Adaptive Arts

A HUMAN ADVENTURE FULL OF EMOTIONS

The art within: at the core of the Adaptive Arts Program

Within each of us, an unsuspected world can be revealed by art. It puts words to our ideas, sounds to our emotions, colours to our thoughts. We then realize that what defines us is always in motion.

  • A space to explore and flourish

    Since 2018, the Adaptive Arts Program has offered free cultural mediation workshops to individuals with diverse abilities or those experiencing social and cultural marginalization.

    This creative process, which aims to introduce participants to the performing arts, also provides space and visibility for marginalized communities to share and express their lived experiences through an artistic discipline.

  • A unique journey tailored to its participants

    Guided by professional artist-mediators, participants will engage in a creative process over several weeks that is adapted to their needs and age group.

    Throughout the workshops, they will contribute to the creation of a collective work in a safe environment conducive to their artistic development.

    At the end of the program, the group will present the result of their work in a public space at Place des Arts.

Schedule

  • Frequency and location 
    7 workshops, once a week

    • Weeks 1 to 3: Creation workshops
      School or organization premises
       

    • Weeks 4 and 5: Creation workshops
      Place des Arts 
       

    • Week 6: Finalizing the piece and the public performance
      Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme at Place des Arts
       

    • Week 7: Reflection on the journey
      School or organization premises

    Duration
    Workshops: 1 hour
    Public performance: 10 to 15 minutes

    Some of these elements may be adapted based on the needs of the school or organization.

  • Schedule and location
    6 workshops, once a week

    • Weeks 1 to 4: Creation workshops
      Place des Arts
       

    • Week 5: Finalizing the piece and the public performance
      Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme at Place des Arts
       

    • Week 6: Reflection on the journey
      Place des Arts

    Duration
    Workshops: 2 hours
    Public presentation: 10 to 15 minutes

    Some of these elements may be adapted based on the needs of the school or organization.

Discover 3 artistic disciplines

The workshops offered are structured around three key disciplines: music, theatre and dance. These themes create space for interactions and connections that foster social bonding and the inclusion of everyone.

Music

Singing and percussion

View the music workshops
Dance

Body expression and street dance

View the dance workshops
Theatre

Theatrical expression, words and movement

View the theatre workshops

The program through the eyes of its artist-mediators

Maïgwenn Desbois shares her experience working with youth participants, while Marco Pronovost and Jasmine Allan Côté present the Adaptive Arts Program.

Videos available in French only.

Maïgwenn Desbois, artist-mediator

Marco Pronovost and Jasmine Allan Côté, artist-mediators with Regroupement pour la Trisomie 21

Free registration

Terms and conditions

  • Registration is only possible through schools or organizations

  • The presence of at least one facilitator from the school or organization is required

  • À la carte workshop reservations are not available

  • Limit of 10 to 20 participants per group

Target audience

  • Youth aged 7 to 18 with motor, sensory, cognitive, or psychological limitations or disabilities
  • Adults with motor, sensory, cognitive, or psychological limitations or disabilities, or those experiencing social and cultural exclusion (e.g. language learning, newcomers)

Information and registration

Registration deadline: December 2025

The power of art

Whether it’s music, dance or theatre, all of these forms of performing arts have proven time and again to be powerful ways to reconnect with oneself, build self-confidence and express emotions. This adapted artistic journey allows facilitators, families and the public to see firsthand the many benefits these creation workshops offer to both youth and adult participants.

Awarded by the organization AlterGo in 2020

Monique-Lefebvre Universal Accessibility Award

Since its inception, the Adaptive Arts Program has enabled hundreds of individuals and dozens of organizations to explore the performing arts through its workshops.

The Adaptive Arts Program is made possible thanks to the financial support of the Place des Arts Foundation and its partners: the Sandra and Alain Bouchard Foundation, and TD Bank Group.

  • Place des Arts Foundation

    Art for all

    Art Connects Us. Whether as active participants in artistic experiences or as spectators of cultural performances, art allows us to resonate and connect with the rich diversity of our society. Guided by its mission to make art accessible to all, the Place des Arts Foundation supports the free activities, as well as the educational and cultural programs produced by Place des Arts.

    Make a donation
    Learn more about the Foundation
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