The Ville de Montréal owns a significant collection of public artworks that require constant attention to ensure their preservation. To which municipal entity is this task entrusted? What is the city’s policy in this regard?

Snejanka Popova: The management of restoring and maintaining the municipal collection of public artworks is entrusted to the Public Art Bureau of the Direction de la culture et du patrimoine de la Ville de Montréal.

Over the years, the Public Art Bureau has acquired a wide-ranging expertise. Each restoration project is unique and requires specific knowledge and know-how. Our interventions are constantly being adapted to the needs of the work. Our goal is to restore or maintain the work’s integrity, respecting the artist’s intention and adhering to the principles of the main conservation charters.

In addition to counting on the specialized internal resources of engineering and heritage conservation, the Public Art Bureau works in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, notably from the city’s laboratory, the Centre de conservation du Québec as well as experts from the architecture, engineering, traditional crafts and trades linked to new technologies and scientific research.

While carrying out the restoration projects, the Public Art Bureau uses the services of professional restorers, craftspeople and companies specialized in handling and transporting artworks, etc.

A team of blue collar workers, trained by the Centre de conservation du Québec, annually maintains a large portion of public artworks situated on the territory of the former Ville de Montréal. This team is responsible for removing

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