Thursday, September 06, 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
BAIE-COMEAU, QC, Sept. 6 /CNW Telbec/ - As part of the festivitiesmarking the 50th anniversary of the Alcoa Baie-Comeau Smelter, AlcoaFoundation President Meg McDonald and Smelter General Manager Pierre Morintoday announced an investment of $1 million towards construction of an artsand 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 Centrewill be a complex specifically dedicated to training, practice and outreach inthe performing arts and other cultural disciplines. The Centre will house music and dance studios in addition to amulti-purpose studio for various productions. In addition, the Centre willinclude a municipal library branch for users from the west side of the cityand the administrative offices of Théâtre de Baie-Comeau. The proximity to Théâtre de Baie-Comeau will meet an increasinglypressing need for residences in creation and studios for touring artists whowish to work on their projects during their stay in Baie-Comeau. The Centrewill also welcome artists from La Chant'Amuse Theatre Company. The visual arts community is not forgotten since part of the announceddonation will be used to set up an arts exhibition hall on Place La Sallewhich should be completed in 2008. With this project, Baie-Comeau can boasthaving an appropriate venue to exhibit the artwork from local painters andother artists, the city's and other collections, for the population to enjoy. During the unveiling of the new centre's architectural model, AlcoaFoundation President Meg McDonald stated that "this support fully reflects theFoundation's mission to promote social responsibility and education in everycommunity where Alcoa is found, and to support projects intended for childrenand families. The cultural centre will organize a number of activities thatshould appeal to children and families, and this is why the Foundation ispleased to be associated with this project." For his part, Alcoa Baie-Comeau Smelter General Manager Pierre Morinadded that, "construction of this centre in the Mingan area and setting up ofan arts exhibition hall in Marquette are perfectly in line with Alcoa'sphilosophy of being very present in the community. By facilitating access andparticipation in cultural life through concrete gestures and by promotingsynergy with the performing arts and accessibility to visual arts, we areconvinced that these projects will contribute to the quality of life of thewhole region. On the occasion of our 50th anniversary, we are proud tocontribute directly to establishing cultural venues that will serve for thecoming generations and that proves our long-term commitment to Baie-Comeau."
About the Alcoa Foundation Alcoa Established in 1952, Alcoa Foundation is a global resource that activelyinvests in improving the quality of life in the countries around the worldwhere Alcoa operates. The Foundation's grants address global and local needsin Areas of Excellence that include: Conservation and Sustainability, GlobalEducation and Workplace Skills, Business and Community Partnerships and Safeand Healthy Children and Families. Alcoa Foundation manages Alcoa's ACTION andBravo! programs which recognize the volunteer efforts of employees with grantsto 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 producesmore than 437,000 metric tons of aluminum annually. It is held by Alcoa, whichnumbers 122,000 employees in 44 countries. The plant went into production in1957 and ever since, it has contributed to the growth and vitality ofBaie-Comeau and the Manicouagan region, where it is proud to have put downroots and where it intends to remain for a very long time to come.
Source; CNW
