EMILY HSUEH
OUTAOUAIS May 19, 2021
A brand new spotlight is being shone on the artists of rural Outaouais, and the Pontiac is getting its own time in the limelight.
Outaouais Live! is a new show premiering on May 24 on Videotron’s MAtv. It is a 12-episode English-language television series that will feature . . .
artists, venues and venue owners from all around rural Outaouais, including the Pontiac, all while maintaining a small-town vibe.
“It’s basically an arts magazine format series showcasing artists of basically all practice in the rural region of the Outaouais; musicians, visual artists, all kinds of different media,” explained show host and musician Claire Bestland. “I introduce the show and then we have a musician open it, perform a song, then we interview a visual artist in a gallery or venue space and we talk to the venue owners as well. Then it ends with music again.”
The show is produced in partnership with the 100 Mile Arts Network and the Regional Association of West Quebecers. The 100 Mile Arts Network previously produced a show with a nearly identical premise called Our Hidden Hills, which aired back in February. Outaouais Live! used that three-part series as inspiration and took the concept one step further.
Representatives of the Pontiac include Jodi Thompson at Pine Lodge, Valerie Bridgeman at artPontiac and the Little Red Wagon Winery. A singer featured is Bob Webb, who although he is not Pontiac based, has ties to a farm down the road from Pine Lodge.
Bestland herself is from Manitoba, but came to the Outaouais region to play a gig and never looked back. She said she has been “adopted” by the region and its community, and wants to show off the artistic talent that it has to offer.
“There are just so many artists in the Outaouais,” she said. “You know, typically you think about the arts as people flocking to major urban centres but out here in the Hills, there are some really established artists … I guess I want people to watch just to see the scope of some of the creative people that we have here.”
Outaouais Live! will be aired on TV, but can also be viewed online.
