Waterloo Region – Opening November 6, Dying Matters: Grief. Mourning. Memory. is the newest in-house exhibit at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum. The exhibit tackles one of life’s most challenging subjects – death.

Death and grief can be an uncomfortable subject. By examining customs and practices from a range of time periods, backgrounds, and faiths, Dying Matters sheds light on a topic that affects everyone throughout their lives.

The exhibit features mourning and funeral related artifacts, interactive features exploring the themes of grief and mourning, revealing common misconceptions in the process, and explores grief, mourning rituals and traditions, historic and current burial customs and more. Dying Matters aims to remove some of the unknown and help visitors engage in these difficult conversations, normalizing the many emotions and reactions people experience after loss.

“Dying Matters reminds us that death, grief and loss are experiences that touch us all,” said Regional Chair, Karen Redman. “By shedding light on difficult subjects like death, we can create space for meaningful conversations, share experiences and perspectives, and better understand our own feelings around grief.”

Set against images of nature and changing seasons, Dying Matters shows us all that death is something that unites us all in life.

The Region of Waterloo Museums and Archives is grateful to the many local community members who shared their perspectives as part of the exhibit advisory group.

Dying Matters: Grief. Mourning. Memory. opens Friday, November 6, 2026, at Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum.

Hours: Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is open is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The exhibit will run until January 2028.