Where The Rivers Meet
2021-09-28 - 2026-12-31 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Where The Rivers Meet is a display within the City Gallery that centers the Original Peoples who have been on this land since time immemorial. It includes information about migration, land relationship, treaties, impacts of colonization, and past and present-day perspectives. The display also considers the founding story of Guelph within the context of a longer history lens.
This display is a living exhibition that reflects the truth as we understand it today. We continue to learn from our treaty partner, the Missisaugas of the Credit First Nation, and from Indigenous people who call Guelph home today. The display will continue to be updated as our knowledge grows.

Revelations From The Collection
2024-03-05 08:00 - 2026-08-30 17:00 (America/Toronto) | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Guelph Museums has a growing collection of over 50,000 items, including objects, archival material, and photographs. This collection allows us to record the tangible and intangible history of the place we now call Guelph. Using large-scale photography, Revelations from the Collection showcases a diverse selection of artifacts and archival material from Guelph Museums’ extensive collection. It provides an opportunity for visitors to engage with artifacts in a unique way and enhance their knowledge and understanding of Guelph’s history and community.

Portraits – Stories of Black Canadian Military Service
2025-08-23 08:00 - 2026-02-22 17:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
From pre-Confederation conflicts through to the war in Afghanistan, Black Canadians have a proud tradition of military service. They have fought and died for freedom abroad, even as they have struggled against discrimination at home.
Portraits – Stories of Black Canadian Military Service, a new travelling exhibition circulated by the Canadian War Museum, celebrates the contributions of Black Canadians in the military through compelling accounts of service and sacrifice from across the country.
The exhibition highlights the contributions and experiences of Black men and women from Nova Scotia and southern Ontario — two historic centres of Black migration — as well as from other parts of Canada.
Visitors will recognize familiar names and events, such as the story of William Hall, one of Canada’s first recipients of the Victoria Cross. They will also discover many lesser-known stories, like that of Connie and Kathleen Brown, twin sisters who served during the Second World War.
Guelph Museums has developed a unique, localized chapter within the national narrative of the touring exhibition. This addendum focuses on the history of Black military service and migration to Guelph, Ontario, including the story of First World War servicemen Henry Francis Courtney, Victor Goines, Gordon Goines, and Tom Malott who served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion, the largest all-Black unit in Canadian military history.
Portraits – Stories of Black Canadian Military Service was developed by the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa in partnership with the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, Halifax and the Niagara Military Museum, Niagara Falls.

Molly Lamb Bobak Private Roy, Canadian Women’s Army Corps,1946
Beaverbrook Collection of War Art Canadian War Museum CWM 19710261-1626

Molly Lamb Bobak Soldat Roy, Service féminin de l’armée canadienne, 1946
Collection Beaverbrook d’art militaire Musée canadien de la guerre MCG 19710261-1626

Connie and Kathleen Brown
Niagara Military Museum

Connie et Kathleen Brown
Niagara Military Museum

David Johnson in Korea
Niagara Military Museum

David Johnson en Corée
Niagara Military Museum

Alvie Burden
Courtesy of Eric Brunt

Alvie Burden
Avec l’aimable autorisation d’Eric Blunt

Holiday Toys and Games Drop-In
2025-12-20 10:00 - 17:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Let’s play! We’re pulling out oodles of puzzles, crafts, toys, and games from our vaults for kids of all ages to explore and experience.
Image ID: Guelph Museums, 1952X.00.196.10, Collection of glass marbles

Tales from the Hill: Guelph Guild of Storytellers
2026-01-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Tales from the Hill is presented by the Guelph Guild of Storytellers and features a guest teller in addition to Guild tellers. The evening includes hot cider, light refreshments, and conversation. Guests are invited to register a telling or participate during the open mic storytelling.
Tales from the Hill runs on the second Wednesday or Thursday of each month from October to May.
Guests can arrive at 6:30 pm for casual socializing, call to order at 7:00 pm for storytelling, followed by time for more visits.

Military Lecture: The History of the University of Guelph War Memorial Hall
2026-01-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Austin Foster presents the history of the University of Guelph’s War Memorial Hall, based on archival research for the War Memorial Hall: Its Early History, Heritage, and Legacy – A Centennial Retrospective (1924–2024) report. The presentation addresses the Ontario Agricultural College’s military context, focusing on its experience during the First World War, the fundraising campaigns and commemorative efforts that supported the project, and the active involvement of students and the wider community. It also examines the design propositions considered for War Memorial Hall, the practical challenges faced during its planning and construction, and the building’s role throughout the interwar years and the Second World War.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation starts at 7 p.m., followed by a question period.
The lecture premiered in-person at the Civic Museum. The recorded conversation is available on YouTube, and our Museum Everywhere Portal. Guelph Museums’ Military Lecture series is presented in partnership with the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada.
Watch The Recordings
Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

About the Speaker

Austin Foster, MA, CAHP-In, is a historical researcher and writer specializing in heritage conservation. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies and History and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Guelph. His professional and volunteer experience spans academia, archival management, archaeology, municipal heritage planning, and historical conservation. He has contributed to Euro-Canadian and Indigenous archaeological projects, worked on heritage conservation initiatives, and conducted research for the Canadian War Memorials Database. Foster is a professional member of the Canadian Museums Association and an intern member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals.

Fourth Friday: Three Guitarists in the Round
2026-01-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Bob Maclean, Don Moore, and Roger Schmidt bring their unique and diverse guitar stylings for a captivating evening of music ranging from toe-tapping Celtic tunes to catchy jazz melodies.
Admission by donation starts at 5 p.m. with the concert beginning at 7 p.m.
Cash bar available.

Guelph 200 Town Hall Meeting
2026-02-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Learn, share, and prepare for Guelph’s bicentennial in 2027. Hear about the City’s plans to commemorate Guelph 200. Tell us about your plans to mark the bicentennial. Let’s chat about how we can work together to commemorate our past, celebrate our present, and leave a legacy for our future.
Preregistration via Eventbrite is required. There will be meetings at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tales from the Hill: Guelph Guild of Storytellers
2026-02-12 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-03-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Tales from the Hill is presented by the Guelph Guild of Storytellers and features a guest teller in addition to Guild tellers. The evening includes hot cider, light refreshments, and conversation. Guests are invited to register a telling or participate during the open mic storytelling.
Tales from the Hill runs on the second Wednesday or Thursday of each month from October to May.
Guests can arrive at 6:30 p.m. for casual socializing, call to order at 7:00 p.m. for storytelling, followed by time for more visits.

Military Lecture: Wounded, Maimed and Sick: A forgotten history of the Great War
2026-02-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
More than 65,000 Canadians died fighting the Great War. Often forgotten in the tally of wartime sacrifice are the 180,000 military service members who suffered some form of wounding, injury or illness on the battlefields of the Western Front. From the war-torn landscapes of Europe to post-war life in Canada, Eric Story follows the journey of thousands of men and women who paid an entirely different price than did the dead in service to the country.
Doors open at 6:30 and the presentation starts at 7 p.m., followed by a question period.
The lecture premieres in-person at the Civic Museum. Guelph Museums’ Military Lecture series is presented in partnership with the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada.
About the Speaker

Eric Story is Historian-in-Residence at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Adjunct Professor in the Department of History at Wilfrid Laurier University. He has published widely on the legacies of the First World War in Canada, focusing on medical patients, disabled veterans, and Indigenous communities. His current project examines the beginnings of the disability rights movement in the early twentieth century.

Fourth Friday: The CHMST
2026-02-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Hip Hop Soul artist and multi-instrumentalist The CHMST performs his first solo gig in Guelph, in partnership with Guelph Black Heritage Society to commemorate Black Heritage Month.
Admission by donation starts at 5 p.m. with the concert beginning at 7 p.m.
Cash bar available.

Maawnjidyang Maa / Kén:thon / Nę́ntoh / Here / Ici
2026-03-14 10:00 - 2027-02-28 17:00 | Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Maawnjidyang Maa – We come together here
What does it mean to be “here” in Guelph, where the Speed and Eramosa rivers meet? How do we engage in this place with all our relations— past, present, and future?
This exhibition, within the museum and at sites around the city, invites us to re-story Guelph through Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee ways of knowing. These stories help connect us to the lands, waters, and communities, who have always been, and always will be, here.
The Maple tree, a first responder and guardian of plant relations, lives on the hill overlooking the city. Guiding us to consider contact zones between Indigenous Peoples and settlers, the Maple counteracts the founding story of Guelph, which is often mythologized in the felling of a maple tree.
Visitors to the hilltop can interact with plants that are Indigenous to “here” along with the teachings they carry. The exhibition within the museum features the work of contemporary Indigenous artists, who uniquely express the interconnection of life forms.
The digital work of the late Anishinaabe Elder, visual and performing artist, and author Rene Meshake, a longtime Guelph resident, speaks to Indigeneity in the local cityscape.
Weaving together both traditional and contemporary materials, Saugeen First Nation visual artist Emily Kewageshig explores cyclical themes of birth, death, and rebirth.
Being “here” at the junction of the Speed and Eramosa rivers is activated through the work of Kahnyen’kehàka multidisciplinary artist and dancer Santee Smith. Through her use of clay, Smith embodies the rivers, evoking the Sacred Feminine, expressing a deep connection to the Earth, and affirming the ongoing presence of Indigenous identity on the land.
In collaboration with Gayagohó:nǫ’ visual artist Alex Jacobs-Blum, the future of “here” is celebrated in the artwork of Indigenous youth who call Guelph home. These emerging artists share their relationships to place, the rivers, and the importance of protecting the water for future generations.
From March 2026 to February 2027, sites of kinship between the hilltop and the rivers will be activated by Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee knowledge carriers. Curated by the Decolonizing Place Narratives Research Collective in collaboration with Guelph Museums and Culture, City of Guelph.

Maawnjidyang Maa – Nous nous réunissons ici
Que signifie être « ici » à Guelph, à la rencontre des rivières Speed et Eramosa? Comment habitons-nous ce lieu avec toutes nos relations, passées, présentes et futures?
Cette exposition, présentée au musée et dans divers sites à travers la ville, nous invite à retracer l’histoire de Guelph à travers les savoirs des peuples anishinaabe et haudenosaunee. Leurs récits nous relient aux terres, aux eaux et aux communautés qui ont toujours été, et qui seront toujours, ici.
L’Érable, premier intervenant et gardien des relations végétales, se dresse sur la colline qui surplombe la ville. Sa présence nous invite à considérer les zones de contact entre les peuples autochtones et les colons, là où les histoires se frôlent, se répondent et parfois se heurtent. L’Érable vient ainsi contrebalancer le récit fondateur de Guelph, souvent mythifié par l’abattage de cet arbre.
Les visiteurs de la colline sont invités à interagir avec des plantes originaires d’« ici » et les enseignements qu’elles portent. Au musée, l’exposition met en valeur le travail d’artistes autochtones contemporains, qui révèlent chacun à leur manière l’interconnexion du vivant.
L’œuvre numérique du regretté aîné anishinaabe Rene Meshake, artiste visuel, artiste de scène, auteur et résident de longue date de Guelph, fait résonner la présence autochtone dans le paysage urbain.
En tissant des matériaux traditionnels et contemporains, l’artiste Emily Kewageshig, de la Première Nation Saugeen, explore les cycles de la naissance, de la mort et de la renaissance.
Être « ici » à la confluence des rivières Speed et Eramosa prend vie dans l’œuvre de Santee Smith, artiste et danseuse multidisciplinaire Kahnyen’kehàka. Par son usage de l’argile, Smith incarne les rivières, évoquant le féminin sacré, exprimant une connexion profonde à la Terre et affirmant la présence continue de l’identité autochtone sur le territoire.
En collaboration avec l’artiste Gayagohó:mo’ Alex-Jacobs-Blum, l’avenir d’« ici » se déploie dans les œuvres de jeunes artistes autochtones qui vivent et créent à Guelph. Ces artistes émergents partagent leurs relations au lieu, aux rivières et à l’importance de protéger l’eau pour les générations à venir.
De mars 2026 à avril 2027, des liens de parenté entre la colline et les rivières seront activés par des gardiens et gardiennes du savoir anishinaabe et haudenosaunee.
Exposition réalisée par le « Decolonizing Place Narratives Research Collective » en collaboration avec « Guelph Museums and Culture » et la Ville de Guelph.

Maawnjidyang Maa : We Come Together Here – Exhibition Opening
2026-03-14 18:30 - 21:00 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
All are welcome to celebrate the opening of Maawnjidyang Maa : We Come Together Here, an exhibition curated by the Decolonizing Place Narratives Research Collective. Experience the exhibition along with performances by Manitou Makwa Singers (Spirit Bear Singers), a hand drum group featuring Val King and her seven children from Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and video projections of Rene Meshake’s works on the east-facing exterior wall of the historical St. Agnes school. Catered by Pow Wow Café.

March Break
2026-03-16 10:00 - 2026-03-20 17:00 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Enjoy the March Break with us! The Guelph Civic Museum will be open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. from March 16-March 20.
In addition to our usual gallery experiences, each there will be will also be workshops offered which are connected with our new feature exhibition,, Maawnjidyang Maa / Kén:thon / Nę́ntoh / Here / Ici. Learn more about these opportunities:
Monday, March 16 at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.: Learn with the Land, Make with Clay-Workshop for Kids by Tanya Gluvakov
Tuesday, March 17 at 1 p.m.: Roots & Rhythms Drop-in Dance Session for Kids & Families by Cleopatra (Gaabawi-Giizhigo)
Wednesday, March 18 at 11:30 a.m.: Three Sisters Lunch & Learn – Food & Stories with Cleopatra (Gaabawi-Giizhigo)
Thursday, March 19 at 1 p.m.: Making Corn Husk Dolls with Patricia Chrisjohn
Friday, March 20 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.: Family Shorts Film Screening in collaboration with imagineNative

Learn with the Land, Make with Clay – Workshop for Kids by Tanya Gluvakov
2026-03-16 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-03-16 13:00 - 14:30 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Gather and learn about cedar and how it can help to ground us. Listen to a story about the canoe and the teachings about what rest means to us. Learn how the canoe was put to rest during winter as an act of care.
Create a special pinch pot clay canoe to bring the teachings together. Take your clay canoe home to share its story with your family and friends
Preregistration via Eventbrite is required.
About the Guest Educator

Tanya Gluvakov is a mixed Mohawk woman with family and “roots” from Six Nations of the Grand River. Growing up in Toronto, Tanya now spearheads projects that bring resurgence of medicines and accessibility to urban communities. She grows and harvests many medicines from her own garden, and honorably from the land and teaches workshops about the many medicines and how connecting with them can help us find our way. She is an herbalist, mom, teacher, and an auntie and proud founder of Roots and Raven, where she welcomes indulgence in a variety of products and experiences created to help find moments of peace and remembrance of our connection to all things.

Roots & Rhythms Drop-in Dance Session for Kids & Families by Cleopatra (Gaabawi-Giizhigo)
2026-03-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
This drop-in workshop focuses on dance, offering an opportunity to learn about cultural practices, movement, and the importance of community and respect. Through interactive activities, participants are encouraged to ask questions, engage their senses, and gain a deeper understanding of how dance plays meaningful roles in Indigenous cultures. No dance experience required – all are welcome!
Offered in response to the exhibition Maawnjidyang Maa: We Come Together Here.
About the Guest Educator

My name is Cleopatra, and I am an Indigenous and Egyptian artist and educator. My nation is Mohawks of Akwesasne, and I also have Anishinaabe ancestry — I proudly claim both. I lead educational workshops that introduce youth to Indigenous knowledge through hands-on learning. My goal is to create a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment that supports curiosity, creativity, and cultural appreciation.

Three Sisters Lunch & Learn – Food & Stories with Cleopatra (Gaabawi-Giizhigo)
2026-03-18 11:30 - 13:30 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Meet the Three Sisters – corn, beans, and squash – while simmering soup and preparing bannock and berries for lunch. Participants will enjoy their meal together, while learning about cultural practices, sustainability, and the importance of community and respect. Participants are encouraged to ask questions, engage their senses, and gain a deeper understanding about how food has meaningful roles in Indigenous culture. Adult participants must be accompanied by a child/children.
Menu: Three Sisters soup, Bannock, and Berries
Drink: Cedar iced tea, juice, and water
Offered in response to the exhibition Maawnjidyang Maa: We Come Together Here.
Preregistration via Eventbrite is required.
About the Guest Educator

My name is Cleopatra, and I am an Indigenous and Egyptian artist and educator. My nation is Mohawks of Akwesasne, and I also have Anishinaabe ancestry — I proudly claim both. I lead educational workshops that introduce youth to Indigenous knowledge through hands-on learning. My goal is to create a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment that supports curiosity, creativity, and cultural appreciation.

Making Corn Husk Dolls with Patricia Chrisjohn
2026-03-19 13:00 - 14:30 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Learn about the Haudenosaunee tradition and story of the corn husk doll.
Make your own corn husk doll.
Offered in response to the exhibition Maawnjidyang Maa: We Come Together Here
Preregistration via Eventbrite is required
About the Guest Educator

Patricia Chrisjohn is a Haudenosaunee woman, mother and grandmother from Oneida of the Thames First Nation. A proud member of the bear clan, Patricia is a hand drum carrier, a storyteller and a maker of corn husk dolls. She enjoys sharing teachings and sees that it is her lifelong journey to learn more about her Oneida language and Haudenosaunee teachings. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning. This reflects her life-long interest in community development within Indigenous organizations and communities. Over the many years of employment and volunteer work, Patricia’s work has focused on language revitalization, health, mental health, support to families affected by Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans and Two-Spirit (MMIWGT2S) people, and support to survivors of Residential Schools. She is also a member of an Indigenous Sharing Circle with the Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives as well as a member of the Peel District School Board Indigenous Education Council.

Military Lecture: From Sherbrooke with Love: Illicit Correspondence, Civilian Internment, and Canada in the Second World War
2026-03-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
Gillian Wagenaar examines a case of illicit correspondence between a Canadian teenager and a group of civilian internees in Quebec in the early years of the Second World War. Through a micro-historical assessment, she explores context regarding the development and use of internment systems in Canada, the social dynamics within and beyond these camps, and the afterlives, expected and otherwise, of wartime stories and sources.
Doors open at 6:30 and the presentation starts at 7 p.m., followed by a question period.
The lecture premieres in-person at the Civic Museum. The recorded conversation will be available on YouTube, and our Museum Everywhere Portal. Guelph Museums’ Military Lecture series is presented in partnership with the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada.
About the Speaker

Gillian Wagenaar is a SSHRC-funded PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo. Her research looks at Canadian correspondence at both the heart and margins of the Second World War, connecting homefront and battlefront, and examining the meaning of letters and how they get from one point to another. Through this work, she aims to make the exploration of history more accessible through digital methods, storytelling, and hands-on engagement with the past.

Family Shorts Film Screening in collaboration with imagineNative
2026-03-20 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-20 13:00 - 14:00 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
“Family Shorts” presented in collaboration with imagineNative Film and Media Festival
Duration: 45 minutes.
See works of whimsical animations, calls for action for future generations, and lessons to listen to your elders!
Allison Goes Berry Picking [5 mins.]
Directors: Allison Anderson (Trondëk Hwech’in), Georgette McLoed (Trondëk Hwëch’in)
Pendleton Man [11 mins.]
Director: Doug Winnipeg (Blackfoot)
The Lemonade Stand – Making Medicines [5 mins.]
Director: Paul O’Bomsawin (Abénaki)
Graduation Day [12 mins.]
Directors: Charlene Moore (Cree), Tasha Hubbard (Cree)
My Friend the Green Horse [11 mins.]
Director(s): Alanis Obomsawin (Abénaki)
Intended Audience: Appropriate for kids and families.

Offered in response to the exhibition Maawnjidyang Maa: We Come Together Here.
Preregistration via Eventbrite is required.

Tales from the Hill: Guelph Guild of Storytellers
2026-04-09 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-05-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Guelph Civic Museum, 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, N1H 4H8, Canada
