Artisans celebrate revitalization of Abram-Village venue

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI – July 4, 2012 – The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, on behalf of the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and La Francophonie, and the Honourable Ron MacKinley, provincial minister of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development today joined members of the local artisan cooperative to celebrate a grand re-opening of La Coopérative d’artisanat d’Abram-Village. Members have been gathering in this venue to create their Acadian-themed and inspired handmade crafts for 45 years.

“Our Government is pleased to support the artisan cooperative in its efforts to upgrade this venue. It certainly brings new excitement to the cooperative and supports economic growth and development in this area,” said Minister Shea. “Celebrating and showcasing these unique handmade Island crafts also encourages youth to keep traditions alive and well for many years to come. Prince Edward Island handmade crafts are often one-of-a kind treasures that are truly unique to the gentle Island.”

The cooperative has remained steadfast in its mission to provide a venue for members to display and market various types of Island made handcrafted products such as quilts, hooked rugs, pottery, hand-knit and crocheted items, wood products and other Acadian-themed crafts.

“The Government of Prince Edward Island is pleased to invest in improvements to the artist’s co-operative where local artists have been creating and selling their crafts for many years,” said Minister MacKinley.  “This newly renovated building is a better space for artists to work in and sell their crafts, and it is more welcoming to visitors interested in learning about the rich history and traditions of Acadian culture.”

Members have worked out of the original location since 1967, and since that time the building has gone through a number of renovations to add more space. Each addition formed broken-up spaces which were not ideal for proper showcasing of products and created accessibility issues. With this project, the internal rooms were reconfigured; new display cases, shelving and racks were added; proper lighting was installed to highlight crafted items; and a wheel chair accessible bathroom was created.

“We are very pleased with the revitalization of our facility and with the support we received from the federal and provincial governments that made it all possible,” said Ms. Lorraine Gallant, President La Coopérative d’artisanat d’Abram-Village. “This building and the crafts developed within it are deeply rooted in our Acadian history. It is very important to our community and our Island to seek these investments that will continue to strengthen our diverse culture for future generations.”

The Government of Canada, through ACOA’s Business Development Program, contributed $11,723 in the upgrades to the facility. The Government of Prince Edward Island, through the Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development, invested $11,793 in the renovations.

(The Conseil de développement coopératif and RDÉE Prince Edward Island Inc. were pleased to be able to assist the handcraft co-op in the planning and implementation of this project.)

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CUTLINE: Participating in the official re-opening of La Coopérative d’artisanat d’Abram-Village Wednesday were, from left, Ron MacKinley, provincial minister of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development; Angèle Arsenault, president of the Conseil de développement coopératif and secretary-treasurer of RDÉE Prince Edward Island; Yvonne Arsenault, vice-chair of the handcraft co-op; and Gail Shea, minister of National Revenue.

For more information:

Kim Devine
Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development
kmdevine@gov.pe.ca
(902) 368-5286.