Like many of you, we have been closely following the developments of COVID-19. The Gardiner Museum is closed temporarily as of March 14, 2020. We will continue to take guidance from our public health officials regarding the duration of the closure and will post updates to our website and social media channels as they become available. We are grateful for your support and thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to navigate this challenging time. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Gardiner soon.
Our spring sessional classes and workshops scheduled for April and May have been cancelled. Refunds will be issued automatically.
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!
Support the Gardiner's mission to champion clay, build community, and promote arts education. All of our memberships include a full year of free admission to the Museum, as well as discounts at CLAY Restaurant and the Gardiner Shop, and start and at just $30!
A collaborative project coordinated by the Gardiner Museum and funded by the US Consulate General of Toronto, this exhibition features works by students in the Sheridan College Ceramics Program and in both the Bead & Read Group and Indigenous Visual Culture Program at OCAD University.
For a week in November, students from both institutions worked with two artists from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Sante Fe, New Mexico—Joanna Bigfeather and Jim Rivera. Through these workshops, the students were able to explore the commonalities and differences between Indigenous visual arts practices in Canada and the United States, taking inspiration from Kent Monkman’s latest exhibition, The Rise and Fall of Civilization. Cultural exchange is a powerful tool for addressing difficult or traumatic portions of our collective history, and Kent Monkman’s installation acted as a catalyst for a rich dialogue on shared history, identity, and artistic expression.
About the Artists
Joanna Bigfeather
Joanna Bigfeather is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Her work as an artist, curator, and human rights activist reflects the historical treatment of Native Americans by the United States. Her education at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Native American history, art and culture provided a foundation for her studies at the University of California Santa Cruz where she attained her Bachelor of Fine Arts. After receiving her MFA from the State University of New York, Albany, she became the Director/Curator at the American Community House Gallery/Museum in New York City, and in 1999, she became director of the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Joanna’s own work has won awards in ceramic sculpture and pottery, and can be seen in collections including the Smithsonian Institution, Heard Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and the Institute of American Indian Art Museum. She has authored numerous catalogs and articles, has served as a fine arts juror for a variety of organizations.
She currently teaches ceramics and writing about art at the Institution of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe New Mexico.
Jim Rivera
Jim Rivera (Siikioso), is Yoeme, (Pascua Yaqui) from Tucson, Arizona. He is an alumnus of the Institute of American Indian Arts (AFA), San Francisco Art Institute (BFA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts (MFA). Jim has worked at IAIA for the past 18 years in various positions. Currently he is Visiting Assistant Professor in Studio Arts. Jim’s artwork consists of Painting, Ceramics, Installations, Found Objects, and Drawing.