Toronto's Gardiner Museum Reopens After a 15-Month Renovation

"The Gardiner Museum in Toronto has reopened after a 15-month, C$15.5 million (about $11 million) renovation of its ground floor spaces. The museum, founded in 1984 by George and Helen Gardiner, focuses on ceramics and has a collection of some 5,000 pieces dating from prehistory to the present. The reimagined galleries will enable it to show up to 40 percent of its holdings at one time, which is unusual for collecting institutions."

"A showpiece of the transformed ground floor is "Indigenous Immemorial," a gallery permanently dedicated to Indigenous clay art from the territory on which the Gardiner stands. Underscoring the museum's increasing focus on Indignity, it was developed by Franchesca Hebert-Spence (Anishinaabe, Sagkeeng First Nation), the museum's first curator of Indigenous ceramics, in collaboration studio:indigenous architect Chris Cornelius (Oneida) and in consultation with an Indigenous advisory circle that included artists Kent Monkman, Tekaronhiáhkhwa/Santee Smith, and Mary Anne Barkhouse."

"Undertaken by Montgomery Sisam Architects and Andrew Jones Design in collaboration with studio:indigenous, the renovation features newly designed collection galleries, a reworked entrance hall, a ceramics studio, and a community learning center. The makeover was made possible by gifts from public and private entities, and included a C$9 million ($6.4 million) gift from the Radlett Foundation. That gift also included more than 250 ceramic objects from the collection of the charity's late founder, collector William B.G. Humphries."

The Gardiner Museum in Toronto completed a 15-month, C$15.5 million renovation focused on its ground floor, expanding exhibition capacity and visitor facilities. The project added newly designed collection galleries, a reworked entrance hall, a ceramics studio, and a community learning centre. The renovation was led by Montgomery Sisam Architects and Andrew Jones Design with studio:indigenous, and was funded by public and private gifts including a C$9 million Radlett Foundation donation that added more than 250 ceramics from William B.G. Humphries. A permanent gallery, "Indigenous Immemorial," showcases Indigenous clay art developed with Indigenous curators, architects, and an advisory circle. Inaugural displays include a commissioned entrance work by Nadia Myre using Thames River clay pipe stems and beads.

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