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A new exhibit, at the ���߲ݴ�ýCivic Museum is set to showcase the duality of its history, or the positive and negative outcomes and experiences there. The description of the exhibit calls the more than 100-year history “complex and uncomfortable.”

Guest curator P. Brian Skerrett, known for his work with Heritage ���߲ݴ�ýand Urban Park Guelph, said the stories he uncovered are astonishing.

“This exhibit really fleshes out the history of the site, and busts a few myths along the way,” Skerrett said. “We know the reformatory was a celebrated concept. What’s been less talked about is the unpleasant aspects of it, especially after the 1937 riot reversed the nature of the prison.”

He said the prison switched its course dramatically from one that espoused rehabilitation to one that prioritized punishment.

“By the 1950s, it was considered one of the worst jails in Canada. Men were known to have asked to be sent to Kingston rather than Guelph,” said Skerrett. “Corporal punishment was an issue in Canada and well documented here.”

He said many negative stories from these times are uncovered in the exhibition, but also many positive ones, like “the great strides by Indigenous inmates in the Native Sons program.”

Two former inmates and members of the Native Sons are set to speak at the exhibition opening on Saturday Jan. 18. Folks can still reserve a spot for free for the session that runs from 2 to 4 p.m.

“The Reformatory: Within and Beyond the Cell Walls Panel Discussion” will be a conversation led by Skerrett, with retired Chaplin Connie Shaw and Freddy Taylor of Curve Lake First Nation and Cliff Summers of Oneida Nation of the Thames.

Spiritual guidance will be provided by Jane Burning and refreshments by Pow Wow Café. Attendees are encouraged to visit the exhibition before or after the talk, and meet at 2 p.m. in the programming room for refreshments before the conversation begins at 2:30 p.m.

The exhibition will remain on display at the ���߲ݴ�ýCivic Museum until April 30.

Skerrett said there was so much compiled for the show that it couldn’t all be included. He hopes that someday, the Ontario Reformatory may house its own museum.

He said the work that came out of the prison, and the work that came after — being various forms of art, paintings, weavings, articles, books, plays and articles — are incredible. And so are the stories they tell.

“Just talking about it, I’m becoming enthusiastic,” said Skerrett. “I have been immersed in the history here for years, and I keep learning new and exciting elements.”

To reserve your seat at the opening, visit .