Image: Two Rivers (2018), featuring storytellers Jim Hunt (left) and Tia Carey Wong (far right) with community story advocate Jenny Mitchell (centre)

Moving Histories, Neighbourhood Mysteries marks the end of a multi-year collaboration in three of Guelph’s vibrant neighbourhoods – Two Rivers, Onward Willow, and Brant Avenue – where we explored two driving questions: What makes a place home? How do communities change over time?

Launched in 2018, Moving Histories, Neighbourhood Mysteries formed as a series of actual and virtual bus tours, featuring intergenerational storytellers and led by community story advocate Jenny Mitchell. In Two Rivers (2018) and Onward Willow (2019), people from across Guelph stepped onto a bus and travelled with the storytellers. In 2021, a virtual bus toured Brant Avenue, with the participants tuning in from the comfort of their own homes.

The bus tours were filmed and the footage produced as three short docs. The films capture the storytellers, who shared their memories, lived perspectives, and personal anecdotes in the places they call home. The films will premiere in the exhibition, surrounded by artifacts, images, and histories of each neighbourhood, drawn from the collections at Guelph Museums.

The exhibition also explores Guelph’s local film history, recognizing the power of film in storytelling. From the cinemas and theatres that dotted the city’s entertainment landscape to feature productions shot locally, where – through movie magic – Guelph became other places, both real and fictional.

Equal parts lived history and historic fact, Moving Histories, Neighbourhood Mysteries centres the stories and storytellers who shape and imagine community and home – past, present and future.

Enjoy the trailers for the three short documentaries:

Moving Histories, Neighbourhood Mysteries, Two Rivers or “The Ward”

Moving Histories, Neighbourhood Mysteries, Brant

Moving Histories, Neighbourhood Mysteries, Onward Willow

Watch History Bites: Moving Histories, Neighbourhood Mysteries:

Moving Histories, Neighbourhood Mysteries is a partnership between Guelph Museums and the Guelph Film Festival, with support from CFRU 93.3 FM and the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition.

This project is funded in part by a grant from The Guelph Community Foundation – Musagetes Fund.