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.
May is Asian Heritage Month. Each Sunday, we’ll highlight the rich Chinese and Japanese ceramic traditions in our collection with a series of activities inspired by them. Imari ceramics owes its name to the port in Japan from which it was traditionally shipped. It was known for its colorful style, usually a mix of orange, red, green, gilt details, and line bands. As these ceramics became increasingly popular in Europe, the style was reproduced in Britain. This Sunday, we’ll use the traditional Imari porcelain colors to paint on tiles, dividing our sections with thin lines of gold paint.
We’ll also have a calligraphy workshop in the lobby! Join us and learn to write Chinese characters with a brush. All materials will be provided.
Demonstrations of this ancient art will take place at 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, and 2 pm.
Image: Saucer in the Japanese Imari Style-Inspiration, Minton, c.1805-6, England, Gift of N. Robert Cumming, G01.10.15