May 20 @ 6:00 pm – 8:45 pm
Botanical Ornament in Ceramics with Jess Riva Cooper
Wednesday May 20, 2026
6:00 pm – 8:45 pm
For ages 18+
Led by our Artist in Residence Jess Riva Cooper, this workshop begins with a focused gallery session examining botanical ornament in the Gardiner Museum’s collection, with attention to the soft-paste porcelain and Rococo sensibility of excess, layering, and movement.
In the studio, participants will create botanical forms using press moulds, paper clay, and coloured clay (nerikomi), working from both observation and historical reference. Emphasis will be placed on building complexity through form, surface, and pattern, translating ornamental language into contemporary ceramic practice.
The Gardiner Museum Artist Residency is made possible through the generous support of Dr. Pamela Goodwin.
About the Artist
Jess Riva Cooper
Jess Riva Cooper is the Gardiner Museum’s 2026 Artist in Residence. Cooper’s artistic practice centers on clay as a material through which ecological narratives, mythologies, and human–non-human entanglements can be expressed. Working through hand-built ceramic sculpture, drawing, slips, and glazes, she creates hybrid forms in which botanical growth infiltrates, overtakes, or merges with architectural and bodily fragments. Cooper holds a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and an MFA in Ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her research-driven practice has been shaped by residencies at Medalta, the Archie Bray Foundation, Lillstreet Art Center, and the John Michael Kohler Arts/Industry Program, among others. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in public and private collections.
During her residency, Cooper will engage deeply with the Gardiner’s collection. You’ll be able to see her in our Makerspace testing clay bodies and developing a refined surface palette for a new body of sculptural work examining how ecological pressures, memory, and colonial plant histories imprint themselves on ceramic forms and the spaces they inhabit.
jessrivacooper.com
@jessrivacooper
Important Information:
- Please ensure the course you choose works with your schedule. This class is non-refundable and non-transferrable, regardless of the reason for withdrawal.
- By signing up for this class, participants are committing to abide by the Museum’s Code of Conduct, Ticketing Policy, and Studio Policy.
Gardiner Friends may only purchase adult clay classes at the discounted rate for membership card holders.
