We are temporarily closed in accordance with the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Government of Ontario. We are so grateful for the support of our community and look forward to welcoming you back as soon as possible.
Opening February 24, Shary Boyle: Outside the Palace of Me is a multi-sensory installation including drawings, ceramic sculpture, life-sized automatons, two-way mirrors, coin-operated sculpture, and an interactive score.
Join us online on February 1 at 1 pm for our annual Bell Lecture. Dr. Chih-En Chen, Lecturer of East Asian Art History at the University of Toronto, will discuss the little-known history of Qing trompe l'oeil porcelain. Get tickets!
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