The Gardiner Museum is open seven days a week! Explore our permanent collection, discover special exhibitions, and get hands-on with clay in our studios. We look forward to welcoming you.
Discover an installation of works by American artist Sharif Bey on now in our lobby. Bey's practice is influenced by African and Afro-diasporic aesthetic traditions, as well as ancient Andean ceramics and contemporary popular culture.
Summer will be here before you know it! Don't wait to sign up for the Gardiner's popular summer camps. New this year, all our week-long sessions are full-day multimedia camps, so kids can draw, paint, sculpt, and more.
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!
Help us continue to offer innovative and engaging exhibitions, programs, and community projects in person and online, as well as plan for the future. Please consider making a donation today.
Ian Symons is a ceramic artist who has been called “one of the most gifted colourists working in Canada today.”
He studied painting and ceramics, receiving a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), and an MFA from Alfred State University.
Ian has taught at Ohio State University, Penland School of Crafts, Sheridan College, and George Brown College. He has exhibited in Canada and internationally, including shows at Canada House Gallery (London, England), Prime Gallery (Toronto), The Clay Studio (Philadelphia), and Nancy Margolis (New York City). His work can also be found in several published catalogues and at the Museum of Civilization, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and the Gardiner Museum. Ian has received grants and awards in national and international shows.
One of the early leaders in the use of contemporary earthenware, he has a notable understanding and ability with clay. Ian is known for his striking forms and nuanced surfaces. His painted hand-built pottery draws influences from history yet is intensely personal. Using layered glazes and drawing, he addresses how surface interacts with form. Ian uses pottery forms, rich glazes, and fine drawings to entice one to touch the work and turn it to see how the form and decoration evolve.