Creating accessible opportunities for connection and healing through art

Toronto—The Gardiner Museum is pleased to announce that we will offer free admission Community Building Weekends for the rest of 2020 starting on September 12 and 13. The goal of these free weekends is to encourage our diverse communities, particularly first-time visitors, to explore the Museum, participate in hands-on programs that connect families, and experience clay and ceramics in unique, inspiring, and unexpected ways.

“People throughout the city are struggling with the significant financial, social, and emotional implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe in the power of art and community to heal and bring comfort, and that the cost of admission and participation should not be a barrier to that experience. Offering free admission on weekends is a way for us to give back to our city as we all struggle to regain a sense of normalcy. We want people to feel safe and welcome here, and to make this space their own,” said Kelvin Browne, Executive Director & CEO.

In addition to offering free admission to the permanent galleries and special exhibitions, the Gardiner will host physically-distanced family clay activities outside on the plaza, weather permitting. These workshops will be relocated inside the Museum later in the season.

The new Community Building Weekends will also help boost the Museum’s existing inreach projects, including the Community Arts Space supported by The TD Ready Commitment. Throughout the pandemic, the Gardiner has been working with Turtle House Art/Play Centre, FCJ Refugee Centre, and ArtHeart to offer a series of community healing activities that connect participants to one another through artistic production. These free admission weekends will allow the families, friends, and communities of the participants to celebrate together at the Museum when their work is exhibited in December.

The Gardiner’s Community Building Weekends are made possible through funding from The Citrine Foundation of Canada, and additional support from The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and the Gardiner Volunteer Committee.

“We are so pleased to support this initiative and collaborate with other funders as we recognize the positive impact that a museum visit can have on people’s mental health, particularly at a time when so many are feeling isolated and financially strained,” said JoAnne Korten, President and CEO of The Citrine Foundation of Canada.

By enhancing lives across Canada through inspired philanthropy, The Citrine Foundation of Canada’s goal is to help build capacity and meet the needs of diverse communities, and to encourage others to match their financial commitment to community not-for-profit organizations.

Free Community Building Weekends will begin on September 12 and 13, and continue through 2020.

Visit gardinermuseum.com for more information and to plan your visit.

ABOUT THE GARDINER MUSEUM

The Gardiner Museum brings together people of all ages and backgrounds through the shared values of creativity, wonder, and community that clay and ceramic traditions inspire.

The Gardiner Museum’s collection of ceramics comprises approximately 4,000 objects, and focuses on specific areas which have been collected in depth. These include a world-renowned collection of European porcelain, with particular strengths in Meissen, Vienna, and Hausmaler decorated porcelain, as well as a comprehensive collection of figures inspired by the commedia dell’arte. It holds the preeminent collection of Italian Renaissance maiolica in Canada, and a superb collection of English tin-glazed pottery. The Gardiner preserves highly significant collections of ceramics from the Ancient Americas, Chinese blue and white porcelain, Japanese porcelain, and contemporary Canadian ceramics. It also houses a research library and archives, clay studios, award-winning Shop, and a restaurant.

The Gardiner Museum is among the few museums in the world focused on ceramics, and is one of the world’s most notable specialty museums. For more information, please visit: gardinermuseum.com.

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Media Contact:
Rachel Weiner
Senior Manager, Marketing
Gardiner Museum
416.408.5062
[email protected]