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VENNE Madame Francoise (Brouiellette)

Born
, 1837
Died
, ?
Biography synopsis
Francoise Venne (nee Brouiellette) was considered by many in the early 1900s as one of the last artisans of ceinture flechee. When the Canadian Handicrafts Guild (CHG) sought to revive the technique, they turned to her for specific directions and demonstrations. Venne participated in the CHG annual shows of 1905 and 1907, conducting demonstrations and educating her audience. Her presence at these events is recorded in photographs as well as in writing by ethnologist Edouard-Zotique Massicotte who subsequently became a fervent defender of the traditional sash. The origin of the ceinture fleche was and still is a hotly debated subject. In 1907, Venne provided Massicotte with her opinion on the matter stating that her family, the Brouiellettes, who originated from l'Acadie were responsible for its incorporation into Quebec folklore. Although this theory has never been conclusively proven, it still holds some value in academic circles. Venne always deplored a declining interest in the production of ceinture flechee. She would inevitably be pleased to know that the art form is far from extinct and that this is due in part to Massicotte's research and his careful recording of their conversations.
Media used
Finger Weaving: Ceinture flechee
File & Archive locations
Canadian Handicrafts Guild Archives at Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Canadian Women Artists History Initiative Documentation Centre, QC
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Writings about
Sainte-Marie-Salomé 1888-1988 Québec, QC: Éditions Louis Bilodeau & Fils Ltée, 1987
"Arts and Handicrafts Guild and the Great Work of Developing National Industries." The Standard Montreal 3.13 Sect. 1 (30 Mar. 1907): 2-3
"Une Exposition qui offre un très vif intérêt: les arts domestiques sont en honneur à la Galerie des Beaux Arts." ? Feb 1907
Abron Drache, Sharon. "History pays homage to founders of Canadian Handicrafts Guild." Glebe Report 30 Nov. 2001: 34
Barbeau, Marius. Assomption Sash. Ottawa, ON: National Museum of Canada, 1937
Barbeau, Marius. Ceinture fléchée. Montreal: Les Éditions l'Étincelle, 1973
Barbeau, Marius. "Ceinture fléchée." Technique 18.3 (Mar. 1943): 149-153
Barbeau, Marius. "Nos Ceintures fleches." La Revue populaire 33.11 (Nov 1940): 52 & 70
Barbeau, Marius. "Sashes for the Fur Trade." The Beaver June (1941): 24-27
Bevilacqua, Pierre. "La ceinture fléchée et le caribou..." Cap-aux-Diamants: la revue d'histoire du Québec 37 (1994): 81
Gagnon, Louis-Marie. "La Ceinture fléchée." Le Territoir 5.9 (Jan. 1925): 212-213
Galaise, Suzanne. "La ceinture flechee." Les Franco-Americains et leur heritage quebecois. Quebec, QC: Conseil de la vie francaise en Amerique, 1986
Hamelin, Veronique. Le fleche authentique du Quebec par la methode renouvelee. Ottawa, ON: Lemeac, 1983
L'Association des artisans de ceinture flechee de Lanaudiere. Histoire et origines de la ceinture flechee traditionelle dite de L'Assomption. Sillery, QC: Les Editions du Septentrion, 1994
Massicotte, Édouard-Zotique. "La ceinture fléchée, chef-d'oeuvre de l'industrie domestique au Canada." Mémoires de la Société Royale du Canada 18.3 (mai 1924): 1-13
Massicotte, Édouard-Zotique. "La ceinture fléchée." Bulletin des recherches historiques 13.5 (mai 1907): 154-156
McLeod, Ellen Mary Easton. In Good Hands: The Women of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild. Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1999
Reneaud, Joanne. Le Genie de la ceinture flechee Sainte-Marcelline-de-Kildare, QC: Fondation Pierre Belanger, 1997

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