Key Frames: A Love Letter to Léopold L. Foulem

Montréal ceramist Léopold L. Foulem (1945 – 2023) was born in New Brunswick and was known for his rigorous and uncompromising conceptual use of clay. Léopold’s impact on the international ceramics community touched on public speaking, writing, and philanthropy.

Léopold taught ceramics in Montréal at the Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CÉGEP) and is widely considered a mentor who created a significant legacy beyond his personal practice. Lynne Wagner, of the Ceramic Arts Library, reflects on one facet of his legacy as a “sensitive book collector and humanitarian.” Lecturing extensively on ceramics as an autonomous art form, Léopold is further known as a world authority on the ceramics of Pablo Picasso. His distinguished career spans more than forty years, with over fifty-four solo exhibitions and more than 230 group shows on five continents. His ceramics were exhibited in forty-nine museums and are part of numerous private and public collections.

Photo courtesy of MNBAQ, Idra Labrie 

After completing her studies in directing in Paris, Renée Blanchar returned to Caraquet and began her cinematic journey. In many ways, her career was a precursor for film in Acadia, but also for the place of women in television and film. She was the first Canadian woman to enter the FEMIS (European Foundation of Image and Sound) through a contest. In 1989, she became the youngest juror in the history of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, under the presidency of Wim Wenders. Following her key role as writer and director of the television series BELLE-BAIE for five seasons, she made a remarkable return to television (2021) by writing and directing the first season of the series LE MONDE DE GABRIELLE ROY, for which she received a nomination in the Best Director category at the 2022 Prix Gémeaux. Renée has directed more than a dozen documentaries that have received numerous awards. Her films (including A PLACE THAT MATTERS, SHADOW MEN, THE SILENCE) are distinguished by the strength of their subjects and a singular talent for revealing the humanity of the characters who embody them. The filmmaker took seven years to produce and direct A LOVE LETTRE TO LÉPOLD L. FOULEM, an intimate film about an important figure from her childhood that will be released in the fall of 2022. Renée’s unlikely bet is to write and direct nearly all of her work from her French-speaking port city residence in eastern Canada.

Photo courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada – Julie D’Amour-Léger