fbpx Skip to content

School Groups


Bring your class to the Gardiner for a day of learning and creativity.

Learn & Make / School Groups

Our school programs, designed by professional educators, engage with the Ontario Curriculum in fun and creative ways using clay.

All school workshops are led by experienced artist-educators who specialize in ceramics. Schools can choose between a tour, a hands-on activity, or a combination of both. See the list of program themes below.

Important Information:

We require a two-week minimum notice to book a school workshop. In the booking request form, please provide as much detail as possible, including whether you wish to have your works fired. Upon receipt of your request, we will contact you to confirm the details and finalize your booking.

Once we have sent the invoice, the booking is confirmed, and payment is due on the date of your visit. Schools paying by Purchase Order are requested to send the PO via email in advance of your visit.

We can accommodate approximately 25 students per group. Groups of more than 30 students may be split into smaller groups. We require a minimum of 10 students per booking.

In case of absences on the day of your visit, we can only adjust the invoice amount or provide refunds for up to:

  • 5 absences for groups of 30+
  • 3 absences for groups of 20-30
  • 2 absence for groups of 12-20
  • No refunds for absences in groups of 11 and below

A $5 processing fee is charged for all bookings.

All our programs are free for adult chaperones, within the specified adult to student ratio:

Grades K-3: 1 adult for every 4 students
Grades 4- 6: 1 adult for every 6 students
Grades 7-9: 1 adult for every 8 students
Grades 10 -12: 1 adult for every 15 students

Adults within this required ratio are free to join as non-participating chaperones only. A fee of $5 per adult will be charged for groups exceeding this ratio.

Groups must arrive on time. In case of delay, the program will run as scheduled with no extra time.

We do not permit food and drinks in our studios. Groups must contact us in advance to secure a space for a snack or lunch break. We are happy to provide access to a lunch space at no extra charge, subject to availability. Any lunch room bookings will be included in the confirmation sent to the group in advance of your visit.

  • Clay Class (90 minutes) : $12
    (Per student)
  • Guided Tour (60 minutes) : $10
    (Per student)
  • Guided Tour and Clay Class (150 minutes) : $17
    (Per student)
  • Optional Firing Fee : $3
    (Per student)
  • Self Guided Tour : $5
    (Per student)

Program Themes

Grades K – 3

Indigenous Americas

Discover the narrative power of clay across the Americas! In this program, students will explore the Gardiner Museum’s world-renowned collection of ancient pottery from Mesoamerica and South America, as well as modern and contemporary ceramic artworks made by Indigenous artists working in Canada. For half day bookings, this will be followed by a hands-on clay workshop in which students can create a vessel inspired by the works on display and connected to their own lives.

Curriculum Links: Visual Arts; Social Studies; Language; The Kindergarten Program

Animals and Habitats

How is a ceramics museum like a zoo? In this program, we will explore unique depictions of animals made with clay and think about their natural habitat and relationships with humans. For half day bookings, this will be accompanied by a hands-on clay activity where students create their own pinch-pot animals.

Curriculum Links: Visual Arts; Social Studies; Language; Science and Technology; The Kindergarten Program

Myths, Gods, and Monsters

Discover mythological figures and supernatural creatures represented in clay. Students explore myths and symbolic meanings embedded in works from Mesoamerica, China, and more. For half day bookings, students will make their own clay creatures and discuss what these works symbolize to them.

Curriculum Links: Visual Arts; Social Studies; Language

Grades 4 – 8

Indigenous Americas

Discover the narrative power of clay across the Americas! In this program, students explore the Gardiner Museum’s world-renowned collection of ancient pottery from Mesoamerica and South America, as well as modern and contemporary ceramic artworks made by Indigenous artists working in Canada. For half day bookings, this will be followed by a hands-on clay workshop in which students can create works inspired by the works on display and connected to their own lives.

Curriculum Links: Visual Arts; History; Geography; Language

Food and Medicine

Explore art and science with a journey into ancient kitchens, renaissance pharmacies, and royal pantries! In this program, students learn about the ways in which ceramic wares were used for food and medicine in different parts of the world. For half day bookings, students will hand build their own ceramic wares inspired by the collections.

Curriculum Links: Visual Arts; History; Geography; Language; Science and Technology

Trade, Travel, and Ceramic Treasures

Learn about the global value of clay over hundreds of years and discover how technologies, ideas, and ceramic works moved across the world! For half day bookings, students make their own ceramic wares inspired by the popular styles and designs they encounter in the galleries.

Curriculum Links: Visual Arts; History; Geography; Language

Grades 9 – 12

Ecology and the Indigenous Americas

Discover the narrative power of clay across the Americas! In this program, students explore the Gardiner Museum’s world-renowned collection of ancient pottery from Mesoamerica and South America, as well as modern and contemporary ceramic artworks made by Indigenous artists working in Canada. For half day bookings, this will be followed by a hands-on clay workshop in which students can create works inspired by the works on display and connected to their own lives.

Curriculum Links: Visual Arts; Geography; First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

Sculpted Identities

How do ceramic artworks of the past and present reveal the personal, cultural, and political identities of the artist and subject? This program invites students to uncover the stories told by the diverse works in our collections and peel back the layers of identity embedded in them, while contemplating questions of equity and social justice. For half day bookings, students will extend their exploration in our studios, creating unique works of art that express their identities.

Curriculum Links: Visual Arts; Canadian and World Studies; First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

Clay, Culture, and Commerce 

What role did clay play in international trade and economics over thousands of years? Students will look closely at works that showcase the global value of clay throughout history and how innovations, artistic styles, and ceramic wares moved across the world. For half day bookings, students make their own ceramic treasures inspired by popular global styles and designs.

Curriculum Links: Visual Arts; Canadian and World Studies

Special Exhibition

Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects

Delve deeper into our current special exhibition Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects. Students will get a closer look at the works of one of the world’s most renowned ceramic artists, Dame Magdalene Odundo, and reflect on the connections that unite art and artifacts from different times and places. For half day bookings, this will be followed by a hands-on clay class where students can create their own hand-built vessels inspired by the exhibition.

Items in your cart:
  • No products in the cart.
The Gardiner Museum will close at 3 pm on Monday August 28.