May 29 @ 6:00 pm – May 30 @ 6:00 pm
ICAF 2026 Symposium
Friday May 29, 2026, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Saturday May 30, 2026, 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
In conjunction with the International Ceramic Art Fair (ICAF), the Gardiner Museum is pleased to host the ICAF 2026 Symposium, supported by the Raphael Yu Centre for Canadian Ceramics. The symposium emerges out of the theme “urban space, shelter, and the commons” and features a roster of local and international speakers, fostering a deeper appreciation for Canadian ceramics within a larger artistic ecosystem.
Keynote speaker Ronald Rael will present his concept of “AI³” (Artificial, Ancestral, and Additive Intelligence), exploring how emerging technologies and traditional practices can work together to reimagine architecture and the built environment.
Your symposium ticket includes lunch and refreshments on May 30.
Sold Out
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General : $75
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Gardiner Friend : $63
Does not apply to Annual Pass holders. -
Student : $50
Confirmed Speakers
Adam Williams
Anders Herwald Ruhwald
Antonia Behan
Christine Howard Sandoval
Dana Prieto
Eve Tagny
Franchesa Hebert-Spence
Hadi Jamali
Jolie Ngo
Linda Zhang
Lisa Myers
Midori Mukai
Misbah Ahmed
Nehal El-Hadi
Rajni Perera
Ronald Rael
ROSEMARY Gallery
Sequoia Miller
Tanis Worme
Schedule
Friday May 29, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Keynote Presentation by Ronald Rael
Ronald Rael is a designer, activist, trained architect, author, and Eva Li Memorial Chair in Architecture at the University of California Berkeley. His research interests connect Indigenous and traditional material practices to contemporary technologies and issues. He is a design activist, author, and thought leader within the topics of additive manufacturing, borderwall studies, and earthen architecture.
Saturday May 30, 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
A full day symposium featuring speakers, panel discussions, and more. Lunch and refreshments are also included.
About the International Ceramic Art Fair
The International Ceramic Art Fair (ICAF) is the Gardiner Museum’s biennial celebration of innovation and contemporary directions in ceramics, inviting visitors to discover how the boundaries of craftsmanship are being redefined in clay.
ICAF 2026 has been expanded from a 10-day event to a 12-week exhibition and public program exploring how ceramics is evolving across art, design, and emerging technologies. At the heart of this year’s edition is the theme “the city and the commons,” presenting ceramics as both material and method for examining how we live together in rapidly changing cities. From architecture to infrastructure, ceramics shelter, connect, and ground us, offering new ways to think about belonging, resilience, and shared space.
How do we nurture communal relationships amidst dramatic change? How can the intelligence of ceramics inform how we navigate cosmopolitan life? How can new approaches to ceramic technology re-shape the ways we live together?
Join us to discover the works on view and participate in programming that explores these and other questions.
Symposium Sponsor
Programming Partner
