Gannaiden: an artistic oasis in Vaudreuil-Dorion

By Nicola Di Narzo
15 Aug 2019

As soon as you arrive on the premises of Gannaiden (the Garden of Eden), it is difficult not to let oneself fall in love with the splendor of nature which dons its most beautiful charms. It is indeed a real oasis where gardens, culture and sculpture blend harmoniously.

Elaine Steinberg and her husband, Marcel Braitstein, are true artists who have made this place a canvas on which to express their art in both a natural and a sculptural way while allowing nature to dictate the pace.

Mr. Braitstein is an artist / sculptor known in Quebec and internationally and his works are known not only in the region, but across Canada. A Holocaust survivor, he arrived in Canada very young and sought to find his place despite the limits imposed by his membership in the Jewish community.

After studying in Quebec, he presented at an exhibition in Montreal at which he sold a work for $500, which he used to go to Mexico to further his studies. Over time, he became known within the artistic community and positive reviews became a launch pad for his career. Renowned artist and retired UQAM teacher, he now takes advantage of his peaceful years to complete the Garden of Eden with his works scattered here and there in both the cultivated and semi-wild natural landscape.

His wife Elaine, herself an artist with a farming background, takes care of the garden. She cultivates it as much as she lets it cultivate itself. There she discovers the wonders of nature that she shapes with her artistic hands.

Elaine cultivates plants as much as principles and harmony. In her bohemian style, she inspires freedom as much as respect and calm. Her garden seems to have shaped itself as much as it could, and she now uses it to amaze and challenge the students who come for organized visits. Everything in her art is a profound lesson in cohabitation, harmony, respect, listening and suggestion.

The two artists, still as much in love as they are dreamers, want to make a public space where it is possible for people to enjoy this space which testifies to the harmony of origins.

For now, events and visits are organized, and who knows if one day Gannaiden will be a favorite place where people can enjoy nature and its artistic expression.