About Us

About Us

Hypothèses is a bilingual art history conference series organized by and for graduate students at Montreal universities. Founded in 2011, the series aims to foster, share, and disseminate emerging research in art history while encouraging dialogue across institutional boundaries and creating connections between researchers, the museum sector, and the broader public.

Each session features presentations by two MA or PhD students from one of Montreal’s four universities: Concordia University, McGill University, Université de Montréal, and Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Each presenter delivers a talk of approximately 20 minutes, followed by a discussion and Q&A period moderated by a chair, usually a professor from one of the four participating universities. These encounters provide a space for critical reflection, constructive debate, and the exchange of ideas across diverse research perspectives.

Since 2019, Hypothèses has expanded its activities with Annexes, a bilingual podcast series produced in partnership with the [Phi Centre]. Through interviews hosted by Valentine Desmorat, Annexes invites emerging scholars to reflect on the significance of art history and share their research with a wider audience.

Through its conferences and podcast, Hypothèses is committed to making emerging scholarship visible, fostering intellectual exchange, and building bridges between academic research, cultural institutions, and the public.

Members 2026-20267

Nicolas Vignola-GoyerFinancial Coordination
Nicolas Vignola-GoyerFinancial Coordination
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Émilia IsteadWeb Communications Co-Coordination

Émilia Istead holds a master’s degree in Art History from the Université de Montréal. Her research explores the relationships between resistance biennials and the art market, with a particular focus on the Montreal context and the dynamics between local biennials and commercial galleries. She is currently continuing her academic studies as a candidate in the short graduate program in Exhibition Theories and Practices at the Université du Québec en Outaouais.
Alongside her academic work, she is actively engaged in curatorial practice and cultural mediation. She has notably led the educational programming at Livart art centre and served as Assistant Curator for Cultural Mediation and Assistant Curator at the Galerie de l’Université de Montréal.

Émilia IsteadWeb Communications Co-Coordination

Émilia Istead holds a master’s degree in Art History from the Université de Montréal. Her research explores the relationships between resistance biennials and the art market, with a particular focus on the Montreal context and the dynamics between local biennials and commercial galleries. She is currently continuing her academic studies as a candidate in the short graduate program in Exhibition Theories and Practices at the Université du Québec en Outaouais.
Alongside her academic work, she is actively engaged in curatorial practice and cultural mediation. She has notably led the educational programming at Livart art centre and served as Assistant Curator for Cultural Mediation and Assistant Curator at the Galerie de l’Université de Montréal.

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Thomas VachonPodcast Coordination
Thomas VachonPodcast Coordination
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Charlie GouletPodcast Hosting
Charlie GouletPodcast Hosting
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Sarah BastienLogistics and Events Coordination

Sarah Bastien (she/her) is a copywriter, researcher, and independent curator based in Tiohtiá:ke/Montréal. Her work explores repetition as a gesture within creative processes, integrating her training in printmaking, completed in Florence, as a research-creation methodology. Currently pursuing an MA in Art History at Concordia University, she also holds a graduate certificate in curatorial studies and practices from the same university, as well as a BA in communications from UQAM. She has collaborated with the National Film Board of Canada, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Fonderie Darling, ELEKTRA, and Concordia’s MFA program.

Sarah BastienLogistics and Events Coordination

Sarah Bastien (she/her) is a copywriter, researcher, and independent curator based in Tiohtiá:ke/Montréal. Her work explores repetition as a gesture within creative processes, integrating her training in printmaking, completed in Florence, as a research-creation methodology. Currently pursuing an MA in Art History at Concordia University, she also holds a graduate certificate in curatorial studies and practices from the same university, as well as a BA in communications from UQAM. She has collaborated with the National Film Board of Canada, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Fonderie Darling, ELEKTRA, and Concordia’s MFA program.

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Monika WrightGeneral Coordination
Monika WrightGeneral Coordination
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Janika Gilham LeblancVisual Identity and Communications Co-Coordination
Janika Gilham LeblancVisual Identity and Communications Co-Coordination
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Hypothèses in Pictures

Next conference

October 21, 2026 · Fonderie Darling

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