gardiner museum toronto

The Gardiner Museum is offering free admission for the long weekend in Toronto

If you're searching for a way to spend Labour Day weekend in Toronto, look no further than the Gardiner Museum

The ceramics museum located at 111 Queens Park is offering free admission to their full collection and special exhibitions this weekend, so Torontonians can take in endless art without having to pay a cent. 

Visitors will be able to check out the permanent collection, which includes pottery from 47 cultures from the modern day geographical areas of the American Southwest, Mexico, and Central and South America; a world-renowned collection of porcelain from Europe, China, and Japan; and contemporary ceramics by Canadian and international artists. 

The museum's temporary exhibits will also be available, including Fable, an installation of clay and stained glass creatures by Toronto-based artist Nurielle Stern, and RAW, which features new work by four artists who create using raw clay. 

"The show's open layout offers ample space to explore and reflect, and its themes, which range from trans visibility to the sustainability of human population growth, are particularly timely," reads the museum's description of the special exhibition.

The Gardiner is also offering free family activities this weekend, such as clay making and chalk drawing on the outdoor plaza (as long as weather permits), and kids can also take home a free art kit with clay, sculpting tools, and colouring pages featuring objects from the collection (while they last).

Measures are, of course, in place to ensure the safety of visitors throughout the pandemic, including limited capacity to allow for social distancing, mandatory mask usage and more.

The museum will be offering admission free of charge from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 5, 6, and 7. 

Lead photo by

Rachel Weiner


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