The Gardiner Museum
The TGN Featured Store of the Week this week is The Gardiner Museum Shop, located at 111 Queens Park. The Gardiner Shop features a carefully curated presentation of ceramic works, as well as a selection of beautiful glass, wood, jewellery, hand bags and scarves by both established and emerging Canadian and International artists. We caught up with Sumaira Kasimuddin and Kierin McNeill, The Gardiner Shop’s managers, to learn more about this wonderfully eclectic museum and shop and here’s what they had to say!
The Gardiner Museum has been around since 1984, when did The Gardiner Shop open for business?
The Gardiner Shop first opened with the Museum in 1984 but has since gone through a few changes and a major renovation.
For those who aren’t familiar with the museum, can you tell us a little bit about the history of The Gardiner Museum?
The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art was opened in 1984 by George and Helen Gardiner as a place to house their collection of ancient American artifacts and European pottery and porcelain. Today, this extensive collection includes Japanese and Chinese porcelain as well as a contemporary gallery featuring artist from the 20th century onwards.
The Museum was closed from 2004 to 2006 for a major expansion, which included new galleries, larger educational, administrative, and studio spaces, a café and special events space, and of course, a new retail shop.
The Gardiner Ceramics Museum is solely dedicated to ceramic art. The Gardiner Shop specializes but is not limited to ceramics art; can you tell us about some of the other products customers can expect to find at the Gardiner Shop?
The Gardiner Shop features a carefully curated, deep presentation of one of a kind and studio ceramics with a focus on Canadian artists. Whether you are looking for a gift for a loved one or something for yourself, we offer a wide range of products from jewelry to glass, wood, home design and fashion accessories, as well as a great selection of cards, stationary, children’s products and books.
Can you tell us about some of the artists whose work is featured at the shop?
The Gardiner Shop carries up to 80 different artists work. Our ceramic collection includes both functional and decorative masterpieces by some of Canada’s most celebrated artists including Bill Reddick, Kayo O’Young, Lesley McInally and Shane Norrie, as well as up-and-comers Heather Dahl, Chari Cohen and Shu-Chen Cheng.
Walking along Queen’s Park in Toronto, you might catch a glimpse of Tsunami Glassworks’ tall tube vases in our store window. With its brilliant colours and unusual shapes, Windsor-based artists Kriston Gene and Eva Milinkovic specialize in designing and producing both blown and cast glass for the contemporary living environment.
One of my favorite textile artists at the Gardiner Shop is Harshita Lohia of Harshita Designs. You will find uniquely designed wearable scarves, whose carefully chosen colors and final designs are then printed or embroidered to enhance the wearable piece of art. The inspiration for Harshita’s designs and colors comes from elements of nature, man made structures, symbols of Indian culture and simple geometrical figures and her choice of high quality material includes chiffon, crepe, georgette and charmeuse silk.
The Gardiner Shop is dedicated to building a bridge between its customers, these talented artists and their beautiful products. You can see a complete list of artists on our shop page www.gardinermuseum.on.ca/shopor better yet, come visit our Shop.
Scarves by Harshita Lohia of Harshita Designs
Do you have a personal favorite artist whose work can be found in the shop?
One of our top-selling jewelry lines, dconstruct, by Canadian designers Lisa and Sean Reico, is not only one of my favorites, it has been a favourite amongst our staff and Volunteers. The beautiful eco-resin bracelets come in a variety of designs and colours; it’s affordable enough to get a set.
Which items from the Gardiner Museum Shop would make excellent wedding gifts?
The Gardiner Shop is a great place to shop for wedding gifts. Our team of helpful and knowledgeable staff and volunteers can help you find the perfect gift for your loved ones. Larchwood cutting boards from New Brunswick are a very popular choice; they can be used as either serving or cutting boards and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Hand-turned wooden bowls in elm, oak and walnut by Michael Sbrocca is also a wonderful choice. Couples always appreciate the one-of-kind ceramic pieces found in our shop–a great start to their very own collection! Presentation is also important to us, so we offer wrapping services to our clients. We also have a great selection of cards, for all occasions.
Can you tell us about some of the exciting events coming up at the shop?
We have a Shop Artists Talk coming up on Sunday June 10th at 3 PM. Meet Heather Dahl, the Vancouver-based ceramic artist and owner of the multi-disciplinary Dahlhaus Studios. Heather specializes in ceramics, painting, gardening and all-things mid-century. She will be sharing her background, inspiration and process with us. Her pieces are very lovely, with its whimsical poppies, ginkgo flowers and cheerful hues.
What are the biggest misconceptions people have about ceramic art?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that ceramics are limited to bowls, plates and cups. Clay is just a medium from which artists can create both functional and sculptural ceramics. There is no limit to the creativity we have seen with all our Shop artists. The shapes, colors and combinations are inspiring.
Eco-resin bracelets by dconstruct
If you had to sum up The Gardiner Shop in 1 sentence what would you say?
We are premier gift shop in Toronto offering a wide range of unique products which cater to an increasingly diverse clientele.
What aspects of the shop are you most proud of?
I am so proud of the fact that The Gardiner Shop has become a go-to shopping destination for both Torontonians and visitors to the city alike. With its cohesive presentation of unique, hand-made products, we have been successful in building a bridge between our customers, the product and the makers. We also have a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers who staff our shop, and without their support and hard work we would not be able to showcase such amazing artist talent.
You’ve had some pretty notable artists and chefs hold seminars and workshops at The Gardiner Museum, do any of them stand out in your mind as particularly memorable experiences?
Chef Jamie Kennedy and the Gardiner Museum are working together in a remarkable dinner series celebrating the cultures represented in the Gardiner Museum’s permanent collections. These evenings will feature locally-sourced products from our finest farmers, fisheries and artisans to create a gastronomic exploration of four culinary cultures–Canadian, French, Italian and Indigenous–each with its own rich heritage.
This year we celebrate our 20th annual Empty Bowls event on Wednesday May 23rd. This sold-out event is one of my favorite events at the Museum. Visitors get to choose a bowl (donated by some of our very own Shop artists), and savour sumptuous soups by some of Toronto’s famed chefs, hand-picked by Chef Jamie Kennedy C.M. All proceeds benefit Anishnawbe Health Toronto, an aboriginal community-based health centre. It is amazing to see patrons line up outside the museum hours before we open the doors, just to be first in line to choose their bowls and try the soups!
What are 3 products from the shop that you can’t live without?
If I can only choose three, the first would be my dconstruct bangles. It’s a practically a staple in my wardrobe and goes with everything I wear. My second choice would be my MZ Wallace handbag. Not only is it practical with all its compartments, the design and colours always attract attention when I carry it around town. Lastly, no morning is complete without coffee in my very favorite Thomas Aitken ceramic mug. They come in beautiful pastel colours; mine is pale blue.
Inside The Gardiner Shop
Do you have any products that are so popular that you have trouble keeping them on the shelf? Do you ever get attached to a piece and have trouble letting it go out the door?
The Gardiner Shop just started to carry a line of stone vases this spring called The Philosopher’s Stone. Artists Tamar Drushka and John Hannah have worked with the ancient glacial stones of Nova Scotia since 1993 to create these unique pieces, distinguished by its smooth textures and rich, lustrous surfaces. Beautiful and affordable, these pieces have been flying off the shelves!
Of course I get attached to products I love, but at the end of the day I am just as happy when a customer loves a product as much as I do.
What do you love the most about being an independent retailer in the city of Toronto?
What I love most about being an independent retailer in Toronto is meeting and supporting local artists. We have had the pleasure of working with some very talented individuals who have produced extraordinary work in ceramics, glass, jewelry, and wood (just to name a few). They are always appreciative of our support.
What excites you the most about being a part of the gift network?
We are most excited about being a part of an online community that is dedicated to providing customers with unique products, all in one place. Also, it allows our small shop to reach a wider audience and showcases what I believe to be one of the best shops in Toronto.
Thanks for chatting with us Kierin and Sumaira! To learn more about The Gardiner Shop check out their website www.gardinermuseum.com or visit the shop in-person!
Krystyn Coombs is a Toronto-based fashion designer who provides unique knitwear solutions for spirited women on the go. Aside from starting her own company, Krystyn is a student at the Richard Ivey School of Business, where she has developed strong business acumen that has proven to be valuable in combination with her creative instincts. In January 2007, Krystyn created her first company, 
