A world premiere for Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal - Giant
horticultural sculptures in the new Bank of America tower in New York

MONTREAL, May 20 /CNW Telbec/ - Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal (MIM) will unveil today four major horticultural sculptures at the entrance to the new Bank of America head office at the building inauguration at 6:00 PM in New York. One Bryant Park, which is also the headquarters for the Durst Organization, is a billion dollar LEED-certified building. The four Quebec works will be permanently exhibited in the Urban Garden Room of the 55-storey glass tower, second only in height to the Empire State Building and the fourth tallest building in the U.S.

The horticultural sculptures produced and installed by Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal were commissioned by One Bryant Park LLC, a subsidiary of Durst Organization. The most imposing of the pieces is a 25-foot arch weighing 25 tonnes. The permanent horticultural sculptures are a world first by their very nature. They incorporate more than 35 thousand ferns, ivies, moss and lichen dependent on a complex irrigation system. "For more than a year, some 30 Quebecers worked on creating these sculptures in Montreal," Lise Cormier, Executive Vice President and General Manager of MIM explained. "The pieces were delivered 'turnkey' to New York and installing them took three working days."

MIM: an international success story

Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal corporation (MIM) is leading several projects around the world. The organization has participated in 14 exhibitions in the conservatory of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The group represented Montreal at Mosaïcultures International Shanghai 2006 (MIS2006) and at Mosaïcultures International Hamamatsu 2009 (MIH2009) where on both occasions the organization received the Jury lnternational Grand Prize and the Peoples Choice Award. The Man who Planted Trees work presented in Japan is now on display at the Shanghai world exposition as part of the 25th anniversary of the twinning of Shanghai and Montreal becoming. A video highlighting the installation and presentation at MIH2009 is currently on display at Montreal City Hall until June 2. Entry is free.

Numbers tell the tale

Since the Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal 2003 (MIM2003) closing ceremony in October of that year, Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal has received thousands of requests by phone and email for the return of Mosaïcultures Internationales(R) to Montreal. "The passion that we created beginning in 2000 is undeniable and provides an international showcase for the City of Montreal and for the expertise we've developed," Cormier says. The fact that the three Montreal exhibitions had an economic impact of nearly $150 million and satisfaction rates of 96% also testify to the organization's success.

About Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal (MIM)

Since October 2003, the Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal, a not-for-profit organization, has reinvested all revenues into operations and into consolidating its leadership and the international reach of Montréal en mosaïculture. MIM continues to represent Montreal and will be increasingly active in developing the expertise that is making Montreal's and Quebec's reputation in ornamental horticulture. To find out more, visit www.mosaiculture.ca.

For further information: Myriam Dumortier, AGC Communications, [phone] ext. 222, [email protected]; Émilie Thibault, AGC Communications, [phone] ext. 231, [email protected]