The Gardiner is thrilled to announce the launch of CLAY, an original in-house restaurant offering seasonal menus of fresh, local fare in collaboration with The Food Dudes.
The Gardiner has reunited for the first time more than 350 objects from Sir William Van Horne’s exceptional collection of Japanese pottery alongside archival materials and stunning watercolours. See it now!
Join us for family-friendly craft activities throughout the holiday season including festive ornament-making, gingerbread cookie decorating, clay experimentation, and more.
The Gardiner Museum is among the few museums in the world focused on ceramics, and is one of the most important specialty museums internationally. It houses approximately 4,000 objects, including European porcelain, ceramics from the Ancient Americas, Chinese porcelain, Japanese porcelain, and contemporary ceramics. Search the collection online!
Everyone can love clay! Become a Friend at one of the world’s great specialty museums and enjoy the benefits, including unlimited admission, invitations to exhibition previews and special events, discounts on lectures and clay classes, and more.
Introduce your students to interpretations of clay beyond vessels and pottery. Contemporary ceramics continues the tradition of storytelling—drawing on the past and pushing boundaries towards fantasies of the future. Learn about the lineage of earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain vessels, and how history repeats itself through the evolution of clay and ceramic technology. Discover how glass and glaze contribute unique characteristics to form and sculpture. The Diana Reitberger Collection in our Modern and Contemporary Gallery features a breathtaking personal collection of Canadian and international ceramics, and our lobby display, Japan Now: Female Masters, currently holds work by some of the most talented female Japanese ceramists today.
Students will get a tour of the exhibition followed by a hands-on clay workshop
Students will get an opportunity to sketch and explore the gallery in depth with guided observatio exercies, audio-visual material and discussion. In the afternoon students will partake in a hands-on clay class.
Program Details
* Optional $3 kiln firing fee. Firing takes 10 to 14 business days. Please add a $5 processing fee per group. ** Registration required, please fill out the form by clicking “Book a Visit” button below.
Book a Visit
1. Peter Pincus, Trio of Vessels V, 2017. Gift of Diana Reitberger.
2. Seated Drummer, Tala-Tonalá style Mexico, Jalisco 300 B.C. - A.D. 200 Earthenware with white on red slip paint Gift of George and Helen Gardiner, G83.1.56
3. Shaman’s Head (II), 2006, Gift of the Museum of Inuit Art G16.13.8