Gallery Programs

Muddy Buddies

Buddy up Muddy Buddies - prepare to get messy! Join the Mudworks crew as we explore the properties of clay. Go ahead, grab a fistful! Squish it, score it, hollow it, roll it, sculpt it! Get hands on, explore a few cool techniques - with the "how to" show us what you can do!

Take a Pass on Plastic - Connections Through Clay

Try time-tested clay hand-building techniques inspired by ancient clay ware: cooking pots, storage jars and tea-ware by indigenous peoples of the world - explore the art of making coil pots, pinch pots and/or Kurinuki cups.

Animals in Clay
View a funny short by the Aardman Animators and observe how the sculptors  express a variety of feelings and emotions by manipulating clay bringing animal characters and birds to life. Students will shape and hollow out clay forms and properly reattach segments as they construct an animal in clay.

Clay Whistle / Ocarina
Make a musical Clay Ocarina! Belonging to Chinese and Mesoamerican cultures this wind instrument is formed by hollowing a clay ball to make a chamber. The addition of a mouthpiece, and blowhole gives your Orcarina a voice. Add more holes in the clay body to create different tones – this exciting activity takes patience and following instructions closely.

Clay Tiles: Pollinators Need You! You Need Pollinators!

One out of every three bites of food are the result of birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals pollinating plants and sustaining our ecosystems! Create a drawing of a pollinator – monarch, bee, etc. On a clay tile, draw and shape clay segments and attach them to your tile. Bring your work to life by adding details and pressing a variety of textures into the clay.

Print it! Promote a Pollinator by Creating Handmade Prints of Pollinators to Share!

"Bee" the change you want to see in the world! Try a radical craft! Design a stamp that illustrates the importance of pollinators for our food security. Carve the ines, ink your block, and print onto cardstock! Make multiples and share the message!

Be a Botanist! Watercolour Painting
Scientists depend on artists' drawings and paintings of plants to study growth and changes in plants, their habitats and communities and their effects on human health. The artist observes, analyzes and emphasizes the important characteristics of a plant; detailing veins, flowers, fruit and seeds. Work from examples and experiment with water washes, wet on wet, salting techniques, and wax resist.

Canadian Artist Series: Acrylic Painting
How does art enrich our lives? Analyze an artwork from TAG's permanent collection! How do images influence our ideas and views? Students will mix the primary colours to create a colour wheel and discover how artists use "play" and experimentation to express feelings and ideas as they create an acrylic painting on canvas.

Art Explorers

Dip your brushes, pinch a little clay, and get a little messy - come and play! Explore the Elements of Design with tons of art materials, cool techniques, and your imagination! This busy hands-on workshop for K - Grade 2 includes painting, drawing, clay and printmaking stations.