Landscape architecture and urban planning students at the Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens for a summer workshop – July 28, 2022 – The École d’urbanisme et d’architecture de paysage and the Reford Gardens are collaborating on a summer workshop to be held from August 5 to 12 with the participation of 16 students from the baccalauréat and the maîtrise en architecture de paysage, of the baccalauréat en urbanisme and the maîtrise Ville territoire et paysage. The École d’urbanisme et d’architecture de paysage continues its partnership with the Reford Gardens, after two years of absence due to the restrictions of the pandemic, with an in situ workshop that will count on the collaboration of the MRC de La Mitis, the various mayors of the adjacent villages, the Parc régional de la rivière Mitis and the Musée régional de Rimouski. The 2022 edition, under the supervision of Marie Claude Massicotte, landscape architect and lecturer at the École d’urbanisme et d’architecture de paysage, is an opportunity to refine the gardens set up in 2019, inspired by the exquisite corpse, a collective writing game in which each author refers to the previous chapters to conceive a complete literary work. The transposition of this concept to the workshop project makes it possible to create a garden and see it metamorphose from year to year. The students will have to compose a garden from elements already in place. The end result is the creation of a garden from year to year, starting with what was done and achieved the previous year. For Jean-Philippe Meloche, director of the École d’urbanisme et d’architecture de paysage, “the 2022 version of the workshop allows us to link the landscape architecture and urban planning students of our school, working together on a creative, innovative and concerted project. The regional aspect will be deepened with the MRC of La Mitis, the town halls of the adjacent villages, the Parc régional de la rivière Mitis and the regional museum of Rimouski.” After analyzing the characteristics of a mentioned sector of the MRC of La Mitis (the Reford Gardens, Regional Park, Mitis River, Price, Saint-Octave-de-Métis) and taking the pulse of the population and visitors, the students will identify the exceptional and interesting landscapes and attractions of the region to reveal cultural and tourist circuits to be highlighted and, at the same time, reflect this regional color in the gardens. The workshop is taking place in two phases: a two-day ideation visit, held in May, to design and refine the 2019 gardens and create regional tours of sites of interest in Métis, that will continue from August 5 to 12 with the design of regional interest tours and garden implementation. A final presentation of the student projects will take place on August 11 at the Reford Gardens. About the Reford GardensThe Reford Gardens is a National Historic Site of Canada. Classified as a Quebec heritage site, they are among the most beautiful gardens in North America. They were designed and maintained by Elsie Reford from 1926 to 1958. Open to the public since 1962, they have become an obligatory stop for all those who visit the Gaspé and the Lower St. Lawrence. In addition to the visit of the historic gardens and the Estevan Lodge, a diversified cultural program of visual arts, music, literature and environment is offered. The Gardens are open every day until Sunday, October 2, 2022. https://www.jardinsdemetis.com/en/