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October 18, 2024 August 15, 2025

Test Kitchen: A Museum Project


What’s On / Exhibitions / Test Kitchen: A Museum Project

On now
Exhibition Hall. 3rd Floor

The Gardiner is currently undergoing a full-scale reimagining of our ground floor, a major transformation that includes the re-installation of a significant part the collection. Inspired by the metaphor of the test kitchen as a space of experimentation, collaboration, and participation in the museum, Test Kitchen: A Museum Project is part exhibition, part workshop, and part ideas generator.

As we reimagine our collections galleries, we’re asking ourselves how we can better explore ceramics of the past and present and tell new stories. Test Kitchen opens up this process, which usually happens behind closed doors, making museum work more transparent and inviting visitors to collaborate through a series of hands-on activities. Throughout, visitors are encouraged to observe closely, make, discuss, and offer feedback while exploring the nature of museum work.


Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid


Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid


Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid


Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid


Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid


Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid


Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid

Exhibition Programs


Join us for special exhibition programs including talks, tours, and more!

A father and his two children sculpting with clay

Family Day


Every Sunday
11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Create your own air-dry clay tiles and decorate them with designs inspired by the themes and collections in the exhibition.
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Hands of someone making a vessel on the pottery wheel

Clay in Action: Free Pottery Demo


Select Wednesdays
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Part of free Wednesday evenings at the Museum, visit the exhibition Test Kitchen: A Museum Project and watch a live pottery demo featuring one of our talented studio instructors.
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A wood wall with a graphic depicting the silhouette of an object and a window in a storage area with ceramic objects on shelves

Test Kitchen: Open Office


Select Thursdays
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Are you curious about what goes on behind the scenes at the Museum? Visit the exhibition Test Kitchen: A Museum Project and meet a member of our team. Ask questions about their role, explore the stories behind the exhibition, and get updates on our Ground Floor Transformation.
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Indigenous belogings including pottery and textiles suspended in a glass case

Virtual Lecture: Radical Dreaming / Sueño radical


Nov 21 2024 @ 12:00 pm

Francesca Hebert-Spence, Curator of Indigenous Ceramics at the Gardiner Museum, and Mapuche artist Francisco Huichaqueo come together for a bilingual conversation in English and Spanish to discuss the complexities of being “Indigenous curators.”
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A glass case filled with a variety of contemporary ceramic figures

From the Ground Up: Test Kitchen Tour & Community Dialogue


Nov 21 2024 @ 6:00 pm

Join Chief Curator Dr. Sequoia Miller for an exclusive tour of Test Kitchen followed by a hands-on clay session.
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Three Italian Renaissance maiolica pharmacy jars

Test Kitchen Highlight Tour & Herbal Tea Blending Workshop


Dec 3 2024 @ 6:00 pm

Join us for a tour of Test Kitchen: A Museum Project led by Senior Curator Dr. Karine Tsoumis followed by a hands-on tea blending activity inspired by the albarelli, or pharmacy jars, featured in the exhibition.
Learn more
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The Gardiner Museum will close at 6 pm on Wednesday May 22 for the International Ceramic Art Fair Preview Gala.