Event Details

Guelph Museums, part of the City of Guelph's Culture and Tourism department, operates the City of Guelph's municipal museum sites, including the Guelph Civic Museum, Locomotive 6167, and McCrae House National Historic Site. Guelph Museums helps to build an exceptional City by collaborating with the community to make Guelph a great place to be. Its mandate is to care for and share with the community the artifacts, stories and treasures in the community that give people a sense of place.

This funding is for the marketing of "Galt 240”, a six-month celebration of art, history and community, commemorating the 240th birthday of Guelph founder John Galt, taking place April 26 to October 31, 2019. Programming will include:

(1) “Doors Open After Dark: Galt 240” (April 26): a nuit-blanche-style event to mark the anniversary of the founding of Guelph. The free event will feature activations by artists and historians, live music, food trucks, and a cash bar;

(2) “Galt 240 Juried Art Show” (April - October) - an exhibition of artworks by visual artists responding to Galt 240 themes (paid);

(3) “Decolonizing Guelph’s Founding” (April - October); an archival and material culture exhibition (paid);

(4) “Indigenizing Galt” (April - October): archival and material culture exhibition (paid);

(5) “John Galt Days” (August): a weekend series of events to commemorate Guelph’s founder (free and paid): (i) Friday night ceilidh (kay-lee) at Guelph Civic Museum; (ii) Saturday morning family activities at Guelph Market Square; (iii) Saturday night concert at Guelph Market Square; (iv) Sunday morning musical walk along the river; and (v) Sunday afternoon tea at Guelph Civic Museum’s McRae House; and

(6) “John Galt and the Instant City” September/October, tbd): a musical theatre production by Canadian musicians Mike Ford and Murray Foster that explores Galt’s founding of Guelph within the context of local Indigenous history (paid).

Partners include: City of Guelph Culture and Tourism, Guelph Arts Council, Doors Open Guelph, Doors Open Ontario, Guelph Historical Society, MF2 Musicals, the River Run Centre, Guelph Public Library, Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph, local hotels and tourism businesses, and the Galt Festival in Ayrshire, Scotland.