Gardiner Museum presents 10 days of contemporary ceramics, talks, tours, performances, and more
After a two-year hiatus, the International Ceramic Art Fair (ICAF) returns to the Gardiner Museum with an exciting roster of Canadian and international artists and galleries. The fair runs June 9-19, 2022, and features work by top Canadian and international artists.
Visitors can view and purchase new work and attend talks, tours, and performances, online and in person. More than half the programs taking place during the 10-day fair are free to the public. Highlights include a gallery talk with Caribbean-Canadian artist Eddy Firmin and a presentation by Smithsonian curator Anya Montiel on Indigenous women and clay.
Contemporary ceramics has become one of the most dynamic areas of artistic practice in recent years.
“Artists are turning to clay to explore a wide range of new ideas, stories, and images. This year’s International Ceramic Art Fair focuses on the body, figuration, and the land. While each artist approaches these themes through a unique lens, taken together, the works visualize a universal connection to the land we walk on. We invite visitors to discover the diversity, complexity, and accessibility of contemporary ceramics both in Canada and internationally,” said Sequoia Miller, Chief Curator at the Gardiner Museum.
This year’s participating galleries are Art Mûr, Cooper Cole, Ferrin Contemporary, Iona Studio, and Kouri + Corrao Gallery. The list of featured artists includes Brie Ruais, Cristina Córdova, Daniel Rios Rodriguez, Eddy Firmin, Edwina Sandys, Jennie Jieun Lee, Joon Hee Kim, Kate Newby, Kukuli Velarde, Mara Superior, Maura Doyle, Raven Halfmoon, and Sergie Isupov.
The opening of the International Ceramic Art Fair (ICAF) also marks the debut of a new permanent public artwork by Tekaronhiáhkhwa / Santee Smith, part of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021–2022. The sculpture takes the form of a large Mohawk cooking vessel. Fragmented yet moving toward intactness, it symbolizes the disruption and trauma caused by colonization, including the legacy of the residential school system, assimilative policies imposed on womxn, and the crisis of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Womxn and Girls.
On June 10, 11, and 12 at 9:15 pm, the work will be activated through a series of free performances on the Gardiner’s outdoor plaza, generously supported by Barry and Lindy Green.
Schedule
See the full schedule on the fair’s website.
International Ceramic Art Fair Preview Gala
Wednesday June 8, 7 – 10 pm
Be among the first to view and purchase exceptional ceramic works from leading galleries and artists at the International Ceramics Art Fair’s exclusive Preview Gala.
Gallery Tour with Maya Wilson-Sanchez
Thursday June 9, 11am – 12 pm
Tour the International Ceramic Art Fair (ICAF) with Gardiner Museum Curatorial Resident, Maya Wilson Sanchez.
Free! Gallery Talk with Eddy Firmin
Thursday June 9, 6 – 7 pm
Join featured artist Eddy Firmin for an in-person discussion about his work, which explores identity, heritage, and resistance.
Gallery Tour with Maya Wilson-Sanchez
Friday June 10, 11am – 12 pm
Tour the International Ceramic Art Fair (ICAF) with Gardiner Museum Curatorial Resident, Maya Wilson Sanchez.
Free! Santee Smith: Talking Earth
June 10, 11, 12, 9:15 pm
Experience a series of live performances by Santee Smith and Kaha:wi Dance Theatre celebrating the installation of a new permanent public artwork on the plaza. No registration required.
Gallery Tour with Anya Montiel and Sequoia Miller
Saturday June 11, 11 am – 12 pm
Tour the International Ceramic Art Fair (ICAF) with Chief Curator Sequoia Miller and guest speaker Anya Montiel, Curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Free! Moving Beyond Boundaries: Indigenous Women and Clay
Saturday June 11, 6 – 7 pm
Join Anya Montiel, Curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., for an in-person discussion about the role of Indigenous women in contemporary ceramics.
Gallery Tour with Hilary Riem of Cooper Cole Gallery
Tuesday June 14, 11 am – 12 pm
Tour the International Ceramic Art Fair with a focus on the works of Brie Ruais, Daniel Rios Rodriguez, Jennie Jieun Lee, and Kate Newby, all represented by Cooper Cole Gallery. The tour will be led by Hilary Riem, Director of Sales and Special Projects at Cooper Cole.
Free! Virtual Curator Talk with Maya Wilson-Sanchez
Tuesday June 14, 1 – 2 pm (online)
Join Gardiner Museum Curatorial Resident Maya Wilson-Sanchez for a virtual conversation about the work of Kukuli Velarde.
Free! Gallery Talk with Sharif Bey
Wednesday June 15, 6 – 7 pm
Join artist Sharif Bey for an in-person discussion about his exhibition Colonial Ruptures, on display in the lobby. Bey works figuratively, often repurposing fragments of his own earlier sculptures to create beings with a sense of wonder, ritual, and ambiguity.
Free! Virtual Artist Talk with Maura Doyle
Wednesday June 15, 1 – 2 pm (online)
Join featured artist Maura Doyle for an online presentation on her hybrid practice, which encompasses ceramics, sculpture, printed matter/publications and drawing.
Gallery Tour with Maya Wilson-Sanchez
Thursday June 16, 11am – 12 pm
Tour the International Ceramic Art Fair (ICAF) with Gardiner Museum Curatorial Resident, Maya Wilson Sanchez.
Free! Virtual Artist Talk with Cristina Córdova
Friday June 17, 1 – 2 pm (online)
Join featured artist Cristina Córdova for an online discussion about her work. Córdova creates figurative compositions that examine our shared humanity and question socio-cultural notions of gender, race, and beauty.
Photos courtesy of the artists and galleries
