The Gardiner Museum is open seven days a week! Explore our permanent collection, discover special exhibitions, and get hands-on with clay in our studios. We look forward to welcoming you.
Discover an exhibition of new work in our lobby by members of Inspirations Studio, a unique low-barrier ceramics program in Toronto for women and gender diverse people who have experienced marginalization.
Our Joy of Ceramics fundraiser returns on October 27, featuring a presentation by Sarah Milroy, Chief Curator at the McMichael Gallery, who will talk about a work by Shary Boyle, including its many meanings and her decision to donate it. This event sells out every year!
Every object in our permanent collection can be accessed through our eMuseum portal. Learn about individual collecting areas, like Italian Maiolica or Modern and Contemporary Ceramics, or search the full collection by keyword. You'll be amazed by what you discover!
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Last year, the Gardiner Museum’s annual 12 Trees exhibition was transformed by contemporary artists and designers who reinterpreted the traditional Christmas tree. This year, the Museum presents a new crop of original trees, inspired by the theme “Good for the Earth”, and curated by internationally-renowned artist and environmentalist, David Buckland.
The installations, made from natural, recycled, or sustainable materials, include a tower of terracotta planting pots, a tree made from deconstructed cotton dress shirts, a re-purposed wood canoe, and a dreamlike video that takes viewers on a journey through the forest at night. The works draw attention to environmental themes ranging from the commercialization of water to the dwindling bee population.
In addition to the twelve artist installations, the Gardiner has erected a 35-foot white spruce on the Museum’s front plaza designed by the Presenting Sponsor, Nordstrom, and donated by Ontario Wood and Forests Ontario, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the renewal and stewardship of Ontario’s forests.
The outdoor tree is decorated with multicolored ornaments inspired by classic Nordic lines, themes, and icons that pay homage to Nordstrom’s Scandinavian heritage as well as the special exhibition True Nordic: How Scandinavia Influenced Design in Canada.
The Artists
Susan Avishai Linda-Marlena Bucholtz Ross Peggy Sue Deaven-Smiltnieks Amélie Desjardins Christine Dewancker and Katherine Strang Sandra Gregson and Gary Spearin Hermès Fiona Legg Erin Lightfeather Aurora Pagano Stratford Festival Robyn Thomas
About the Curator
The exhibition is being curated by internationally-renowned artist, curator, filmmaker, writer, and climate change activist, David Buckland. Buckland, whose works are included in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, among others, created and now directs the Cape Farewell project, which has brought together over 300 artists and some 60 climate scientists to create operas, films, artworks, pop music, and novels addressing the complexities and global impact of climate change.
Buckland recently curated three new major exhibitions: CARBON 12 in Paris,CARBON 13 in Marfa, Texas, and CARBON 14, co-curated with Claire Sykes, at the Royal Ontario Museum. Each exhibition was comprised of new work commissioned from international artists and cultural practioners, addressing climate change and the reality of a desired cultural shift. bucklandart.com