Le Courant

The Roger Peloquin Collection No one would remember much about going along Child St. and coming in front of a postered nondescript shop with a sign indicating the occupant, R. Peloquin, Sculptor. The importance of this annex waited within. To be found were nearly 1000 pieces in wood, recently carved, and recently set up for viewing. You would see buildings from here and there in the region, carefully reproduced. You could see a well known building like Chateau Norton or something entirely different coming straight out of the imagination of Roger Peloquin. Many of the items he created, using the wood chisel, represented everyday objects, others looked back to to the rural life of long ago - such as machinery or equipment used by work animals. The fascination for this artwork and Roger Peloquin began then became the object of many happy days of work at his home in Ste. Edwidge. It was following the arrival in the area of an exposition of similar woodworking crafts held during the 1980's that the spark of interest was lit for him. Throughout the 1990's, French tourists came by the bus load to view this impressive collection. A Valuable Asset To the family, it was never a question that this collection be thrown in the trash or divided up. The collection was put up for sale following the death of Roger Peloquin in June of 2009. Some well known actors in the region showed an interest in the collection. However, it was the municipality where all this got started, who made the acquisition. Ste. Edwidge de Clifton decided to dedicate a museum in the village of the same name in order that numerous visitors could come and see this collection for the first time or revisit the work of this amazing self-taught sculptor of representational art. In the meantime, the collection is being painstakingly studied in order to assess a proper value on the collection. This study is drawing to a close and there will be other steps to be crossed along the way before a proper maket value is fixed to the collection. It is hoped that in the Spring of 2012, this collection will be opened to the public, and, as they say, coming soon....