Fonds MS-3-49 - Khyber Arts Society fonds

The Khyber Arts Society is a not-for-profit organization that administers the Khyber Centre for the Arts, an artist-run centre for non-commercial work. The centre was developed in 1994 by the No Money Down Cultural Society, headed by Bill Roberts, who negotiated an agreement with the City of Halifax to maintain an unoccupied three-storey heritage building known as the Church of England Institute for use as an art exhibit and live entertainment space. The society was incorporated on 10 March 1995 as the Halifax Arts Centre Project Society; in September 1995 it changed its name to the Khyber Arts Society. In the mid-2000s the Khyber Centre for the Arts became known as the Khyber Institute of Contemporary Art (Khyber ICA), but the name was changed back in 2012.

Lease negotiations between the Khyber Arts Society and Halifax Regional Municipality have formed a central role in the society's history. In 1995 a widespread campaign to keep the Khyber public and to secure a long-term lease was launched, resulting in the promise of a three-year lease. Structural renovations forced a temporary relocation. In 1996 the Khyber Arts Society signed a new five-year renewable lease and, after obtaining a liquor license, the Khyber Club was opened as a meeting place for visual artists and a venue for Halifax’s emerging music scene.

In 2006 the Khyber Arts Society ceased to be the primary property manager on behalf of the municipality and the Khyber Performance Arts Society was formed to run the club as a non-profit performance space. Musician Lukas Pearse proposed establishing a performing arts society to keep the Khyber Club open after tax issues compelled the Khyber Arts Society to close it. In 2007 the society again negotiated with the City of Halifax to renew its lease and were offered a month-to-month tenancy, which was accepted in April 2008. In 2015 the discovery of asbestos closed down the building, and in 2017 the Khyber Centre for the Arts relocated to Hollis Street.