In accordance with the announcement by the provincial government, the Gardiner Museum has closed temporarily, effective Monday November 23. While this news is difficult, the health and safety of our visitors, staff, and the wider community remains our top priority. We'll continue to provide you with engaging digital content to keep us connected while the galleries are closed.
During our temporary closure, we're posting exhibitions and selections from our collection online. Discover Inuit ceramics, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, pottery from the Ancient Americas, and more!
In accordance with instructions from the provincial government, the Museum closed to the public on Monday November 28 and we have cancelled all clay classes. We regret the inconvenience this may cause, but are hopeful that these actions will help maintain the health and safety of our communities. We will automatically be crediting students with a refund for remaining sessions.
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!
With the Museum closed temporarily, we need your support to continue to offer innovative and engaging exhibitions, programs, and community projects online, as well as plan for the future. Please consider making a donation to help us build community with clay.
Students of the ceramics program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, created pieces inspired by—and in a response to—work from the Gardiner Museum’s historical collection as part of their curriculum.
Two pieces—by Tine DeRuiter and Habiba El-Sayed—were selected to be displayed among the Museum’s permanent collection where they present a contemporary twist on 17th century English delftware and 18th century Meissen porcelain.
Artist Statements
Habiba El-Sayed Prick, 2013 Slip cast ceramic and plexiglass
As a second year Ceramics student at Sheridan College, I chose the Meissen thimble for my historical research. Historically, thimbles were used in what is still largely considered “women’s work.” Being a Muslim woman I face stereotypes of the “passive homemaker.”
Using 400 slip-cast thimbles to create a “quilt” with an Islamic-inspired motif, my work suggests the idea of strength in numbers. The thimble being a small, domestic and relatively benign object is indeed quite strong and serves to protect the wearer. Together the thimbles form elements of a dynamic whole.
Tine Deruiter The Secrets That Sew The Seams Of The Unconsciousness, 2013 Earthenware
I’m fascinated by creatures and the gardens that surround them. In my first year Ceramics assignment at Sheridan College I was asked to draw inspiration from the historical collection at the Gardiner Museum. My two characters under the tree are in conversation with the Adam and Eve chargers in the English delftware collection. I heard my teacher Linda say: “Highlight the bird that flies over the bridge of the lovers that are killed in the willows.” I wrote it down and knew I had to use it for something.