We've reopened with modified summer hours and free admission on weekends! There's plenty of space to reconnect and amazing art to discover in all corners of the Museum. Please read our new health and safety policies before your 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 excited to introduce Clay Date, a new online art fundraiser in support of the Gardiner Museum and inspired by the special exhibition RAW. Presented by the Young Patron Circle's SMASH Committee, Clay Date will virtually unite a community of art enthusiasts and cultural philanthropists for an evening with artist Habiba El-Sayed.
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.
A Response by Sook-Yin Lee to “Live Choreography: jes sachse & Alice Sheppard”
The last time I was at the Gardiner Museum was for my friend’s wedding She did a dramatic dance with her dad in the banquet hall A tango maybe, something with arm flourishes
I first met jes sachse five years ago, Dancing in the dark with their friends from Peterborough I was drunk. We were all drunk They kissed me on the lips
In the Gardiner Museum Surrounded by pottery from the Ancient Americas The DJ cranked tunes I thought about George and Helen Gardiner And their love of European ceramics I knew I could never be married I would not want to be stuck
The next time I saw jes I asked a lot of questions About accessibility And getting stuck on ramps With no one having your back Wanting to pee but you have to hold it in In the name of “art”
And then there was jes at the Gardiner Museum Live Choreography with Alice Sheppard In the same place where the wedding once was With chairs in a half-circle Grapes, dessert, and sushi I had no idea it would be so fancy jes laughed despite nerves
Their silhouettes against back-lit windows jes lying down, getting up, balancing on one foot Pulling Alice across the floor From the space where the wedding once was jes bolted towards the hard marble stairs Sliding down on a perfect ponytail Alice, hurtling head over wheels Is there anywhere that chair can’t go?
On a bench in the Gardiner Museum Alice and jes Touched each other With warm looks and knowing eyes Watching them We all wished for the same Intimacy
Sky turned charcoal and the wind blew On the ramp under-construction Outside the Gardiner Museum Where jes and Alice climbed, danced, and rolled
People stopped Some ran away Many apologized, not knowing what to do jes waved them through A burst of energy in Alice’s arms Hot on their heels She chased them to the other side
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Sook-Yin Lee is a filmmaker, musician, actor, artist, dance-maker, and three-time Gabriel Award-winning and New York Festival Gold-winning radio & TV broadcaster. This work was commissioned in support of jes sachse’s I wanna dance with some body, a Community Arts Space installation on view from August 1 – September 17. Community Arts Space is generously supported by TD Bank Group.