Get ready for an exciting new showcase of local artistic talent in Toronto! 

The Gardiner Museum, Toronto's renowned ceramics museum, has just launched a new showcase featuring ceramics and other multimedia artworks by local artists and it's definitely a must-visit exhibition this summer. Plus, there's a free launch party to celebrate the collection, slated for August 16.

Introducing Marking Making: Narrating Our Histories, featuring Jamaican-Canadian multidisciplinary artist and mentor Sharon Norwood and five emerging local artists from VIBE Arts' Emerging Artists program: Andre Lopez, Jasmine Vanstone, Nicholas Ridiculous, Serene Chan and Talie Shalom.

The pieces on display were all created during a series of special ceramic workshops led by Norwood this past July, marking the first time these artists used clay as their medium.

"The Artists brought with them varying approaches to their practice, and all were eager and motivated to expand their knowledge and confidence in clay," says Norwood in an artist statement.

"We stacked, smooshed, cut, stamped, twisted and molded the clay, discussed the process, had conversations about the medium and inspired confidence in creating new forms."

The workshop explored different techniques, like slip casting, and experimented with clay's limits, manipulating plaster molds and cast forms. The artists' results are presented as 3D artworks that display a willingness to take chances.

This special community showcase is part of the Gardiner Museum's Community Arts Space presented by TD Ready Commitment, which acts as an incubator for local engagement through clay-based projects.

Norwood's own work, Revolutionary Petunias, is a response to the time she spent at the Gardiner Museum during her residency and her relationship with the workshop, space, building, and time of year.

To celebrate the opening of this showcase, the Gardiner Museum is hosting a completely free, public event on August 16 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with the artists in attendance. No registration is necessary.

Want to make your own mark? Don't forget the interactive component where visitors are encouraged to decorate found ceramic objects to create a collaborative installation.

The Gardiner Museum is Toronto's only museum dedicated to ceramics and clay and has a permanent collection of world-famous ceramic art pieces you can browse before or after the feature showcase. 

VIBE Arts is a community-based organization that aims to provide arts education and mentorship to the future generation of local artists.

You can only witness these amazing ceramic creations until September 4, when the exhibition closes. And mark your calendars for the free public celebration on August 16! 

Following the public launch, access to Mark Making: Narrating Our Histories is included with your Gardiner Museum admission.