Silence

SILENCE: Guelph’s Portal for Adventurous New Sound Events, in collaboration with the Guelph Black Heritage Society (GBHS) and the Art Gallery of Guelph (AGG), presented "The Crossings Project – Exile, Exodus, and Transformation" on May 26, 2018, in a set of linked performances that began at Silence and ended at Heritage Hall run by the Black Heritage Society (BHS), with a street parade between the two venues. Silence is located at 46 Essex Street and Heritage Hall at 83 Essex Street in Guelph, and the two organizations form a key hub in downtown Guelph for arts-based community activities.

SILENCE is an independent, not-for-profit music venue in Guelph, Ontario that has garnered an international reputation for programming outside-the-box music across multiple genres. Heavily focused on improvised musicking, SILENCE is Guelph’s portal to diverse new sounds played by musicians deeply committed to exploring innovative forms of music in intimate listening circumstances. Founded in 2011, SILENCE has hosted several thousand concerts and sound events featuring local, regional, national, and international artists.

SILENCE

 

Heritage Hall

The Guelph BME (British Methodist Episcopal) Church has stood at 83 Essex Street since 1880. The Guelph BME was built by former fugitive slaves who arrived in the area via the Underground Railroad.

The Guelph Black Heritage Society (GBHS) was formed after the BME Church was listed for sale in November 2011. The purpose of the GBHS is to preserve the historical significance of the BME Church by creating a cultural, historical and social centre within Guelph and Wellington County. The GBHS’s offer to purchase the BME Church was accepted and the sale was finalized in December 2012.  The Guelph BME Church building has been renamed Heritage Hall.

Heritage Hall