Like many of you, we have been closely following the developments of COVID-19. The safety of our visitors, campers, staff, and volunteers is our top priority. Upon the advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, the Gardiner Museum will close temporarily effective Saturday March 14, 2020. We will continue to take guidance from our public health officials regarding the duration of the closure and will post updates to our website and social media channels as they become available. We are grateful for your support and thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to navigate this challenging time. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Gardiner soon.
The starting dates of our Spring Clay Classes will be delayed. Rest assured that no cancellation penalties will go into effect before the revised dates have been announced. We are working to develop a new schedule as quickly as possible and appreciate your understanding.
The Gardiner Museum is among the few museums in the world focused on ceramics, and is one of the most important specialty museums internationally. It houses approximately 4,000 objects, including European porcelain, ceramics from the Ancient Americas, Chinese porcelain, Japanese porcelain, and contemporary ceramics. Search the collection online!
Support the Gardiner's mission to champion clay, build community, and promote arts education. All of our memberships include a full year of free admission to the Museum, as well as discounts at CLAY Restaurant and the Gardiner Shop, and start and at just $30!
Bring your students to the Gardiner Museum for a trip that they’ll be talking about for weeks!
From painted Chinese dragons to Inuit carvings, a trip to the Gardiner Museum combines world history and discovery with a hands-on clay project. The Museum’s award-winning curriculum-based programs are accessible to students from kindergarten through to university.
All themes can be matched to fit any of these curricula: Visual Arts, Social Studies, Indigenous Studies, Animals, Environment, Language, and more. Just ask us!
Full day program Grade 3 – 8: 2-hour morning session, 30-minute lunch break, 1.5-hour clay workshop Grade 9+: 1.5-hour morning session, 1-hour lunch break, 1.5-hour clay workshop
Half day program (No lunch space available) JK – Grade 1: 15-minute tour followed by 1.25-hour clay workshop Grade 2+: 30-minutes tour followed by 1.5-hour clay workshop
1. The Monkey Orchestra Germany, Meissen, c. 1753–75 Hard-paste porcelain with overglaze enamels, gilding Modelled by Johann Joachim Kaendler (1706–1775) and Peter Reinicke (1711–1768) Mark: Crossed swords in underglaze blue Gift of George and Helen Gardiner, G83.1.675
2. Dish with Five-Clawed Dragon China, Jingdezhen, Qing dynasty, Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722) Hard-paste porcelain with underglaze blue The Robert Murray Bell and Ann Walker Bell Collection of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain, G99.10.9
3. Shaman’s Head (II), 2006, Gift of the Museum of Inuit Art G16.13.8
4. Seated Drummer, Tala-Tonalá style Mexico, Jalisco 300 B.C. - A.D. 200 Earthenware with white on red slip paint Gift of George and Helen Gardiner, G83.1.56
5. Rabbit Tureen (detail), England, London, Chelsea, c.1755-1756, Purchased with a gift from Dr. Walter S. Bloom and Carol Bloom Koffler in memory of their mother, Adele S. Bloom, a collector and connoisseur of English porcelain; with a grant from the Government of Canada, Ministry of Communications under the terms of the Cultural Property Export and Import Act and with the assistance of the Tecolote Foundation
6. Peter Pincus, Trio of Vessels V, 2017. Gift of Diana Reitberger.
7. Dish with scene from the story of Icarus Italy, Urbino and Gubbio, c. 1530 Painted by Francesco Xanto Avelli da Rovigo (c. 1500 – after 1542); lustred in the workshop of Maestro Giorgio Andreoli (c. 1465/70-c. 1553) Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica), with metallic lustre Inscription on reverse: fran: Avello R : pt: / Dedalo co’l figlical’ T Aeve / à nolo. / fabula y (fran: Avello R: painted this:/ The fable of Daedalus with his son in the air) Gift of George and Helen Gardiner, G83.1.362
8. The Greeting Harlequin (detail), Germany, Meissen, c.1740, Gift of George and Helen Gardiner, G83.1.908
9. Demo pieces from the Studio
10. Magdolene Dykstra, Polyanthroponemia, 2020, Unfired clay and mixed media