Martine Bernier has headed up the public programs and education at the Jardin botanique de Montréal | Space for Life since 2017. In this role, she oversees the activities of a division dedicated to the planning, development and implementation of educational, cultural and event-based programs. She was formerly a museologist and project manager at Space for Life, where she designed and supervised major projects. Notably, she contributed to the creation of the new Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan as head museologist and coordinated the activities that led to the expansion of the Insectarium and the renovation of the Biodôme, including functional and technical programming, museum programming, contract negotiations, professional management, internal team involvement, and more. She was also director of professional development and training at the Société des musées du Québec. As director of exhibitions at the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Sciences, she led a world-class travelling exhibition program and oversaw the museum’s expansion.
The Jardin botanique de Montréal | Botanical Garden at Espace pour la vie, welcomes more than 900 000 visitors a year, 40% of them being tourists. The tourists come mainly in the summer and autumn seasons.
As an international institutions, as well as a Garden engaging with its local community, we are in the midst of rethinking our Public and Education Programs, to balance our offer between activities that generate touristic attendances (the Garden in itself is one of the top tourist attractions of Montreal), and activities making the Garden a wonderful place for ecological and social education, for culture and a Pleasure Garden.