GARDINER MUSEUM ANNOUNCES 2010 EXHIBITION LINEUP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GARDINER MUSEUM ANNOUNCES 2010 EXHIBITION LINEUP
Presents international and contemporary Canadian art and a new collection of Japanese porcelain

TORONTO (November 25, 2009) – The Gardiner Museum announced its 2010 exhibition schedule today featuring contemporary work by international and Canadian artists and a spectacular collection of Japanese and Japanese influenced European porcelain gifted to the Gardiner by Toronto residents Bill and Molly Anne Macdonald..

According to Executive Director Alexandra Montgomery the Museums 2010 exhibition schedule provides a contemporary perspective on historic material and underlines the Museum’s increased commitment to contemporary Canadian art. Montgomery continued to say that the Museum is extremely proud to present two significant exhibitions originated by Chief Curator Charles Mason: For Castles and Courtesans featuring the Macdonald Collection and Breaking Boundaries including work by Toronto artist Shary Boyle and others.

“Charles has brought an intellectual curiosity and scholarship to the Gardiner Museum that has allowed us to develop an exciting and diverse exhibition schedule that will engage visitors and encourage both debate and thoughtful introspection,” Montgomery explained. “Under his curatorial leadership, the Gardiner Museum is moving beyond the vision of its founders.”

Before coming to the Gardiner Museum in 2007, Mason was Chief Curator and Curator of Asian Art at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida in Gainesville. While he specializes in Asian art and has expertise in Chinese, Japanese and Korean ceramics, Mason is also knowledgeable about 18th and 19th Century European porcelains and early 20th Century American art pottery.

Following is the 2010 exhibition schedule:
February 4 to May 9 From the Melting Pot into the Fire: Contemporary Ceramics in Israel
The inaugural exhibition of the 2010 season, From the Melting Pot into the Fire is an exhibition of conceptual work by Israeli ceramic artists that explores the issues of land, identity and home in contemporary Israel. The labels that accompany each work were written by the artist and provide an intensely personal response to the complex issues addressed. The intimate and personal nature of this exhibition provides visitors with an individual rather than a political perspective of the issues that have and continue to shape life in contemporary Israel.

Curator: The Ceramic Artists Association of Israel (CAAI) and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, North Carolina. (The CAAI is a non-governmental professional organization that supports ceramic artists in Israel.) The on-site curator is Charles Q. Mason.


June 3 to September 12 For Castles and Courtesans: Japanese Porcelain of the Edo period
This exhibition reveals the splendour of Edo-period culture and showcases painting, prints, textiles, lacquers and metalwork and porcelain to illustrate the significant impact Japanese porcelain from this period had on other art forms as well as on European taste. It will transport visitors to 17th Century Japan – a world of courtesans, emperors and samurai. This exhibition showcases the Macdonald Collection of Japanese and Japanese-influenced European porcelain which has been recognized by scholars as the best of its type in Canada and one of the best of its type in the world.

Curator: Charles Q. Mason
October 7 to January 30, 2011 Breaking Boundaries: Four Young Canadian Artists
Breaking Boundaries features the new work by Shary Boyle from Ontario; Marc Courtemanche from Saskatchewan; Carmela Laganse from Quebec and Brendan Tang from British Columbia. Four Canadian visual artists under the age of 40 whose work illustrate a cross-disciplinary approach to contemporary art and push the limits of ceramic art.

Curator: Charles Q. Mason


In addition to the larger shows, the Gardiner Museum is also hosting two smaller exhibitions in its second-floor Focus Gallery: Family Matters: Love, Marriage and Maiolica in the Italian Renaissance (January 18 to July 4) and Hot Commodity: Chinese Blue and White Porcelain and Its Impact on the World (July 12, 2010 to January 9, 2011). Family Matters is curated by Karine Tsoumis, a graduate student at the University of Toronto who completed an intership at the Gardiner Museum.

ABOUT THE GARDINER MUSEUM
The Gardiner Museum offers an intimate look at one of the world’s oldest and most universal art forms -- ceramics. The collection spans continents and time, giving a glimpse into the development of ceramic processes, decoration and form. Year-round the Museum mounts special exhibitions, events, lectures and clay classes to complement its permanent collection.

The Museum also features a café that serves delicious local fare prepared by Jamie Kennedy Kitchens as its executive chef, and the Gardiner Shop, which specializes in artist-designed, artist-made merchandise. More information about the museum and its exhibitions can be found online at www.gardinermuseum.com

Members of the media can register to access the Gardiner Museum’s online media room (www.gardinermuseum.com/mediaroom) where they may review and download images and additional media materials.

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For more information, contact:
Mary-Margaret Jones
PUNCH Canada
416.360.6522 ext. 241
marymargaret@punchcanada.com

Danna Barak
PUNCH Canada
416.360.6522 ext. 240
danna@punchcanada.com