the Centre de la petite enfance Dollard project, the work marks the play area through the representation of an inflatable ball. By observing the trajectory of a bouncing ball, Francis Montillaud imagined the broad lines of an aerial structure tracing the fictional path of a ball ricocheting across the tops of three supports.
To convey a sense of fluidity, energy, and speed, the ball’s movement is represented by a series of eight spheres of varying sizes. This sequence echoes early photographic studies of motion and the slow-motion images found in cinema. The work thus creates a bridge between science and imagination by staging the phenomenon of gravity.
Placed at the top of the hill, the work is visible from afar. It invites gathering, play, and celebration, while also evoking the organization of ideas, the act of learning, and the pursuit of new knowledge.
Ornamental gardens
Myriam Dion
- Created in 2021
- Made of white Japanese paper
- Admire it at the Civic Centre (De Salaberry Blvd.)
- Artist's website: myriamdion.com
Description
Created as part of the Government of Québec’s program for integrating art into architecture, Ornamental gardens is a series of four works on white Japanese paper. Artist Myriam Dion employs an extremely meticulous hand‑cutting technique that transforms the paper into finely pierced surfaces reminiscent of the layout of Renaissance gardens. Through precise motifs and delicate craftsmanship, the work evokes ordered spaces where contemplation, slowness, and attention to detail come together.
Inspired by the concept of the garden as a place of knowledge, gathering, and reflection, the artist offers a contemporary interpretation of these historical spaces, once dedicated to sociability, leisure, and the observation of nature. Renaissance gardens—vast sites of retreat where distinguished guests were welcomed to converse, meditate, and contemplate the artworks arranged throughout the grounds—become here a motif reimagined through paper cutting. This reference to a period of artistic and intellectual effervescence informs the composition, which brings into the library atrium the idea of a space where knowledge, nature, and architecture converge.
Myriam Dion’s practice, rooted in dexterity, craftsmanship, and the repetition of motifs, recalls lacework and traditional ornamental techniques. Through artisanal virtuosity and the slow, deliberate gesture, she creates delicate surfaces that invite a calm visual experience, standing in contrast to the accelerated pace of contemporary society.
Sapphire Blues
Peter W. Hart
- Created in 2022
- Made of acrylic, fabric and mixed media on canvas
- Admire it at the municipal library (De Salaberry Blvd.)
- Artist's website: peterwhart.com
Description
Created with acrylic, fabric, and mixed media, Sapphire Blues draws inspiration from the musical world of the West Island Blues Festival. Artist Peter W. Hart, originally from Dollard‑des‑Ormeaux, donated this work to the City—a gesture that reflects his deep connection to the community and his desire to celebrate the spirit of sharing that has animated the festival since its beginnings. Composed of fabric, bright pigments, and vibrant textures, the series pays tribute to the dedication of the festival’s founders and to the energy that has shaped its identity.
The expressive and luminous works of Peter W. Hart convey the movement, spontaneity, and vitality that define his practice. His visual language, marked by primary colors, unconventional materials, and richly textured surfaces, shifts between abstraction and figuration. Sometimes described as “sculpted,” his compositions offer a tactile, three‑dimensional quality that evokes the freedom of the gesture. A self‑taught artist, Hart embraces an intuitive and joyful approach to contemporary painting, integrating fabric, beads, or metallic leaf to push the boundaries of the medium. His multidimensional paintings reflect a vision of life that is vibrant, generous, and deeply human.
Installed in the Dollard‑des‑Ormeaux Public Library, the works bring a new cultural dimension to this space of gathering, discovery, and community sharing. They stand as a testament to the artist’s generosity and enrich the collective cultural heritage of the city.
