Guelph Museums

Decolonizing Guelph's Founding Story
2019-01-29 - 2020-02-02 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Guelph Museums is in the process of decolonization through the restructuring of our colonialist framework and by collaborating meaningfully with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. We are committed to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and we strive to initiate dialogues and create safe spaces for truth telling. These guiding principles inform all that we do at Guelph Museums.

In the 1850s and 1860s, provincial and university-based museums were created across Upper Canada; however, after Confederation in 1867, the government began to recognize the value of national collections in encouraging exploration and resource development—effectively tools of colonization. During this period the National Museums of Canada were established including the National Museum of Man (1856), the National Gallery of Canada (1880), and the Canadian Museum of Nature (1905), among others.
Canada’s centennial in 1967 significantly increased public interest in Canadian heritage and was a pivotal moment in the growth of the museum sector. In 1968, the National Museums Act and the National Museums of Canada Corporation focused on strengthening the role of all Canadian museums and establishing the government’s intentions for their future management and funding.
It was in this milieu that the Guelph Civic Museum was created to preserve and share this city’s local history. Since then, Guelph’s founding story has been told through the narrative of the Canada Company, a colonization company that was chartered in 1825 and remained in operation until it sold its last parcel of land in the 1950s. Founded by John Galt (1779–1839), who became its first Superintendent, the Canada Company was responsible for colonizing over two million acres of land on the shores of Lake Huron, which became known as the Huron Tract. Galt arrived in Upper Canada in 1825, founded the towns of Guelph and Goderich in 1827, built a road between these “instant cities” in 1828, and was recalled to Britain by May of 1829.
This version of our founding story implied that Galt and the Canada Company settled a vast and unpopulated wilderness and negated, by omission, the rich history of the Original Peoples who have lived on these lands for millennia, as well as the atrocities enacted upon them by the same mechanisms of colonization that led to the establishment of our city and of this museum.

Indigenizing Galt
2019-01-29 - 2020-01-12 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Guelph Civic Museum was established in the 1960s to preserve and share this city’s local history. Since then, our founding story has been told through the narrative of the Canada Company. Founded by John Galt, who became its first Superintendent, the Canada Company is responsible for colonizing over two million acres of land on the shores of Lake Huron, now known as the Huron Tract. This version of our founding story implies that Galt established Guelph on unpopulated land and negated, by omission, the local history of the Original Peoples.
Indigenizing Galt includes a local history timeline which documents the actions of government, of Mohawk leaders Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant, 1743–1807) and Ahyonwaeghs (John Brant, 1794–1832), and of Guelph’s founder John Galt (1779–1839), which continue to inform our present-day civic narrative.
The case also includes artifacts which until recently, the Museum’s City Gallery (located on the 3rd floor) displayed as part of Guelph’s founding story, told through a colonial narrative, repositioned and their stories extended to further our collective learning.

Lacrosse: The Creator's Game
2019-02-26 - 2020-02-02 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Dewa’áo’:gajíhgwa’e’ is the Cayuga Nation word for lacrosse, which has multiple meanings: “they play with webbed sticks” and “to throw or pass the ball” and “hitting their hips.
Lacrosse was gifted to the Haudenosaunee Peoples (Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca) from the Creator at the time of Creation. Other Indigenous Nations have their own Creation stories, as well as different stories about how the game of lacrosse came to be. Today, many variations of the game are played across Nations.
In the Haudenosaunee Creation story, there was a place that lived above the clouds called Sky World. This land looked very much like our own, where plants, trees and people lived. The Chief of Sky World took care of the Tree of Light. Sky Chief and his wife, Sky Woman, were expecting a child.
Sky Woman was curious about the herbs that grew beneath the Tree of Light. Noticing a hole under the roots of the tree, she leaned in to look closer and fell through, towards the vast waters below. The Geese saw Sky Woman falling and they flew up to catch her. The Geese placed Sky Woman upon the Great Turtle’s back.
Sky Woman had the power to create land. She asked the animals if there was dirt. “Yes,” they said, “but far beneath the waters.” So the Beaver, the Otter and the Muskrat dived into the water to retrieve some earth for Sky Woman. At last, the Muskrat’s body surfaced with dirt clutched in his paw. Sky Woman made circular motions on the Turtle’s back with the dirt and began to dance. As she danced, the earth grew. This is how North America became known as Turtle Island.
Sky Woman gave birth to a baby girl. Her daughter grew, came of age, and mysteriously became pregnant with twins. They fought furiously in her womb. The Creator – called the Good Minded twin – was born. His brother – the Bad Minded twin – left their mother’s body through her armpit, killing her. The mother was buried into the earth, which is why earth is called Mother Earth.
Sky Woman raised the twins and taught them the traditions of Sky World. One way to settle disputes was to play the game of Dewa’áo’:gajíhgwa’e’ (lacrosse). The twins competed to see who would “win the world.” They played for six days. The Bad Minded twin grew impatient and he tried to end his brother with a spear. The Creator (the Good Minded twin) subdued his brother with a deer’s antler.
The Creator said that fighting is not the way of the Good Mind. He said that lacrosse would be the way to settle all disputes. He very much enjoyed the sport and hoped the Peoples would play for his entertainment.

Art As Activism: Truth, Survivance, and Resilience
2019-08-02 - 2019-12-01 | Ontario
Image: Alex Jacobs-Blum, The Medicine Game
Opening reception: Friday, August 2, 6 PM
Guelph Museums was established in the 1960s to preserve and share this city’s local history. Since then, our founding story has been told through the narrative of the Canada Company. Founded by John Galt, who became its first Superintendent, the Canada Company is responsible for colonizing over two million acres of land on the shores of Lake Huron, now known as the Huron Tract. This version of our founding story implies that Galt established Guelph on unpopulated land and negated, by omission, the local history of the Original Peoples.
The exhibition, Art As Activism: Truth, Survivance and Resilience, will open on August 2, 2019 in conjunction with the performance of John Galt and The Instant City, a musical theatre production that navigates Galt’s background as a writer and Colonist. Both the exhibition and the performance will question Galt’s positionality in the context of our local Indigenous history and the impact of colonization that continues to shape Guelph today.
Featuring works by Hunter Anderson, Jasmine Canaviri, Shirin Divanbeigi, Michel Dumont, Ted Fullerton and Paul Shilling, Denise Holland, Alexandra Hong, Sheraz Khan and Will Pemulis, Cody Houle, Alex Jacobs-Blum, Noni Kaur, Taras Lachowsky, Justin Langille, Monique Martin, Giniw Paradis, Michelle Peraza, and Carolyn Riddell.

GALT 240
2019 marks the 240th birthday of John Galt, colonist and founder of Guelph. Take part in a series of events that reimagine our city today and in the future.
Art As Activism: Truth, Survivance, and Resilience (exhibit) – August 2 to December 1
John Galt and the Instant City– August 2
John Galt Day: Market Square & Guelph Civic Museum Concert – August 3
Community Tea– November 3
John Galt and the Instant City – November 8 & 9
Funded in part by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund and the Musagetes Fund, a grant from the Guelph Community Foundation.

Into the Light: Eugenics and Education in Southern Ontario
2019-09-14 - 2020-03-01 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Content warning: The exhibition Into the Light: Eugenics and Education in Southern Ontario includes content that some visitors may find offensive and/or traumatizing. Guelph Museums aims to provide open spaces for the sharing and understanding of all histories and lived experiences. We ask that visitors help to create an atmosphere of mutual respect and sensitivity.
Into the Light examines local histories and ongoing legacies of racial “betterment” thinking in Southern Ontario that de-humanized and disappeared those who did not fit the normative middle-class lives of white, able-bodied settlers.
In the early to mid 20th century, eugenics (race improvement through heredity) was taught in a number of universities throughout Southern Ontario, including Macdonald Institute and the Ontario Agricultural College, two of the three founding colleges that formed the University of Guelph. Educational institutions played a significant role in the eugenics movement by perpetuating destructive ideas that targeted Indigenous, Black, and other racialized populations, poor, and disabled people for segregation in institutions, cultural assimilation and sterilization.
While eugenics sought to eradicate those deemed as “unfit,” this exhibition centres the voices of members of affected communities who continue to work to prevent institutional brutality, oppose colonialism, reject ableism, and foster social justice.
Into the Light is co-curated by Mona Stonefish, Peter Park, Dolleen Tisawii’ashii Manning, Evadne Kelly, Seika Boye and Sky Stonefish. This exhibition of artistic, sensory, and material expressions of memory aims to bring one of Guelph’s dark secrets, as well as stories of survival, out of the shadows and into the light.
Into the Light: Eugenics and Education in Southern Ontario is co-presented by Guelph Museums, Re•Vision: The Centre for Art and Social Justice, Bodies in Translation: Activist Art, Technology and Access to Life, and Respecting Rights, Arch Disability Law.

Into the Light Access Guide – Accessible PDF
Public events, guided tours and further learning opportunities
Into the Light Opening Reception – ASL Vlog Invitation
Friday, September 27, 2019 – 6 p.m. – Free admission
Remarks, performances and reception. All galleries will be open.
ASL interpretation.
Listen to the CBC KW Radio ‘Into the Light’ interview with Evadne Kelly

https://guelphmuseums.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/CBC-KW-Into-the-Light-Interview.mp3
In Conversation: Eugenics Retold
Saturday, October 26 – 2 PM – Civic Museum – Free admission
A conversation among rights activists and Into the Light co-creators and co-curators Mona Stonefish, Peter Park, Dolleen Tisawii’ashii Manning, Evadne Kelly, Seika Boye and Sky Stonefish, who work to prevent institutional brutality, colonialism, ableism, and social injustice. The conversation event will have ASL Interpretation and CART Live Captioning.
History Bites – Into the Light: Eugenics and Education in Southern Ontario
Wednesday, February 19, 12 noon to 1 p.m.
Civic Museum | Admission by donation (Please RSVP)
Bring a brown bag lunch and join us for bite-sized history tours of our feature exhibitions.
Guided Tours and Q&A sessions
Guided tours and/or Question and Answer sessions with Dr. Evadne Kelly, Post-doctoral Fellow at Re•Vision: The Centre for Art and Social Justice, University of Guelph, Into the Light co-creator and co-curator, are available most Mondays and Thursdays by request. Guided tours with Dawn Owen, Curator of Guelph Museums may be available on other days by request. Tours and Q&A sessions are approximately 1-hour long however this timeframe can be adapted for your group. Please contact Museum Bookings at museum.bookings@guelph.ca to make arrangements in advance of your group visit to the exhibition.

Co-Curator Bios:
Elder Mona Stonefish is an Anishinaabe artist, Traditional Knowledge Keeper, Windsor Art Gallery board member, disability activist, and recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee award.
Peter Park is co-founder of Respecting Rights, founder of People First, and recipient of the June Callwood Award.
Dolleen Tisawii’ashii Manning is an Anishinaabe contemporary artist and Assistant Professor in Indigenous Education & Pedagogy, York University (start date 2020).
Evadne Kelly is a modern dancer, and Postdoctoral Artist-Researcher at Re-Vision Centre for Art and Social Justice, University of Guelph.
Seika Boye is a scholar, writer, educator and consultant, whose practices revolve around dance and movement. She is a lecturer at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Toronto.
Sky Stonefish is an Anishinaabe jingle dress dancer, photographer, and activist.
Acknowledgements and Thanks
The development of this accessible curated exhibition has been generously supported by Dr. Carla Rice, Canada Research Chair and Founding Director of Re•Vision: The Centre for Art and Social Justice, University of Guelph, and Principal Investigator and Co-Director with Eliza Chandler of the SSHRC Partnership Grant Bodies in Translation: Activist Art, Technology, and Access to Life (BIT), and the Re•Vision and Bodies in Translation team (in particular Tracy Tidgwell, Ingrid Mündel, Kayla Besse, and Lindsay Fisher); Dawn Owen, Curator, Guelph Museums; Respecting Rights, in particular, Sue Hutton, Co-ordinator; and ARCH Disability Law Centre, in particular, Mariana Versiani, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, and Robert Lattanzio, Executive Director. Aaron Kelly, Assistant Professor in Theatre at York University supported production and graphic design elements. And, Dr. Franklin White, development consultant, public health sciences, provided notes on some of the scientific fallacies underlying eugenics.

VibraFusionLab: Bridging Practices in Accessibility, Art and Communications
2019-09-14 - 2020-03-01 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Experience sound and vibration technologies through art installations by David Bobier, Lindsay Fisher, Marla Hlady, Ellen Moffat, Gordon Monahan, Alison O’Daniel, and Lynx Sainte-Marie. By making sound tangible through touch, this exhibition aims to change public perceptions of difference and disability.
Presented in partnership with VibraFusionLab, an innovative centre for vibrotactile research and creative practice based in London, Ontario.
Public Events:
VibraFusionLab Opening Reception
Friday, September 27, 6 p.m.
Civic Museum | Free admission
Remarks, performances and reception. All galleries will be open.
ASL interpretation.
Walkabout Tour with David Bobier: Hands On!
Sunday, September 29, 2 p.m.
Civic Museum | Free admission
Guest curator David Bobier leads an all-ages sensory tour of the vibrotactile art featured in the exhibition.
ASL interpretation.
History Bites – VibraFusionLab: Bridging Practices in Accessibility, Art and Communication
Wednesday, January 15, 12 noon to 1 p.m.
Civic Museum | Admission by donation (Please RSVP)
Bring a brown bag lunch and join us for bite-sized history tours of our feature exhibitions.
Feeling Sound, Performing Access
Friday, February 21, 7 p.m.
Civic Museum | $10 + HST
Tickets in advance
A vibrotactile performance by acclaimed artists Marla Hlady, Ellen Moffat and Gordon Monahan, curated by David Bobier. Using haptic systems (belts, pillows and floors that vibrate), the audience is invited into an immersive experience that extends beyond sight and sound to touch and motion.
ASL interpretation.

About VibraFusionLab:
VibraFusionLab (VFL) began in 2014 in London, Ontario, growing out of an artist residency and collaboration between media artist David Bobier and the Inclusive Media and Design Centre at Ryerson University. The vision, to provide access to emerging inclusive or adaptive technology and design to artists of all disciplines and abilities, will be illustrated in the upcoming retrospective: VibraFusionLab: Bridging Practices in Accessibility, Art and Communication. Guelph Museums is proud to host this immersive exhibition, which will feature educational ephemera in the Commons Research Centre, and works by seven artists involved in the residency program: Marla Hlady; Gordon Monahan; Lindsay Fisher; Alison O’Daniel; Ellen Moffat; Lynx Sainte-Marie; and David Bobier. The seven artists in the exhibition self-identify as either abled or disabled and all have been affiliated with VibraFusionLab over the past 3-4 years.
The works specialize in the exploration of “vibrotactility” in technology, investigating it as a creative medium, with a capacity to combine visual, audio and tactile elements into a highly emotional and sensorial art practice. Viewers can expect wearable devices, and new approaches to art-making that champion the senses beyond vision and hearing, to build new methods of communication and language.

Tales from the Hill
2020-01-08 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Toronto) | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Join Guelph Guild of Storytellers and special guests on the first Wednesday of each month.
Free admission.

School’s Out, Museum’s In PD Day - The Making Box
2020-01-31 10:00 - 17:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Improv for Joy with Hayley from The Making Box. Both sessions are designed for children with all levels of cognitive and sensory processing needs.
Two sessions, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
General admission.

Rotary in Guelph 1920–2020: 100 Years of Service Above Self
2020-02-04 10:00 - 2020-11-01 17:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Image: Rotarians of Guelph, 1921
The Beginning of Rotary in Guelph:
On February 23, 1920, 25 local business leaders hosted a meeting to organize a Rotary Club in Guelph. Under the direction of Alex Stewart, the club held its Charter Night on April 9, 1920 at the Royal Canadian Café.
The Rotary Club of Guelph has sponsored nine other Clubs in Guelph and the surrounding the region: Kitchener (1922), Orangeville (1936), Acton (1947), Drayton (1950), Georgetown (1955), Fergus (1966), Guelph Wellington (1986), Guelph Trillium (1995), and Guelph South (2003).
Established in 1988, the Rotary Club of Guelph Charitable Foundation is mandated “to solicit, manage and allocate funds to support long term projects, which enhance the quality of life in our community.”
Membership in Rotary opened to women in 1989. Today, approximately half of local Rotarians are women and female presidents lead three of the four local clubs.
Over the past 100 years, Rotary Guelph has realized many community projects and initiatives. One hundred percent of all profits from Rotary fundraising events go toward projects that help people in and beyond Guelph.

Every Child Matters
2020-02-04 10:00 - 2021-01-10 17:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Acknowledging the legacy of Canada’s Residential School system and its impact on Indigenous communities, past, present and future.
What is Residential School?
The term “Residential School” refers to the education system that forced Indigenous children into mainstream “Canadian” ways of living. The practice removed Indigenous children from their families, languages, customs, and traditional teachings.
There were 139 Indian residential schools funded and operated by the federal government. Opened in 1828 and located only 50 kilometres from Guelph, the Mohawk Institute Residential School was the first and longest continually operated residential school in Canada. It closed in 1970, after 142 years.
The Orange Shirt Story
Phyllis Webstad (Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation) started the Orange Shirt Society in 2013 based on her experience at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in Williams Lake, British Columbia. Phyllis grew up on Dog Creek Reservation with her grandmother. In 1973, at six years old, Phyllis was to attend the local residential school. Her grandmother purchased a beautiful orange shirt for her to wear on the first day. Phyllis was nervous and excited, as she was not sure what to expect. Upon arriving to the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in her brand new orange shirt, it was stripped from her body never to be returned.
“The color orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.”
– Phyllis Webstad
The Orange Shirt Society
The Orange Shirt Society witnesses and honours the healing journey of residential school survivors and their families. The society aims to create conversations about the residential school system, among all Canadians. Their message is simple: Every Child Matters.
Orange Shirt Day
Annually on September 30, we wear orange shirts to commemorate the survivors of residential school. It was the time of year when children were taken from their homes and sent to residential schools. Today, we must talk about anti-racism and anti-bullying. Let’s come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.
For more information visit: www.orangeshirtday.org
Phyllis Webstad, author of The Orange Shirt Story, wears a 2019 Orange Shirt Day T-shirt, designed by Vinita Rathod, a grade twelve student from Richmond, B.C. Source: UVIC Photo Services

Guelph Circa 1999
2020-03-14 - 2021-04-18 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Like entering a time capsule, visitors will discover Guelph of 20 years ago. Told through the stories of the people who spent time at The Bookshelf, a cultural hub in this city since 1973.
Downtown Guelph in the late 1990s was vibrant, brimming with entrepreneurship, and teeming with energy. Barb and Doug Minett were the owner-operators of The Bookshelf, a cultural hub in downtown Guelph since 1973. They had the idea to capture Guelph’s unique social environment through a portrait series. Their concept was inspired by an exhibition they had seen in Toronto, a salon-style installation of black-and-white portraits by German photographer August Sander (1876–1964). They commissioned Guelph photographer Dean Palmer.
Barb, Doug, and Dean compiled a list of more than 100 downtown personalities, local business owners, and people who were shaping Guelph’s cultural community. They called the project The Greenroom Series, after the dining space adjacent to the eBar, where the portraits were exhibited. The title also alludes to the “green room” in theatre where performers can relax when they are not performing. The completed series featured 16 portraits of people photographed in their natural environments.
Featuring portraits of Andy the Barber, Ian Findlay, Jaqueline Gilbey, Diego Hadarits, Ajay Heble, Tom King, Grant Love, Mark McAlpine, Fred Mollison, Harri Palm and Molly Kurvink, Fredericka Potvin, Ryan Price, Joan Rentoul, Tannis Slimmon, Emma Smith, and Jessica Steinhauser.
The Greenroom Series was donated to Guelph Museums’ permanent collection in 2018. This exhibition represents the series in its entirety, encapsulating Guelph on the cusp of the new millennium.

Related Events:

History Bites: Guelph Circa 1999
Guelph Museums curator Dawn Owen chats about Guelph Circa 1999 with special guests Ajay Heble, Dean Palmer, Ian Findlay, Jessica Steinhauser, and Mark McAlpine. Watch guests compete in a 90s trivia challenge, as they reflect on the cultural life of Guelph in the 1990s.

Lay of the Land
2020-03-14 10:00 - 2021-02-28 17:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
You are here! This interactive exhibition will orient visitors in time and place through an installation of maps, spanning time immemorial to present day. Lay of the Land invites all visitors to understand our complex relationship to the land, past and present, and to the place that we now call Guelph.
Cartography is the art, science, and technology of making maps, plans, charts, and globes. The earliest surviving map, drawn on a clay tablet found in the Middle East, dates to 2300 BCE. The earlier known maps of Canada were created by European explorers, seeking to find and secure trade routes to the Asian continent. Dated from about 1502 to 1506, those maps depict the east coast of Newfoundland as an island in the North Atlantic.
Mapmaking was a well-developed practice among Indigenous peoples in what is now Canada. Indigenous navigational maps were drawn on impermanent materials, accompanied by verbal descriptions and committed to memory. Lakes, rivers, and shorelines on most Indigenous maps differ from modern survey maps. Scale, however, was often measured by time (such as a day’s journey) and landmarks were accentuated to aid travellers.
“Lay of the land” is a turn of phrase. It is a reference to the arrangement of features on the land, as well as a metaphor for the current state of affairs. The exhibition, Lay of the Land, employs both meanings in recognition of our unique connections to places we call home.
Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
The exhibition features the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada (IPAC) floor map. It is on loan from Kids Can Press, Canadian Geographic and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS).
The IPAC floor map is a resource that can assist our understanding of the past, present and future of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. It represents a diversity of stories and voices. The RCGS worked with Indigenous and ally educators and with organizations across Canada to create the map.
Visit Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada for more information about the map and for learning activities.

Related Events:

History Bites: Lay of the Land
Wednesday, February 17, 12 p.m.
Facebook Live
Guelph Museums curator Dawn Owen will be chatting about current exhibit, Lay of the Land. The exhibition orients visitors in time and place through an installation of maps, spanning time immemorial to present day. Lay of the Land invites all visitors to understand our complex relationship to the land, past and present, and to the place that we now call Guelph.

Fourth Friday: Tannis Slimmon - POSTPONED
2020-03-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
In order to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the Museum is temporarily closed until further notice. We are still available online and through our social media channels.
City of Guelph COVID-19 Update
The exhibition opening reception and Fourth Friday: Tannis Slimmon have been postponed, date TBD.

Celebrate the opening of spring exhibitions, Lay of the Land and Guelph Circa 1999 with a performance by Tannis Slimmon. On the Fourth Friday of the month, Guelph Museums offers free admission to the Guelph Civic Museum after 5 p.m. Opening remarks at 6 p.m., performances by Tannis start at 7 p.m.
Tannis will be joined by her talented partner/producer/co-writer/multi-instrumentalist Lewis Melville.
Cash bar.
Sponsored by:

About Tannis Slimmon:
Tannis Slimmon is a critically acclaimed Canadian musician who has been singing, songwriting, recording, and touring locally, nationally and internationally for over 30 years. In 2008 she was honoured with the Contemporary Vocalist of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards for her album Lucky Blue.
Tannis grew up in a musical family on a farm in the prairies of western Canada. In 1980 she moved to Guelph, Ontario, where she began a serious professional music career. During the 80’s and 90’s she was a founding member of various regional roots bands (the Reverbs, Benji, etc.), and appeared as a special guest on recordings and performances with key players in the CanRock Revolution (Rheostatics, barenaked ladies, grievous angels).
After eleven years with the legendary trio The Bird Sisters she struck off on her own in 2001 with her solo debut Oak Lake and followed it up with 2007’s award winning Lucky Blue and 2013’s In and Out of Harmony. All her albums are highly regarded by critics and audiences alike with the latest being described as ‘..infectious, uplifting and thought-provoking all at the same time’ (Beatroute) and ‘an honest and endearing addition to an already impressive catalogue’ (Penguin Eggs).
Tannis traveled to Mali, West Africa in 2004 with a quartet of musicians exploring the role of music in development and appears in the documentary of the trip Road To Baleya, by Bay Waymen (Close Up Films). She subsequently visited Matanzas, Cuba where she studied afro-cuban rhythms with master bata drummer Gilberto Morales-Chong. She has hosted Malian musicians in her home for two summers as part of an ongoing cultural exchange. Her experiences in Mali and Cuba have had a significant influence on the musical texture of her recent album “Lucky Blue”.
You will find Tannis’ name on over 100 albums, contributing songs or singing harmonies for others including David Francey, Willie P. Bennett, Valdy and Rheostatics. Tannis plays guitar, mandolin, bass and percussion but it is her singing that she is most known for. She performs solo, in a duo with Lewis Melville, in a trio called Boreal, and in the vocal collective the Ondine Chorus. She has performed at folk clubs, festivals and community centres across Canada. Her music can be heard on public and college radio across North America.

Tales from the Hill - CANCELLED
2020-04-01 19:00 - 20:30 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
In order to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the Museum is temporarily closed until further notice. We are still available online and through our social media channels.
City of Guelph COVID-19 Update
Tales from the Hill has been cancelled.

Join Guelph Guild of Storytellers and special guests on the first Wednesday of each month.
Free admission.

School’s Out, Museum’s In PD Day - CANCELLED
2020-04-24 11:00 - 12:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
All Museum events and programs have been cancelled through July 5.
Following advice from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, all City of Guelph recreation centres, libraries, museums and theatres remain closed until April 30 to slow the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). All scheduled programs, performances and events at City facilities are cancelled through July 5, 2020.
For all City of Guelph Coronavirus updates and further information, please visit guelph.ca.
We are still available online and through our social media channels. Explore the Museum’s Musings Blog and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Please visit the staff contact page to connect with us via email while are working offsite.

Maps and Codes and Signals, Oh My! On this PD Day, use games, puzzles, and crafts to practice the art of long-distance communication, and learn a secret code or two to use with friends!

Doors Open After Dark 2020 - Postponed
2020-04-24 17:00 - 2020-04-25 01:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
All Museum events and programs have been cancelled through July 5.
Doors Open Guelph and Doors Open After Dark have been postponed, date tbd.
Following advice from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, all City of Guelph recreation centres, libraries, museums and theatres remain closed until April 30 to slow the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). All scheduled programs, performances and events at City facilities are cancelled through July 5, 2020.
For all City of Guelph Coronavirus updates and further information, please visit guelph.ca.
We are still available online and through our social media channels. Explore the Museum’s Musings Blog and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Please visit the staff contact page to connect with us via email while are working offsite.

Celebrate Guelph’s 193rd birthday and kick off Doors Open Guelph at the Civic Museum with live music, food trucks, and pop-up art and history installations at and around the museum. Connect, explore and engage with history in unique ways.
Add Guelph Museums on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for event updates. Don’t forget to share your photos and tag @guelphmuseums, #DoorsOpenAfterDark

Call for Submissions: Doors Open After Dark
Deadline: March 8, 2020
Have an idea for a big, bold, innovative history or art activation? Historians and creatives of all disciplines are encouraged to submit proposals for activations that explore Guelph’s history and identity through themes of reconciliation, diversity, landscape, culture, innovation, and environment.

Fourth Friday: Murray Foster - CANCELLED
2020-04-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
All Museum events and programs have been cancelled through July 5.
Doors Open After Dark has been postponed, date tbd.
Following advice from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, all City of Guelph recreation centres, libraries, museums and theatres remain closed until April 30 to slow the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). All scheduled programs, performances and events at City facilities are cancelled through July 5, 2020.
For all City of Guelph Coronavirus updates and further information, please visit guelph.ca.
We are still available online and through our social media channels. Explore the Museum’s Musings Blog and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Please visit the staff contact page to connect with us via email while are working offsite.

Before Doors Open After Dark 2020 officially kicks off, warm up with a free Fourth Friday concert by Murray Foster. On the Fourth Friday of the month, Guelph Museums offers free admission to the Guelph Civic Museum after 5 p.m. Performances by Murray Foster start at 7 p.m.
Cash bar.
Sponsored by:

Stick around! Launching the Doors Open Guelph weekend, Doors Open After Dark will celebrate Guelph’s 193rd birthday with history and art activations at and around the Civic Museum. Connect, explore and engage with history in unique ways!
Free admission, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

About Murray Foster:
Murray Foster is an award-winning singer-songwriter, filmmaker, musician, music producer, teacher, writer, speaker, and founder of Toronto Songwriting School. Known to many as a member of the pop groups Moxy Früvous and Great Big Sea, and as co-creator of the simply terrific band The Cocksure Lads, Murray is a sought-after navigator of the creative world, weaving together his experiences in music, film, and theatre. He made his Guelph Museums debut at McCrae House Backyard Theatre in Sons of ’17 in 2016 and starred in John Galt and the Instant City alongside Mike Ford in 2019.

Tales from the Hill - CANCELLED
2020-05-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Tales from the Hill has been cancelled through July 5.
Following advice from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, all City of Guelph recreation centres, libraries, museums and theatres remain closed until April 30 to slow the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). All scheduled programs, performances and events at City facilities are cancelled through July 5, 2020.
For all City of Guelph Coronavirus updates and further information, please visit guelph.ca.
We are still available online and through our social media channels. Explore the Museum’s Musings Blog and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Please visit the staff contact page to connect with us via email while are working offsite.

Join Guelph Guild of Storytellers and special guests on the first Wednesday of each month.
Free admission.

Backyard Theatre: Sons of 17
2020-08-13 19:00 | McCrae House, 108 Water Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 1A6, Canada
Thursday through Saturday, August 13 to 15 | 7 PM
Saturday matinee, August 15 | 2 PM
Synopsis: An unlikely pair of musicians meets in Guelph during the spring of 1917 to rehearse songs for soldier recruitment, all while revealing home front emotions, opinions and diversions of the time. Mike Ford (Moxy Früvous) and Murray Foster (Moxy Früvous, Great Big Sea) bring this musical remembrance to life.
Sons of ’17 was originally commissioned by Canada’s History Society for the 2014 Governor General’s History Awards Gala, and was performed by Mike Ford and Sheesham & Lotus. Mike Ford and Murray Foster adapted the piece for their debut performance at McCrae House in 2016.
CAST
Jack Rochon…………………………………………………………………..Mike Ford
Eric Goodweather………………………………………………………Murray Foster
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director…………………………………………………………………………..Mike Ford
Produced by……………………………………….Mike Ford and McCrae House
Sound Operation………………………………………………………….Dennis Gray
Sons of ’17 show name by Teilhard Frost (Sheesham)
Tickets are $25 + HST each, or $40 + HST for both Backyard Theatre performances (Sons of 17 & Keeping the Homefires Burning). Tickets are available through Eventbrite or 519-836-1221. Capacity is limited, advance booking is encouraged.
Individual and family/social circle seating will be assigned, respecting physical distancing protocols. Please book tickets together with your family/social circle.

PLEASE NOTE: Sons of 17 is performed outside, in the backyard of McCrae House. Please dress according to weather conditions. We recommend casual clothing and comfortable shoes.
Following health and safety guidelines provided by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, the Museum has introduced enhanced cleaning protocols and new measures to keep guests, performers, and staff safe.

Please do not attend if you are feeling unwell. Please contact us to reschedule or refund your ticket.
When you arrive at McCrae House, please follow the directional arrows and physical distancing cues.
Upon entry, please use the hand sanitizer provided.
We will be wearing face coverings for your protection; and we strongly encourage you, if you are able, to do the same for our protection.
Individual and family/social circle seating will be assigned, respecting physical distancing protocols.
Refreshments will be available for purchase. Touch-free forms of payment are preferred. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and debit payments.

If you have any further questions, please contact museum@guelph.ca or 519-836-1221.

Her Story: Trailblazers of Guelph and Wellington County
2020-09-15 - 2021-07-25 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
In fall 2019, the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) approached Guelph Museums about an exhibition that would mark the 75th anniversary of CFUW Guelph. Through the stories of local women, who fought for the advancement of the status of women, the exhibition began to take shape. The goal was to write the history of Her Story and to share women’s legacies in Guelph, past and present.
Then, in March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the temporary closure of Guelph Museums. What began as a display in the museum became a major research project and a virtual exhibition.
CFUW Guelph sought a partnership with the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute and the College of Arts at the University of Guelph. Under the guidance of Professor Catherine Carstairs, nine students undertook the research and writing and the Canadian Writing Research Collaboratory agreed to host the virtual exhibition.
Her Story: Trailblazers of Guelph and Wellington County celebrates women who have led the way towards a diverse and gender inclusive community. The project aimed to share the stories of cisgender women, trans women, two-spirit, and gender non-conforming people. We recognize the historical barriers faced by all women. We acknowledge that Black, Indigenous and People of Colour and LGBTQ2IA+ women have faced and continue to face even greater barriers.
The featured trailblazers are activists, artists, caregivers, health care workers, mothers, politicians, scientists, and writers, as well as women-led organizations. We celebrate their accomplishments. They show us that change is possible.
Her Story: Women Trailblazers of Guelph and Wellington County Virtual Exhibition
Featured Trailblazers
Tito Alawode, Kim Anderson, Parvathi Basrur, Lois Betteridge, Norma Bowen, Deanna Clatworthy, Amy Ellard-Gray, Karen Farbridge, Anne Godfrey, Adelaide Hoodless, Gwen Jacob, Suzy Lake, Jean Little, Marisse Scott, Shakiba Shayani, Jan Sherman, Audny-Cashae Stewart, Gayle Valeriote, Marva Wisdom, and Anne-Marie Zajdlik
Trailblazing Organizations
Canadian Federation of University Women – Guelph, Chalmers Community Services, Guelph-Wellington Women In Crisis, The Suffrage Movement in Guelph and Wellington County, and Zonta Club of Guelph
Student Researchers
Tanesha Black, Julia Cole, Shelby Mawson, Sofia Mayer, Emma Ongman, Brittany Pompilii, Anne Sanatagi, Nicole Scott, and Katrina Stephany
Acknowledgements
The project benefitted from the invaluable guidance of Susan Brown, Kim Martin, Mihaela Ilovan, and Thomas Smith of the Canadian Writing Research Collaboratory. CFUW Guelph, through Isobel Boyle, Mary McEwen and Teresa McKeeman, provided inspiration and key support. Many historians shared their research in women’s history and the history of Guelph. Thank you to Heidi Bohaker, Christine Bold, Vicki Hodgkinson, Franca Iacovetta, Kris Inwood, Melissa McAfee, and Alison Norman. Trailblazers were nominated by Denise Francis of the Guelph Black Heritage Society, Sarah Dermer at Chalmers Community Services, and Amanda Derksen at the Guelph Chamber of Commerce, as well as by individuals from across the region.
Project Partners

Related Events:

History Bites – Her Story: Trailblazers of Guelph and Wellington County
Wednesday, October 21, 12 to 1 p.m. | ONLINE
Join us Guelph Museums’ curator Dawn Owen for an online series of bite-sized conversations inspired by current exhibitions and stories from the collection. Register through Eventbrite.

History Bites: Rapid Response: Collecting Today for Tomorrow
2020-09-16 | ONLINE
Join us for a series of bite-sized conversations inspired by current exhibitions and stories from the collection.
First up in our online series, Guelph Museums curator Dawn Owen talks Rapid Response: Collecting Today for Tomorrow.
Join curator Dawn Owen for a casual conversation about the Museums’ Rapid Response Collecting program. We will reveal, for the first time publicly, some of objects and expressions shared by Guelphites in response to the pandemic and to the local Black Lives Matter solidarity movement. Take part in the conversation from the comfort of home, as we answer your questions about “Collecting Today for Tomorrow.”

Did you miss the live event? Watch the History Bites: Rapid Response: Collecting Today for Tomorrow recording below:

Military Lecture - Fighting for Citizenship: Black Union Soldiers on the Battlefield and in Politics
2020-10-21 | Ontario
Image: 1864 Union recruitment broadside, P. S. Duval and Son, Philadelphia
Guelph Museums’ 2020-2021 military lecture series is going digital!
Dana Weiner presents, Fighting for Citizenship: Black Union Soldiers on the Battlefield and in Politics.
During the U.S. Civil War, African American men fought to join the Union ranks. Their struggle was just one operation in a much longer rights campaign that both free and enslaved people fought. Across the nation, thousands of Black men believed that they must join in the effort to defeat the Confederate States of America, but they confronted initial resistance to their offers of service. As soon as they could, they took advantage of the opportunities to participate in the Union war effort. This talk will explore Black men’s military service, their challenges and triumphs in wartime, and how they used their skills and experiences to gain political and civil rights in the post-war era.
Offered in partnership with the Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies.
About Dana Weiner

Dr. Dana Elizabeth Weiner is associate professor of history at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her publications include “Legal Ambiguities on the Ground: Black Californians’ Land Claims, 1848-1870” in Beyond the Borders of the Law: Critical Legal Histories of the North American West(University Press of Kansas, 2018) and Race and Rights: Fighting Slavery and Prejudice in the Old Northwest, 1830-1870 (Northern Illinois University Press, 2013). Her current research concerns citizenship claims and rights activism among people of African descent in early California.

Did you miss the live event? Watch the recording Military Lecture: Fighting for Citizenship below:

History Bites - Her Story: Trailblazers of Guelph and Wellington County
2020-10-21 | Ontario
Join us for an online series of bite-sized conversations inspired by current exhibitions and stories from the collection.
Guelph Museums curator Dawn Owen will be chatting about Her Story: Trailblazers of Guelph and Wellington County, a display highlighting the contributions of women and organizations/groups who have advanced the status of women by leading the way towards a diverse and gender inclusive community.
Created in partnership with University of Guelph College of Arts, Community Engaged Scholarship Institute, Canadian Federation of University Women- Guelph, Women in Crisis Guelph-Wellington and the Zonta Club of Guelph.

Did you miss the live event? Watch the History Bites: Her Story recording below:

Resonance: Guelph Chamber Choir at 40
2020-10-27 - 2021-09-05 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Experience the soul-stirring sounds of Guelph’s premier chamber choir through 40 years of recording and performance history. This exhibition shares the stories of the people whose lives have been touched by their involvement with choral music since 1980 and sets the stage for the next 40 years of Guelph Chamber Choir.
Resonance: Guelph Chamber Choir at 40 Virtual Exhibition

Liberation of Holland 1945: Trooper Clarence Oliver James
2020-11-03 - 2021-01-31 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Between 1939 and 1945, the Second World War was an international conflict fought on land, on sea and in the air. Canadian soldiers played a major role in the war, including many from Guelph. Some of Guelph’s soldiers returned home, but many died in battle and as prisoners of war.
The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. In remembrance of those who fought and died in the fight for freedom, Guelph Museums presents exhibitions that share the stories of two Guelph soldiers.
The first display, titled Liberation of Holland 1945, traces Canada’s central role in the conflict through the story of Trooper Clarence Oliver James of Guelph. As a tank driver with the 1st Hussars, Trooper James was among the Canadian soldiers in the Rhineland on February 26, 1945. It was a pivotal battle that triggered the end of the Second World War. The display includes artifacts on loan from the James family archive and from the Museums’ permanent collection.
The second display, titled Scholar, Soldier, Spy, tracks Germany’s role in inciting the Second World War and the establishment of the concentration camps that took over 6 million lives. This dark chapter in world history is recounted through the story of Captain John Kenneth Macalister of Guelph. Captain Macalister served in the Intelligence Corps. He was captured in occupied France and imprisoned at Buchenwald for more than a year before his death in 1944. The display includes photographs and artifacts from the Museums’ permanent collection.
In this 75th anniversary year of the end of the Second World War, these exhibitions help us to remember the lives of these soldiers and to commemorate their deaths. On view at Guelph Museums until January 31, 2021.
Related Events:

History Bites – Second World War Remembered
Wednesday, November 18, 12 to 1 p.m. | ONLINE
Join us Guelph Museums’ curator Dawn Owen for an online series of bite-sized conversations inspired by current exhibitions and stories from the collection. Register through Eventbrite.

Scholar, Soldier, Spy: Captain John Kenneth Macalister
2020-11-03 - 2021-01-31 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada

Locomotive 6167 Move to John Galt Park
2020-11-14 | Locomotive 6167, John Galt Park, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
On November 14, Locomotive 6167 moved to its new, permanent home in John Galt Park, adjacent to the River Run Centre on Woolwich Street.
View video on Facebook Live

History Bites: Second World War Remembered
2020-11-18 | ONLINE
Between 1939 and 1945, the Second World War was an international conflict fought on land, on sea and in the air. Canadian soldiers played a major role in the war, including many from Guelph. In this 75th anniversary year, we come together to remember their lives and reflect on their sacrifices.
Join us on Wednesday, November 18 at 12 p.m. for an online conversation that focuses on the Liberation of Holland from German occupation and traces Canada’s central role in ending the Second World War.
Hosted by Guelph Museums’ curator Dawn Owen, History Bites welcomes Julie Allen from Faces to Graves (Groesbeek, in the province of Gelderland, the Netherlands), Karen Hunter from In Our Fathers’ Footsteps (Guelph), and Sue Pynenburg (Rockwood), niece of Trooper Clarence Oliver James of Guelph, who lost his life in a pivotal battle in the Rhineland on February 26, 1945.

Did you miss the live event? Watch the History Bites: Second World War Remembered recording below:

Military Lecture - War Junk: Munitions Disposal and Postwar Reconstruction in Canada
2020-11-26 | ONLINE
Guelph Museums’ 2020-2021 military lecture series is going digital!
Dr. Alex Souchen presents, War Junk: Munitions Disposal and Postwar Reconstruction in Canada.

War Junk reveals the complex political, economic, social, and environmental legacies of munitions disposal in Canada. During the Second World War, Canadian factories produced mountains of munitions and supplies, including some 800 ships, 16,000 aircraft, 800,000 vehicles, and over 4.6 billion rounds of ammunition and artillery shells. Although they were crucial to winning the war, these assets turned into peacetime liabilities when hostilities ended in 1945.
Drawing on comprehensive archival research, Alex Souchen provides a definitive account of the disposal crisis triggered by Allied victory and shows how Canadian policymakers implemented a disposal strategy that facilitated postwar reconstruction. Canadians responded to the unprecedented divestment of public property by reusing and recycling military surpluses to improve their postwar lives.
From the fear of deflating markets with surplus assets to the thriftiness of upcycling the remnants of war, Souchen argues that the disposal of munitions and supplies was integral to the making of postwar Canada.

This book will appeal to military and Canadian historians and those interested in material culture and military artifacts.

Offered in partnership with the Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies.

About Alex Souchen

Alex Souchen is a historian specializing in warfare, society, and the environment in Canada, based in Kingston. He received his PhD from the University of Western Ontario and held a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. He currently holds an Associated Medical Services Postdoctoral Fellowship at Trent University’s Frost Centre for Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies.

Did you miss the live event? Watch the recording of Military Lecture: War Junk below:

History Bites: Live from the Vaults
2020-12-16 | ONLINE
Join us for a series of bite-sized conversations inspired by current exhibitions and stories from the collection.
This History Bites session featuring a deep dive into the collection vaults. We’ll be looking into the museum’s collection of cookbooks and cooking tools. From Second World War rationing to a Covid Community Cookbook, and all the happier times in between, this session will tell you the story of Guelph through the food we eat.

Did you miss the live event? Watch the History Bites: Cooking Up a History of Guelph recording below:

Want to try some of the vintage recipes mentioned during History Bites? Click to view each recipe.

Supper Dish

Rolled Oat Macaroons

Pineapple Marshmallow Salad

Ginger Bread

Caraway Cookies

Some of the Guelph Museums staff were brave enough to try some of the recipes! Click images for full view.
Val’s Rolled Oat Macaroons

Paula’s Supper Dish

Ken’s Ginger Bread

Laura’s Carraway Cookies

Emma’s Pineapple Marshmallow Pimento Cheese Salad

Dawn’s Supper Dish Taste Test

https://guelphmuseums.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Supper-Dish-1.mp4
Dawn’s Rolled Oat Macaroon Taste Tests

Effervescent Egg Drink Compilation
