Aunties’ Work

For Aunties, caring for an individual is always a profoundly communal act. They know that their dedication nourishes families, neighbourhoods and the wider community. Every shared moment—both a privilege and a responsibility—becomes a lesson in care. As a force of social cohesion, they create spaces of safety and solidarity that hold families together and deepen collective roots, in daily life as well as in struggles for justice.

Aunties pass on knowledge, values and traditions through their daily gestures, storytelling and steadfast presence. Their role extends beyond the family framework: they are memory-keepers and carriers of continuity. From them, we learn to honour those who came before us, and to preserve the essential bonds between generations. Their care sustains the family nucleus while strengthening collective roots.

The exhibition uses the metaphor of the iceberg to highlight the depth of labour happening beneath the surface: a hidden world of care, presence and dedication whose scope is only gradually revealed. It symbolizes the profound ties these matriarchs weave with their communities, often without public recognition. By unveiling what lies beneath, the exhibition honours their vital role.

This exhibition is built on direct community contributions: photographs, clothing and objects loaned by Aunties, their loved ones or their chosen families. These artefacts tell stories of affection and tradition, revealing a collective fabric where care is recognized and celebrated. Through recorded interviews and intergenerational discussion circles—bringing together about ten participants—these narratives find their place within the Museum and become part of the exhibition itself.

Environmentally aware and convinced that museums can play a part in the transition to a more sustainable future, the McCord Stewart Museum has set itself the goal of minimizing the amount of waste generated by its exhibitions. When the exhibition Aunties’ Work was in the planning stages, the Museum considered a variety of eco-design strategies to reduce its environmental impact that were then implemented during production. Apart from a dresser purchased secondhand, all the furnishings used for the exhibition were sourced from the Museum’s existing stock of materials: display cases, platforms, audiovisual equipment, benches and frames.  

The Museum has special expertise in using custom-made buckram mannequins to create invisible mounts. However, it is very difficult to reuse a mannequin custom-made for a specific costume because no two garments in the collection are the same size with the same silhouette and physical condition. In addition, these mannequins are cut to follow the neckline of the garment. For this exhibition, three mannequins were selected from the Museum’s preserved inventory. After being modified somewhat, they were ideal for the outfits on display. Two of the mannequins are being used for the third time!  

The paint used is 100% acrylic, free of volatile organic compounds, and produced 100% in Quebec.  

Graphic production remains a challenge for the Museum. All the exhibition texts were printed on new material: the self-adhesive vinyl will be thrown away (it may not be reused or recycled), but the expanded PVC panels will be reused in other projects.

Learn more about the Museum’s sustainable development process.

An exhibition produced by the McCord Stewart Museum

Guest Curator
Nadia Bunyan

Curatorial Consultant
Alexis Walker, Associate Curator, Dress, Fashion and Textiles

Project Management 
Caroline Truchon, Senior Project Manager, Exhibitions

Graphic Design 
David Martin

McCord Stewart Museum team

Mélissa Jacques, Supervisor, Technical Services, Exhibitions
Olivier LeBlanc-Roy, Technician, Exhibitions
Eugénie Bonneville, Technician, Exhibitions
Siloë Leduc, technicien, Technician, Exhibitions

Sonia Kata, Conservator
Caroline Bourgeois, Conservation Assistant
Amélia Desjardins, Technician, Conservation

Karine Rousseau, Head, Collections Management
Anne-Frédérique Beaulieu, Officer, Digital Outreach, Collections and Exhibitions
Roger Aziz, Photographer

Leïla Afriat, Officer, Community Relations

Catherine Morellon, Head, Communications
Sabrina Lorier, Manager, Digital Engagement

External team

Editing and Translation 
Edith Skewes-Cox, English
Pascale Guertin, French

Graphic Production 
Pro Séri

Video Direction and Production
Tomi Grgicevic

Soundscape
Mishka Stein

Painting
René Gauthier

Graphic Design
Chris A. Boucicaut