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.
Sugar and Spice showcases works from the Gardiner Museum’s permanent collection in a fresh and exciting way—through the themes of food and flavour.
Sugar and spices play a vital role in the modern world, shaping favourite dishes and national cuisines. These ingredients have also played important roles historically around the world, influencing trade, cultural traditions and social etiquette.
The ceramic vessels that are associated with various types of sweets and savouries tell us fascinating stories about different people and places, and connect us all through the common experience of food. By placing 18th-century German porcelain sugar bowls alongside Classic Maya terracotta chocolate vessels, Sugar and Spice illuminates the fascinating stories that sweets and spices reveal about history, culture, and ourselves. See the main exhibition in the museum lobby, and follow the theme of Sugar and Spice throughout the galleries, making your own connections with the help of a self-guided tour.
Sugar and Spice is curated by University of Toronto graduate student Kendra Ainsworth as part of an internship program run by the Gardiner Museum.