The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation Hall will be the welcoming point and central axis of the Museum’s reimagined ground floor

Toronto—The Gardiner Museum is thrilled to announce a Leadership Gift of $2.5 million from The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation toward a full-scale transformation of the Gardiner’s ground floor. In recognition of this generous gift, the Museum’s lobby will be re-envisioned as The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation Hall, the welcoming point and central axis of the Museum’s reimagined ground floor and the site of year-round presentations of contemporary ceramics, including community partnerships.

From The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation Hall, visitors will have a view spanning the full length of the ground floor, creating a conversation between historical and contemporary ceramics, and emphasizing the continuum of ceramic traditions, past and present. Artists and curators will have the ability to transform the space and engage visitors through rotating exhibitions and public programming.

“The Gardiner Museum is incredibly grateful for the generous support and visionary leadership of The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation. This substantial contribution to the Gardiner’s largest capital project in two decades allows us to take a major step toward realizing our ambitious transformation plans, establishing the Gardiner as a vibrant site for creativity, connection, and learning,” said Gabrielle Peacock, Executive Director & CEO of the Gardiner Museum.

Announced in September 2023, this transformative $15-million-dollar capital project was launched by a catalytic gift from the Estate of William B.G. Humphries. It includes the construction of a fully equipped Makerspace, Community Learning Centre, and new Indigenous gallery.

Designed by Montgomery Sisam Architects and Andrew Jones Design, in collaboration with Chris Cornelius of studio:indigenous, the reimagining of the Gardiner’s 8,952-square-foot ground floor is guided by the principles of connectivity, access, and Indigeneity. Construction will begin in July 2024, with a projected completion date of October 2025.

Visit gardinermuseum.com for more information.

The Gardiner Museum would like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the Indigenous Advisory Circle in guiding this project.

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.

ABOUT THE HILARY AND GALEN WESTON FOUNDATION

The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation is a family foundation whose goal is to contribute to charities whose bold ideas shape a better future for everyone. Since its founding in 2019, the foundation has supported over 80 organizations focused on the arts; women’s empowerment; humanitarian relief; medical research and support; and a healthy environment, among other worthy causes.

ABOUT THE GARDINER MUSEUM

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

We engage audiences with exhibitions, programs, and hands-on classes, while stewarding a significant permanent collection. We interpret historical ceramics to emphasize their relevance today, and champion emerging and established Canadian artists and their role in the broader world. We innovate through clay education, as we bring together the experience of making with a deeper understanding of the art of ceramics.

We believe in making, looking, and thinking through clay.

The Gardiner Museum has a collection of over 5,000 objects from the Ancient Americas, Europe, Japan and China, as well as contemporary works with an emphasis on leading Canadian artists. 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]