Goethe-Institut Kanada 1992-2011

Join us on a journey through time!

© photo: Etta Gerdes

Invitation to the performance Reaching Beyond © Collection Centre de documentation Artexte

1992


Art and Theory, feminine

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1992


Art and Theory, feminine

Consensus & contestation: dialogues is a major multi-dimensional event that invites members of the academic and artistic communities to collaborate in creating a space for exchange between female artists and theorists. Through workshops, exhibitions, and performances, this interdisciplinary forum “hopes to promote the exchange of ideas among female artists and theorists,” writes Dieta Sixt, “and thereby lay the groundwork for innovative collaboration and reflection.”  Presented in collaboration with Tangente, German artist Ilka Doubek’s multimedia performance Reaching Beyond is a collaboration of German and Canadian artists. Director Jutta Brückner presents her film Un amour colossal. 

1993

Montreal
Film discoveries

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1997
Montreal

Presented as the opening piece of Usine C's 1997-1998 season, Objet Constant, a work for eight dancers by SOAP Dance Theater Frankfurt, has everything to delight Montreal audiences: athletic, conceptual with tenderness, perfectly polished and evolving in a world of color and metal.  “It's the great utopia of joy, the distance between dream and reality,” says Rui Horta, the renowned Portuguese-born choreographer and artistic director of the troupe based in a renovated former soap factory in Frankfurt (well, that explains the name SOAP ...).  This is the troupe’s second Montreal stint after an acclaimed performance at the 1992 FIND - the show Made to Measure finished second for the audience award... just behind a certain Edouard Lock and before a certain Marie Chouinard!   

Despite touring around the world and a unanimous critical success for the troupe, this fourth work by Rui Horta is the last to travel. The troupe ceases its activities the following year due to a lack of funding. Let's remember one image, the one described by dance critic Guylaine Massoutre in the Jeu magazine's issue on the 1997 dance programs in Montreal: “...at the end of the show, a formidable armful of glass beads cover the stage in a superb low light, in the middle of which the eight dancers place their fragile feet, similar to delicate cut flowers moved by the wind.” 

Choreographer Rui Horta interviewed by "Le Devoir" © Le Devoir
Choreographer Rui Horta interviewed by "Le Devoir"


1997
Freely

In keeping with one of its core values, which is to promote dialogue, the Goethe-Institut’s guests do not always meet with consensus, regardless of their field of expertise. The German former priest, psychoanalyst, pacifist and theologian Eugen Drewermann is invited to Montreal and Ottawa for the French publication in of his latest book, Faith in Freedom.   

Critical of the Catholic Church, which for a long time deprived him of teaching and preaching, he defrocks in 2005. The theologian, author of the three-volume thesis, The Structure of Evil, and a best-seller, A Violent God-Image, confides in an interview with the newspaper Le Devoir, entitled Le semeur de scandales: “I am not a victim: my only objective is to help others free themselves from their anguish in the face of freedom to believe, to think, to feel.“ This way of thinking and acting is widely rewarded: in 2007, Eugen Drewermann receives the Erich Fromm Prize for his commitment to peace, the Albert Schweitzer International Prize in 2011, and the Hermann Hesse International Society Prize in 2019. 

The polemical theologian Eugen Drewermann © Credits: Thomas Fritsch


2001
German... in Germany

Who wouldn’t like to combine a language course or teacher training with a trip and immerse themselves in the culture and life of the other country? The Goethe-Institut’s extensive scholarship program makes this possible and can be used by various target groups: Artists from Montreal, Ottawa and other Canadian cities have thus enjoyed a stay in Germany over the past decades with an inspiring effect on their work.   
Course participants of the Goethe-Institut also have the opportunity to apply for a language course in Germany once a year, starting at level A2. Upon their return, they report enthusiastically on their experiences.    

In addition, youth can travel to Germany for various events, such as the Internationale Deutscholympiade, youth courses with attractive leisure programs, or summer camps with participants from all over the world! No wonder one scholarship holder claimed at the time, “I just spent the best weeks of my life.”   

An important part of the Goethe-Institut’s work is also to promote the teaching of German at schools and universities. For this reason, the Goethe-Institut enables teachers of German as a foreign language to participate in teacher training in Germany, where they can acquire didactic and methodological knowledge and exchange ideas with teachers from all over the world. 

Junge Frau in Berlin © Getty Images


2004
The birth of goethe.de

Ten years of Internet presence is worth a celebration! That year, the Goethe Institutes receive a large, colorful poster that reads: Internet mitdenken - thinking with the Internet. The Internet is an integral part of the institutes’ reality and their cultural diplomacy ever since. In order to respond to this call and to ensure an elegant and efficient web presence, the websites of all the institutes are grouped under a single domain, which is managed by a central server and has a harmonized design: Herzlich Willkommen bei www.goethe.de!   

Today, the Goethe-Institut is firmly rooted in the Internet. Its dynamic editorial staff publishes countless articles on almost every aspect of German culture; there are amazing digital cultural projects, online library catalogs, the Onleihe digital lending service and, of course, online German courses. 

Ten years of goethe.de: The homepage in 2004 © Goethe-Institut
Ten years of goethe.de: The homepage in 2004


2005
Forward!

The National Arts Centre in Ottawa welcomes a quartet of up-and-coming dancers with their show D’avant. Equally choreographed and inspired by medieval chants, the dancers of renowned ensemble Sasha Waltz & Guests, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Damien Jalet, Juan Kruz Diaz de Garaio Esnaola, and Canadian Luc Dunberry perform a mosaic of song and movement through the ages against the backdrop of a construction site. Nothing less for these dazzling dancers who form, according to Sasha Waltz, a “medieval boy band.” 

D'avant with Canadian Luc Dunberry © photo: Sebastian Bolesch


2005
Lisez... l’Europe!

In 2005, when Montreal is named World Book Capital by UNESCO, the Goethe-Institut launches a project to form a group of European cultural institutions to participate in the many festivities dedicated in all their forms to books. The United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Austria answer the call: ecce Europe(a)! With its very original stand - thanks again to professor Alfred Halasa and his students from UQAM! - and with its numerous invited authors, Europe(a) has a very noticeable presence at the Salon du livre de Montréal; an experience repeated for more than three years.  
Now called Lisez l’Europe, the group continues to present the best of European literature to local readers at the Salon du Livre de Montréal, the Festival international de la littérature de Montréal (FIL) and the Blue Metropolis Festival. Don’t miss the reading circle! Coordinated by Marie-Pierre Poulin, librarian at the Goethe-Institut, the reading circle meets regularly at a different cultural institute to discuss a contemporary European novel. 

Poster by Alfred Halasa for Le Rendez-vous du livre européen at the Salon du Livre de Montréal in 2007 © BANQ Collection


2006
Canadian landscape becomes architecture

Architecture critic Lisa Rochon once said of Canada, “The landscape is our architecture”. Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, a German-born Canadian landscape architect, certainly understood the Canadian landscape in this sense. Oberlander studied under the direction of Walter Gropius at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. In 1990, she received the Order of Canada for her immense contribution to this type of architecture and her many works inspired by vernacular elements.    

In her book on some of the landscape architect’s Canadian works, documented by photographer Etta Gerdes, the director of Montreal’s Goethe Institute, Mechtild Manus, notes, “The rock of the Canadian Shield sets the tone for Oberlander’s Taiga Garden, designed in Ottawa. Wild roses, bearberries and colorful flowering grass surround the igloo-like Justice Building in Yellowknife. Canada’s freshwater resources are referenced in many of Oberlander’s projects, such as the depiction of the Mackenzie River on the roof of the Canadian Embassy in Berlin....”.  

Co-organized with the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), the exhibition Cornelia Hahn Oberlander: Paysages écologiques provides an opportunity to (re)discover Hahn Oberlander’s invaluable contribution to landscape architecture, based primarily on a nature-friendly design and approach. In a 2018 interview with CCA, the landscape architect - at the age of 96! - recalls “the critical need to achieve a sustainable future on a global scale, and the need to involve all sectors of society in this pursuit”. A wise appeal that should inspire and motivate us to act in this spirit. 

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander was born in Mülheim/Ruhr (Germany) in 1921 and died in Vancouver (Canada) in 2021.
 

Taiga Garden in Ottawa by Cornelia Hahn Oberlander © photo: Etta Gerdes
Taiga Garden in Ottawa by Cornelia Hahn Oberlander


2007
The value of historical reflection

In the West, what are our values? How can we determine them with the help of history? And, most importantly, are there standards by which to measure them?  In the fall of 2007, Heinrich August Winkler, a distinguished professor of contemporary history at the Humboldt University in Berlin, addressed these and other questions in a series of lectures given in Canada at the invitation of the Goethe-Institut and its partners. The author of the landmark two-volume work Der lange Weg nach Westen, published in 2000 (the English translation Germany: The Long Road West was published in 2006), in which he analyzes German history over the past two centuries, entitled his lecture Still a Community of Values? Historical Reflections on the Normative Foundations of the West. Without question, a subject that is still relevant today. 
 

Historian August Heinrich Winkler photo: Heike Zappe (HU)


2007
Let’s dance!

Antje Pfundner in 2007, Luc Dunberry in 2008, Helge Letonja in 2009, Christoph Winkler in 2010... many – and prestigious! - are the dancers invited to Montreal to participate in the Tanzresidenz of the Goethe-Institut, year after year. In 2016, Caroline Gagnon, coordinator of the cultural service of the Goethe-Institut Montreal, explains to Le Devoir newspaper, “Since Montreal is a city of contemporary dance and this discipline also occupies a large place in the German artistic landscape, it is important for us to be present in this field.”    

At the very beginning, the residency allowed a German dancer to come and work in the studio for three weeks with local collaborators. In 2013, with the collaboration of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the choreographic center Circuit-Est, the residency is redesigned to become a true exchange program. It now offers two artists living in Germany the opportunity to continue their exploration for two months in Montreal. In return, a choreographer and an artist from Quebec are invited to Fabrik Potsdam in Germany. This is a unique opportunity to deepen their demanding creative work, to be inspired by the culture and atmosphere of the host country and to forge links with dancers and institutions of the local scene; in short, a true dance between cultures!   

Ben J. Riepe’s artist residence in Montreal © Ben J. Riepe

2008


PASCH : Partners of the future

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2008


PASCH : Partners of the future

Sparking interest and enthusiasm for Germany, motivating young people to learn German, and creating a worldwide network of schools - these are the goals of the PASCH initiative, which was launched worldwide in 2008 by then Foreign Minister Steinmeier. PASCH stands for “Schools: Partners for the Future”. The schools are distinguished by the fact that their German programs have a particularly high priority.

The network has grown steadily since 2008. Today, the PASCH network counts more than 2,000 schools worldwide. Many of them are supported by the Goethe-Institut.

In Canada, the Goethe-Institut oversees five PASCH schools. Of these, the following three are located in Montreal: Villa Sainte Marcelline, le CÉGEP du Vieux Montréal and the Collège de Rosemont. Near Toronto, the network includes Appleby College and SIDES in British Columbia. The Goethe-Institut advises school administrators and teachers on the development of German lessons and facilitates participation in in-service training. Exchanges between PASCH schools are particularly encouraged. This allows students to participate in interesting and motivating projects. One current project is PASCHtopia: a virtual game for learners of German with visions. In 2020, students from Canada, the USA and Mexico come together in this framework to develop ideas for a better society during an intensive weekend.

Image: Students of Villa Sainte-Marcelline, one of the PASCH partner schools of the Goethe-Institut Montreal © Nives Bazergui 

German language class in Ottawa 2009 © Eva Ledwig

2009


German language classes at the Goethe-Institut Ottawa

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2009


German language classes at the Goethe-Institut Ottawa

“I have now taken two courses at the Goethe Institute in Ottawa and have enjoyed the experience immensely. The teaching is of the highest calibre and the rapport between the class and teacher excellent. I know that I have learned a lot during my studies there, and the exam results of other students as well confirms the high quality of the teaching offered.” 
Dr. Geoffrey Greatrex, Chair, Dept. of Classics & Religious Studies, University of Ottawa 
 
“The courses that I have taken at the Goethe-Institute in Ottawa, as well as the readings presented there by German and German speaking writers, I have found to be invaluable. They have always been conducted with the highest professionalism. I am extremely interested in improving my command of German for professional reasons. My work as a Curator has over the years involved me in several specific projects which led me to do research in both Germany and Austria.” 
Ann Thomas, Curator of the photograph collection at the National Gallery of Canada 
 
”The Ottawa Goethe Institute is a wonderful, friendly place that is as educational as it is encouraging. After the first few classes, my longstanding fear of studying a second language melted away. The language instruction I received here allowed me to travel throughout Germany to conduct my research on the European Union.  The classes and cultural events held by the Ottawa Goethe Institute furthered my appreciation for German culture and the beauty of the German language.” 
Kevin Young, Master’s Student at the Institute of Political Economy, Carleton University. 
  
“Being retired, I didn’t really feel at ease to follow a course in a university environment. A friend recommended the Goethe-Institute where I am now enrolled at the Mittelstufe level which enables me to communicate in German with my grandchildren who live in Salzburg. I appreciate immensely the quality of teaching as well as the cultural activities offered by the Goethe-Institute.” 
Patricia Norman 
 

2010

Montreal
On the road

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2010

Montreal
On the road

14,000 kilometers from east to west across Canada. More than 75 schools are visited in three months by the DEUTSCHMOBIL, which offers an innovative and interactive program for young learners. In a fun way, students are motivated to learn German and get to know Germany.
The campaign starts in March with the slogan “Mit Deutsch in Fahrt kommen!” (get going with German). On board the minibus, Eva Porten and Florian Göstl go on a grand Canadian tour with the DEUTSCHMOBIL as language ambassadors on behalf of the Goethe-Institut. The suitcase is packed with prizes to be distributed to the teenagers learning German, as well as teaching materials that the teachers will be delighted to receive. A lasting memory of the tour: the song D’Mob-Rap, composed by a group of young German students!   
The DEUTSCHMOBIL is an example of the successful cooperation between the German Embassy, the Goethe-Institut and the Canadian German teachers’ associations. 

Affiche pour 8 X L'Allemagne photo: Orange Tango

2010


1,2,3,4... 8 times Germany!

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2010


1,2,3,4... 8 times Germany!

By one of those inexplicable coincidences, part of the 2010 programming of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde revolves around one country. Yes, it’s Germany! That’s all it took for the directors of these institutions, Nathalie Blondil and Lorraine Pintal, to contact the director of the Goethe-Institut, Mechtild Manus. United by the idea of grouping their events under the same banner, they proposed to the other Montreal institutions to join them in presenting a series of artistic events on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the German reunification: 8 X L’Allemagne. A symbolic moment well chosen for a gathering, isn’t it?

There are eight events in total. In the musical field, for example, there are lectures by Francois Tousignant on milestones in German opera history and by Chrisine Fortier on heavy metal in Germany at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. There are seven concerts representing the works of German composers at the Arte Musica Foundation. Furthermore, the opera Salome is performed at the Montreal Opera. At the Théatre du Nouveau Monde, you can see Brecht’s Threepenny Opera, and the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal presents Rouge Cabaret: The Terrifying and Beautiful World of Otto Dix. The Quartiers sans voitures (Car-Free Neighborhood) week, organized by the Centre d’écologie urbaine and the Goethe-Institut Montreal, is also part of the program.

Bernhard Schlink in Ottawa © photo: Eva Ledwig

2011


Bernhard Schlink on a visit

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2011


Bernhard Schlink on a visit

When asked to name a famous German author, Bernhard Schlink’s name often comes up (along with Goethe, of course). And for good reason: he is the author of the best-seller Der Vorleser (The Reader). Born in 1944 near Bielefeld, the novelist and law professor published his world-famous novel in 1995: a bestseller that has won numerous awards at home and abroad, been translated into some 30 languages and was adapted into a film by Stephen Daldry, starring Kate Winslet and David Kross.

In 2011, a reading tour coordinated by the Montreal institute takes the celebrated novelist from east to west in Canada - to Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Whitehorse! - to present his latest book, The week-end, to the delight of his readers.

2011

Montreal:
Encounters and exchanges

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2011

Encounters and exchanges
At the end of the 1990s, significant exchange programs between the Province of Quebec and the German states of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia were initiated through the mediation of the Goethe-Institut. Since then, cooperation between the Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec (MEQ) and the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD) has continued successfully: each year, about twenty foreign language assistants spend a school year in DaF courses at the Cégeps, while Quebecers assist in French classes at German schools. Another exchange program is aimed directly at young people. It was organized in 2001 by the state agency Éducation internationale. High school students from all over the province have the unique opportunity to spend a fall semester at schools in the above-mentioned states. The following spring, the German youths come to Quebec. From 2011 to 2019, the Goethe-Institut Montreal invites the participating youths from both countries for a weekend of encounter and exchange - an encounter that has remained an unforgettable experience for many of them.


2012-2021

Third period