IBBA Honorary Members

Georges Brossard Background The Montréal Insectarium, opened on February 7, 1990, was the brainchild of Georges Brossard, an enthusiastic collector, and Pierre Bourque, Director of the Montréal Botanical Garden at the time. Mission The Insectarium plays a cultural and scientific role, displaying entomological collections for the public and disseminating entomological and environmental knowledge and research findings. Collections Scientific collection: 140,000 specimens Exhibition collection: 20,000 specimens (including 4,000 on public display) Live collection: about 100 species of arthropods since 1990 1985: a fruitful meeting There was once a man who roamed the world in search of fascinating and magnificent little animals: insects. Year after year he patiently sought out, captured, sorted and identified thousands of specimens. He had only one regret, and that was that this magnificent collection was stored away out of sight... in his basement! For Georges Brossard, a former notary and now an insect-hunter, had a dream: to introduce the general public, and young people in particular, to the mysterious world of insects. In 1985 he invited Pierre Bourque, Director of the Montréal Botanical Garden at the time, to see his amazing collection. Mr. Bourque was astounded by the beauty of these tens of thousands of butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, other insects and arthropods from some one hundred countries. Their meeting marked not only the birth of a great friendship between these two nature enthusiasts, but even more importantly, the first step in bringing a dream to --life the dream of creating an Insectarium in Montréal. 1986-1988: tenacious (and generous) enthusiasts For this dream to become a reality, Georges Brossard, his companion Suzanne Schiller and Pierre Bourque all knew that they had to convince the public and the various levels of government, including city authorities. They organized fascinating exhibitions at the Botanical Garden, accompanied by lectures, which generated great public enthusiasm. In fact, a public fund-raising campaign in 1987 pulled in an impressive $600,000. That same year, Georges Brossard donated his insect collection to the City of Montréal. During a study mission to Japan, representatives of the different levels of government, including Tourisme Québec, were enthralled by the Tama and Hiroshima insectariums and convinced that Montréal should have a similar institution. Georges Brossard had reached his goal! 1988-1990: the dream takes wing The site selected, within the Botanical Garden itself, would allow the Insectarium to grow and evolve at its own pace, while taking advantage of the natural complementarity of the two institutions. Architects, scientists, ecologists, educators and museologists all pitched in. Other generous donors appeared, in particular Brother Firmin Laliberté, who offered the new museum a huge scientific collection of 100,000 specimens. Finally, on February 7, 1990, the Montréal Insectarium opened, with Mayor Jean Doré attending the ceremonies. During the initial open house period, from 20 to 30 thousand visitors braved the cold to come and see their Insectarium. 1990... the story continues Since it opened, the Montréal Insectarium has been constantly evolving. There has been no shortage of challenges! This innovative museum enjoys international recognition for its unique museological approach and its expertise; it takes part in various scientific research projects, mounts exhibitions and large-scale events, and produces teaching tools. The Insectarium also fulfils its vocation as an institution where the general public can learn about the world of insects, welcoming over 400,000 visitors a year.

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