ratsdeville is a collaborative organisation devoted to supporting the underground art community of Montreal. We facilitate the meeting of emerging artists, curators of alternative shows and local businesses. We offer visibility for exhibitions and their venues by publishing reviews online.
independent media dedicated to visual arts
ratsdeville fulfills a vital function equalled nowhere else in the media, in matters concerning the visual arts in Montreal and surrounding areas. Due to the relevance of its content, its readability and its frequency of publication, the webzine assumes the role of the ultimate instrument offering access to the fascinating universe of the visual arts and all it has to offer in the way of treasures of beauty, liberty, openness and elevation.
A bilingual and independent media source since its very beginning, ratsdeville offers a window into a lively and abundant sub-culture. A real-time reference for those passionate about contemporary art, ratsdeville circulates news on the arts, in all its plurality and diversity. Everything that has to do with the commercial gallery circuit, the underground, the artist-run centers, cultural centers, etc., the exhibits and events of the hour are listed, as well as employment opportunities, calls for submissions, artists’ portraits, and other news from the visual arts scene. The webzine constitutes therefore a platform of communication and diffusion for local artists and the businesses that support them, as well as contributing to the radiance of the « creative capital » of our artists.
a collaborative organisation
Every article of ratsdeville is published for free for promotional and educative purposes. The primary objective of the webzine is to map the local visual arts scene while offering a communication platform serving the needs of the local artistic community, with a weakness for the underground. By providing a source of information and inspiration which reflects a culture based on sharing and exchange, ratsdeville pursues an educational and ethical mission whilst seducing its readership.
_ educational
Education begins with information. The editorial line of ratsdeville concentrates on the news: who is doing what / where and when. In circulating communiqués furnished by the artists, galleryowners and other members of the Montreal arts community, the webzine constitutes a veritable exercise in enumerating contemporary practices and acts as a living observatory of contemporary art. In an era of pluralism, the selection of the events featured serves as a beacon for all who want to know about the art being made here and now.
_ éthique
Without corporate advertising since its inception, ratsdeville preserves the mental space of its audience. A registered non-profit (Registration No.: 1165783383), the mission of the webzine is to support a community whose members (artists) are often isolated and without many resources at their disposal. The webzine contributes especially to the promotion of little-known practices, to emerging artists and those who don’t have access to the media apparel of some merchant galleries, at the same time promoting the practices of more established artists.
_ aesthetic
ratsdeville offers a refreshing and convivial web experience. The webzine is all about the image, which is center-stage. Since ratsdeville concentrates essentially on the « visual » arts, it is adequate to conserve a minimalist design, airy and free of publicity. Particular attention is brought to graphic material and the readability of the site remains a primordial preoccupation.
_ strategic
In collaborating with artists, artisans, curators, gallery-owners, artist-run centers, cultural centers and businesses, ratsdeville not only assures the adequate circulation of promotional material, but it is also continuously growing in readership by means of word-of-mouth and the existing interactive networks (facebook, blogs, etc.).
_ entertaining
ratsdeville is new media, filled with images, text, links, commentary, rss flux, audio and video excerpts. The blog platform is versatile and flexible, for a better diffusion of information, to contact and maintain the attention of a maximum of users. The site remains a work in progress, always on the cutting edge of new technologies with the goal of delivering a rich media which evolves with the demands of web surfers.
the reputation of ratsdeville
ratsdeville is vividly engaged in a rallying circulation process that answers a real demand. Offering itself as a resource for artists and web surfers in search of discoveries about their contemporaries, ratsdeville bases its reputation on the frequency and the pertinence of its content.
_ active
• 10 articles published per week
• more than 800 newsletter subscribers
• more than 3,000 articles published to this day
• more than 450,000 visits to this day
• 18,000 visits per month and more
• more than 1,000 Facebook members
_ useful
ratsdeville raises the profile of the fabulous diversity of creators practicing in the here and now. Contemporary art reveals itself as an inexhaustible source of inspiration for a community in search of creativity and elevation of spirit. For almost 4 years now, ratsdeville has informed and inspired a growing network of professionals et semi-professionals, of connoisseurs, neophytes and amateurs whose thirst for knowledge knows no bounds. At the same time, the « democratic » angle adopted by the webzine assures its popularity among the contemporary art die-hard fans as well as the non-initiated.
_ recognized
Mirror : Matt Jones
Kalibre : Julie Tremblay
L’actualité : André Ducharme
Mange ta ville : Catherine Pogonat
Cabine c : Christiane Charrette
SNAP! : blog 101
Radio centre-ville : audio excerpts
Un Show de Mot'Arts : audio excerpts
Zeke sur CKUT : audio excerpts
_ professional
Éric Bolduc, editor and founder of ratsdeville is a trained artist (visual arts, University of Ottawa) and has been active in the Montreal arts community since 1998. Ex-coordinator of events at AGAC, rpresently responsible for publicity, subscriptions and circulation at magazine Ciel variable, agent and curator at la dixième porte. Éric also sits on the Boards of Directors for EN MASSE, a not-for-profit for the collective expression of urban art, as well as DÉCOVER, a bilingual and free magazine about visual arts in Montreal, with a circulation of 4000 copies every 2 months.
ratsdeville benefits from the advice of key partners: Michelle Sullivan, President of Michelle Sullivan Communications and Yasmine Tremblay, assistant director of Mois de la Photo à Montréal.
ratsdeville is associated with important events and institutions: FaceBookCamp Montréal (2007) Podcamp Montréal (2009) Amnistie internationale (2009-10) Art Souterrain (2010). ratsdeville has built its notoriety and established itself as an unequalled media for (finally) getting to know the visual arts in Montréal.
18,000 visits a month and more
reference strategies
A direct collaboration with the artistic milieu assures a quality of information on the web on that which concerns the events in visual arts in Montréal and surrounding areas.
The visitors arrive to us by a variety of means, including search engines, principally Google. The formula that ensures a good referencing of ratsdeville resides in the naming of its articles: by the name of the artist followed by the location of the exhibit. Therefore, with regards to what web surfers search for, coupled with its frequent publication (10 articles per week), ratsdeville is naturally indexed and is often found on the first page of search results when web surfers search with the name of an artist, the title of an exhibition or an art gallery in Montreal.
the newsletter
Thanks to the newsletter, ratsdeville reaches directly a growing community that is passionate about the visual arts. For 3 years, the webzine has been able to retain the interest of an influential readership: gallery-owners, artists, critics, collectors and lovers of culture from all horizons. The newsletter is a weekly email that communicates the recent activity of the webzine, an executive summary, and includes an image and a title for each of the 9 most recent articles published. It boasts an attractive design centered on readability, whose mailing list continues to grow (862 as of October 22, 2010).
- IAN GAMACHE | bio + folio
- MAX WYSE @ mcclure
- RUNA ISLAM + DAVID K. ROSS @ mac
- VÉRONIQUE LA PERRIÈRE M. @ plein sud
- THE(Y) MAY SHOW @ red bird
- VENTE DE FEU @ coop ecto
- LIVING THINGS @ dazibao
- PASCAL DUFAUX on ° countess diaries
- SIGHT AND SOUND 2 @ eastern bloc
plus | more
becoming a partner of ratsdeville
The adventure is only beginning. With the current attention given to social media and the progressive opening of society towards culture and the arts, to become a partner of ratsdeville is a strategic choice that will assure you a place in the universe of the visual arts in Montréal.
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SPONSOR 5 000 $
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- Logo with a web link in the weekly newsletter
- Description of your company on the partners’ page with web link
- A mention to subscribers of your participation
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BENEFACTOR 1 000 $
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- Description of your company on the partners’ page with web link
- A mention to subscribers of your participation
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PARTNER 200 $
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- Name of your company on the partners’ page with web link
$ rate for 1 year
_ contribute to local art life
To become a partner of ratsdeville guaranties you a place in the emerging social media landscape, all the while contributing to help preserve local art, a precious, dynamic and vital resource to which your company will now be associated with, as well as your responsible social commitment.
What does an agreement with ratsdeville implie, for a partner for example: by giving 200 $ as sponsorisation, the partner means to support the webzine in its activites. In return, the webzine circulate the visual arts' news from Montreal to Montrealers, artists, gallery owners, art enthousiasts, etc. Always free of charge, always without corporate advertising.
Sponsorisation is different from publicity, it remains a form of visibility nonetheless. Botthom line: the partner receives a mention on the partners' page for one year.
contact _ Éric Bolduc | 514.543.6152 | [email protected]
address _ 6599 24e Avenue | Montréal (Québec) Canada | H1T 3M6
url _ ratsdeville.typepad.com