Mapping Montreal’s Diverse Black Musical Scenes - AfroMusée

In a joint effort to preserve and highlight the often-overlooked stories of marginalized artistic communities, two Montreal organizations have joined forces to launch Nuit de Montréal, an interactive digital platform dedicated to the city’s cultural history. This initiative, led by Ark MTL—a for-profit organization founded over twenty years ago with the mission of archiving and promoting the heritage of independent artists and underrepresented cultural scenes—aligns closely with the work of La Faux Musée, a recent yet already influential local initiative.

“From our very first meeting, it became clear that our missions and values were deeply aligned,” explains a representative from Ark MTL. “Above all, it’s about shining a light on what hasn’t received enough recognition—whether artists, venues, or cultural movements.”

The Nuit de Montréal website (nuitdemontreal.com) allows users to explore an interactive map where each point represents an iconic site in Montreal’s cultural life, particularly within Black communities and other historically underrepresented groups. Each entry includes descriptions, photographs, and, most importantly, an open comment section: visitors are invited to share their own memories, anecdotes, or documents related to these places.

The project places special emphasis on the decades spanning the 1950s to the 1980s—a pivotal era whose firsthand witnesses are increasingly scarce. “We recognize that this timeframe is precious,” notes the spokesperson. “Figures like Pierre, whom we recently had the privilege of hosting, embody a living memory that urgently needs to be captured. In the next 10 to 20 years, an entire generation risks disappearing, taking with it irreplaceable stories.”

While the initiative currently focuses on these earlier decades, it does not exclude more recent periods. On the contrary, the teams at Ark MTL and La Faux Musée plan to gradually expand the site’s chronological scope by incorporating locations and stories from the 2000s to the present. The goal is to create a continuous, living, and participatory cultural narrative.

The platform is open to everyone: researchers, students, collectors, former regulars of legendary venues, or simply curious individuals. In addition to online comments, contributions can be sent directly by email to the responsible teams. “Every testimony matters,” they emphasize. “Even a few lines about a childhood memory or an unforgettable night at a club that no longer exists can greatly enrich our collective understanding of what Montreal has been—and continues to be.”

By giving voice to those whose histories have not always been told, Nuit de Montréal aspires to be much more than a documentation tool: it is an invitation to collectively redefine the city’s cultural identity in all its diversity and complexity.