In September 2023, the Gardiner announced a transformational $9-million donation from The Radlett Foundation in honour of the late William B.G. Humphries. This generous philanthropic contribution is the catalyst for a full-scale reimagining of the Gardiner’s ground floor, bringing our physical space in line with our mission of building community with clay.

Our first major renovation in almost two decades, the project includes the construction of a fully equipped Makerspace, a Community Learning Centre, and a new Indigenous gallery. A vital gesture toward reconciliation, the Indigenous gallery will showcase ceramic traditions of the Woodland and Great Lakes Region, where the Museum is situated.
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The estimated capital costs of the project are $15 million.

Construction will begin in July 2024 and is expected to be completed by October 2025.

Construction will be divided into two phases. In the first phase, the Museum will be closed to the public. In the second phase, the Museum will reopen, with the exception of the ground floor.

Phase I: Full closure
July – October 2024
The Museum will be fully closed to the public.
The Gardiner Shop will be accessible online.

Phase II: Partial Reopening
October 2024 – October 2025
The Museum will reopen to the public, with the exception of the ground floor. The second-floor galleries and special exhibition hall will be accessible. Clay classes and operations at Clay Restaurant will resume.

October 2024 – October 2025:

OPEN:
Chinese Porcelain
Japanese Porcelain and Its Influence
European Porcelain
Rosalie Wise Sharp Gallery
Joan Courtois Gallery
Exhibition Hall
Clay Restaurant
Studios
Gardiner Shop (online and on-site pop-up)

CLOSED:
Ancient Americas
Modern & Contemporary
Italian Renaissance Maiolica
English Delftware
Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney Community Clay Studio
Goldring Family Lecture Hall

The Museum will reopen in full in October 2025.

A selection of objects from our ground floor galleries will be on display in our third-floor exhibition hall, as well as in our Joan Courtois Gallery, spanning three floors of the Museum’s glass stairwell.

From October 2024 – October 2025, the Gardiner will adopt a pay-what-you-can model. Regular admission will be reinstated when the ground floor reopens in October 2025.

Clay classes, including sessional and drop-in classes, will be on hold during the Museum’s full closure from July – October 2024. Clay classes will resume in fall 2024. Updates will be announced via the Gardiner’s e-newsletter, social media channels, and website.

The Gardiner Shop’s main physical space will be closed from July 2024 – October 2025. Online shopping will continue uninterrupted throughout the renovation.

From October 2024 – October 2025, the Gardiner Shop will have a display case in the Museum’s temporary entryway.

Stay tuned for the announcement of a Gardiner Shop pop-up with a new gallery partner this summer!

Clay Restaurant will be closed from July – October 2024. It will reopen with regular hours in October 2024.

Our team has been working hard to ensure we can offer special perks beyond the Museum walls during our period of closure, including free admission to partner institutions. Please keep an eye on our e-newsletter for those opportunities.

Maintaining your Gardiner Friendship according to your regular annual term provides the Museum with critical stability as we embark on this period of change. We want to thank the many Gardiner Friends who have already committed to sustaining their membership during our transformation. Should you have any concerns about the impact of our transformation on your Gardiner Friendship, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Sign up for our e-newsletter, follow us on social media, and visit our website for all the latest details and announcements.

Land Acknowledgment

The Gardiner Museum is situated on the ancestral and traditional territories of many nations, including the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. It is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. As a museum that celebrates the material of the earth, the Gardiner Museum is committed to honouring Indigenous peoples’ cultural and spiritual connections to the land. Reconciliation is central to our work as a museum, and we strive to celebrate Indigenous knowledge and creativity through our collections, exhibitions, and programming.