The Gardiner is now open from Thursday - Sunday, including free weekend admission! There's plenty of space to reconnect and amazing art to discover in all corners of the Museum. Clay Restaurant is still open Tuesday - Sunday. Reservations fill up fast, so book your table early. Please read our new health and safety policies before you visit.
From sticky to crusty, pliable to powdery, and shaped to shapeless, clay’s ability to transform in real time is prompting a new generation of artists to explore the possibilities of this ancient material. RAW features new work by four artists who are pushing boundaries with unfired clay: Cassils, Magdolene Dykstra, Azza El Siddique, and Linda Swanson. See it now!
We're firing up the kilns again! Join us on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 - 3 pm for drop in clay classes in our pottery studios. We've reduced our class sizes to allow for safe physical distancing, and instituted new health and safety protocols. Registration opens online at 10 am on the morning of the class. We can't wait to see you back in the studios!
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!
As we begin to welcome visitors back to the Gardiner, we need your support to continue offering innovative and engaging exhibitions, programs, and community projects on site and online. Make a donation and help us build community with clay.
Established in 2016, Community Arts Space (CAS) is the Gardiner’s incubator for arts-based community projects that build community through clay making.
This year, we invited Turtle House, FCJ Refugee Centre, and ArtHeart to engage youth, adults, and seniors in clay workshops in connection with the theme “Clay is Essential.” When the Museum temporarily closed as a result of COVID-19, we reimagined CAS as a series of community activities that connected participants to one another through artistic production despite their physical isolation.
The Gardiner coordinated the distribution of over 60 clay packages to our three CAS partner organizations, as well as Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre. From June to August, participants from Turtle House and FCJ Refugee Centre’s Youth Group met weekly over Zoom for clay workshops that provided them with new art skills and a digital space to stay connected.
With the reopening of our Museum, our all three of our community partners have been able to safely access our clay studios for in-person instruction by artist educators Aitak Sorahitalab and Adam Williams.
From November 28, 2020 – January 3, 2021, the participants’ works, created during the pandemic and which speak to themes of comfort, care, and hope, will be presented in the Exhibition Hall.
Our Partners
Turtle House Art/Play Centre is an organization designed primarily for children and families from refugee backgrounds to explore their creativity, play, express themselves, and make meaningful connections. Turtle House envisions and is dedicated to playing a vital role in building a Toronto where refugees and immigrants are welcomed, arts flourish in every neighbourhood, and people are encouraged to explore their creativity. Learn more
FCJ Refugee Centre serves refugees and others at risk due to their immigration status, and welcomes anyone asking for advice, counsel, and support regarding their refugee or immigration claim process. Learn more
ArtHeart provides free visual arts education, programs, materials, and healthy snacks to the children and youth, as well as hot, nutritious meals to adults and seniors living in Regent Park and the surrounding neighbourhoods. ArtHeart offers participants a supportive environment in which they can create and learn, build self-esteem, and develop life skills. Learn more
Instructors
Aitak Sorahitalab Aitak Sorahitalab is a visual artist, art instructor, and art manager with more than 15 years’ experience in the field. She holds a Master’s degree in Design and Production in Applied Arts from The Art University of Tehran. She has participated in several exhibitions of her artwork, and was commissioned to create public art in Iran and Toronto. Aitak works with various art organizations in the city and is the co-founder and Executive Director of Airsa, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing newcomers with professional development in the arts sector.
Adam Williams Adam Williams is the studio owner of Clay Space. He studied painting and drawing at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, but finished his degree at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad in 2010. His most recent work has focused on architectural models as a metaphor for vision and aspiration. He is particularly interested in the intentions of designer homes and communities versus the lived experiences of their inhabitants.
Lead Sponsor
Partners