City of Toronto History Museums Celebrates May as Museums Month

Museums Month celebrates the contributions of local museums to their communities. Celebrating in May coincides with International Museum Day on May 18, 2023. This year’s theme of “museums, sustainability and well-being”, encourages all to realize the full potential that museums have for sustainable development and well-being.

Toronto History Museums have returned to a full schedule of in-person programming this year. The City’s 10 museum sites, which remain free and accessible to the public, are providing unique and immersive programming for residents and visitors to experience ongoing changes that are making stories more diverse and inclusive, so that they’re told from other perspectives.

City of Toronto History Museums celebrates May as Museums Month

May programming highlights include:

Spring Salon Series
On May 6, 7, 13 and 14, the 2023 Spring Salon Series at the Gibson House Museum features 45-minute chamber performances by small ensembles representing the traditional music of China, Iran, Japan and Korea.

Doors Open Toronto
Toronto History Museums will offer site tours as part of Doors Open Toronto, presented by Great Gulf on May 27 and 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information is available on the Doors Open Toronto webpage.

Todmorden Mills, one of 10 Toronto History Museums participating in Doors Open Toronto.

Dis/Mantle
Experience the Afrofuturism immersive art exhibit, Dis/Mantle at Spadina Museum before it ends on May 28. The City is grateful to community partner the Toronto Raptors and media partner 106.5 ELMNT FM for their support of Dis/Mantle part of the Awakenings program.

Join on May 13 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for The ReBuild, a family-friendly event that celebrates the legacy of the Dis/Mantle exhibit with music, poetry, science and more. More information is available on the Dis/Mantle webpage.

Detail of: Refashion (Mrs. Pipkin), oil on wood panel, 2022 by Gordon Shadrach

Women of Courage exhibition
A culmination of work from CultureLink’s Women of Courage Project, Women of Courage celebrates, amplifies and centres the underrepresented voices of racialized immigrant women. New works on view until May 7 at Gibson House Museum and then at Montgomery’s Inn from May 10 to June 4.

Transforming Grief: Loss and Togetherness in COVID-19
This free and accessible exhibition brings together interviews, art and artifacts that represent the collective voices of community members, artists, front-line workers, activists and volunteers, and convey how we experienced and continue to experience the pandemic. On view at Fort York National Historic Site. More info online.

General admission to all 10 Toronto History Museums is free for everyone. Get the latest information on all the exciting May programming on the Toronto History Museum webpage.

Toronto History Museums are a group of 10 museums owned and operated by the City of Toronto with the mission to collect, preserve, research, interpret, exhibit and enhance the understanding of Toronto’s diverse stories through engaging and exciting experiences and different perspectives. They include Colborne Lodge, Fort York National Historic Site, Gibson House Museum, Mackenzie House, Market Gallery, Montgomery’s Inn, Scarborough Museum, Spadina Museum, Todmorden Mills and Zion Schoolhouse.

More information about Toronto History Museums is available online or follow Toronto History Museums on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook and on YouTube.