Walking as Remapping | Marking Time: Tour of the Guelph Correctional Centre Grounds

Join us for a walk and conversation with AGG Director Shauna McCabe and researcher and past chair of Heritage Guelph, Brian Skerrett, as they discuss the layered histories at play in Guelph, with a focus on the site of the Guelph Correctional Centre (Ontario Reformatory). This dialogue will delve into the different cultural geographies entwined within the city’s landscape.

Presented in conjunction with the AGG’s current exhibition Yours in Native Spirit: Richard Bedwash, curated by Shauna McCabe and Colinda Clyne, participants will walk the grounds, exploring both built and natural terrain as well as the history and stories associated with the correctional institution that was built in 1910 and decommissioned in 2002. This event will also consider the connection of the site to the paintings of Anishinaabe artist Richard Bedwash who served a term there in the 1970s, part of the intricate narrative that connects his work, his life, and the city of Guelph. The site is also tied to the wider history of the Native Sons – a grassroots organization established in 1976 by Indigenous inmates at the correctional centre. The conversation will examine how such diverse narratives contribute to a rich, dynamic sense of place.

Note, in case of extreme weather, this discussion will be hosted inside the Art Gallery of Guelph. Registration is required as meeting and parking information as well as weather updates will be communicated by email. Much of the walk is on paved surfaces but there are some unpaved, generally grassy areas. There is no washroom access on the grounds.

Image detail: Ontario Reformatory postcard. Private collection of Cameron Shelley (Guelph in Postcards blog)