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September 6, 2007
The Alcoa Foundation and the Alcoa Baie-Comeau Smelter invest $1 million towards the construction of an arts and culture centre and setting up an arts exhibition hall in Baie-Comeau
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As part of the festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the Alcoa Baie-Comeau Smelter, Alcoa Foundation President Meg McDonald and Smelter General Manager Pierre Morin today announced an investment of $1 million towards construction of an arts and culture centre and setting up of an arts exhibition hall in Baie-Comeau. This is the largest donation by the Alcoa Foundation in Canada.
Located adjacent to Théâtre de Baie-Comeau, the Arts and Culture Centre will be a complex specifically dedicated to training, practice and outreach in the performing arts and other cultural disciplines.
The Centre will house music and dance studios in addition to a multi-purpose studio for various productions. In addition, the Centre will include a municipal library branch for users from the west side of the city and the administrative offices of Théâtre de Baie-Comeau.
The proximity to Théâtre de Baie-Comeau will meet an increasingly pressing need for residences in creation and studios for touring artists who wish to work on their projects during their stay in Baie-Comeau. The Centre will also welcome artists from La Chant’Amuse Theatre Company.
The visual arts community is not forgotten since part of the announced donation will be used to set up an arts exhibition hall on Place La Salle which should be completed in 2008. With this project, Baie-Comeau can boast having an appropriate venue to exhibit the artwork from local painters and other artists, the city’s and other collections, for the population to enjoy.
During the unveiling of the new centre’s architectural model, Alcoa Foundation President Meg McDonald stated that “this support fully reflects the Foundation’s mission to promote social responsibility and education in every community where Alcoa is found, and to support projects intended for children and families. The cultural centre will organize a number of activities that should appeal to children and families, and this is why the Foundation is pleased to be associated with this project.â€
For his part, Alcoa Baie-Comeau Smelter General Manager Pierre Morin added that, “construction of this centre in the Mingan area and setting up of an arts exhibition hall in Marquette are perfectly in line with Alcoa’s philosophy of being very present in the community. By facilitating access and participation in cultural life through concrete gestures and by promoting synergy with the performing arts and accessibility to visual arts, we are convinced that these projects will contribute to the quality of life of the whole region. On the occasion of our 50th anniversary, we are proud to contribute directly to establishing cultural venues that will serve for the coming generations and that proves our long-term commitment to Baie-Comeau.â€
About the Alcoa Foundation Alcoa
Established in 1952, Alcoa Foundation is a global resource that actively invests in improving the quality of life in the countries around the world where Alcoa operates. The Foundation's grants address global and local needs in Areas of Excellence that include: Conservation and Sustainability, Global Education and Workplace Skills, Business and Community Partnerships and Safe and Healthy Children and Families. Alcoa Foundation manages Alcoa's ACTION and Bravo! programs which recognize the volunteer efforts of employees with grants to the organizations they serve. For more information about Alcoa Foundation, visit www.alcoa.com, under Community.
About the Alcoa Baie-Comeau Smelter
The Alcoa Baie-Comeau Smelter employs a team of 1,700 people and produces more than 437,000 metric tons of aluminum annually. It is held by Alcoa, which numbers 122,000 employees in 44 countries. The plant went into production in 1957 and ever since, it has contributed to the growth and vitality of Baie-Comeau and the Manicouagan region, where it is proud to have put down roots and where it intends to remain for a very long time to come.
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