Current Exhibitions
Admission is always free. Click here to plan your visit!
Janet Macpherson, Lindsay Montgomery, Amélie Proulx & Annette ten Cate
January 17 – May 24, 2026
Storytelling is a fundamental part of being human. In this exhibition, artists use ceramics to share their own stories, whether personal narratives or inventive twists on myths, to engage us in explorations of experience and identity.
January 10 – May 17, 2026
D’Andrea Bowie reframes the concept of monument through a lens of reciprocity between maker, material, and time.
January 17 – May 24, 2026
Melanie Barnett mirrors human experiences through the lens of ecosystems, reminding us of our deep entanglement with the natural world.
January 16 – March 27, 2026
University of Waterloo Architecture students investigate how the building facades of the future can be 3D printed with clay.
Room to Bloom
December 16, 2025 – January 14, 2026
Featuring works from the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery’s Permanent Collection, this exhibition celebrates the diversity of vessels – and their potential.
Vessels have accompanied human life since its earliest moments, serving countless practical and ceremonial purposes. Their forms and aesthetic choices have long echoed the intentions behind their use. This legacy is built upon the endless possibilities of each vessel; each one has an empty chasm that can be filled. What would you put inside each of these vessels? Where would you place them? What do you think the artist made them for?
These vases and vessels not only highlight traditional roles often performed by vessels, but also reimagine forms, features, and expressive potential – leaving ample room to bloom.
To browse our Permanent Collection online, click here.
The Language of Colour
Waterloo Public Library Exhibition
David Taylor, Untitled, 1985. Red earthenware, glaze, slip. The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery Permanent Collection. 1991.001.020.
December 9, 2025 – March 2026
Located at the Waterloo Public Library at 35 Albert St
(right across from the Gallery!)
This exhibition celebrates how artists use colour to express emotion in contemporary ceramics and glass. The exhibition brings together makers who explore how different colours, from bright reds and deep blues, to glowing ambers and fresh greens, can change the way a piece feels.
Through bold glazes, layered surfaces, and the way light interacts with each material, these works create an experience that is both visual and emotional. This exhibition invites visitors to discover that colour is not just something we see — it’s something we feel.
In the Studio
Have you ever looked at a work of art and wondered how it was created? How can glass be blown into wonderful vessels? How can you build a strong, sturdy ceramic teapot when the raw clay is so soft? How does enamelling transform metal into decorated works of vibrant colours?
With this permanent exhibition, we invite you to discover and uncover some of the mysteries around the work of clay, glass, and vitreous enamelling. Grab a brochure to identify the tools and materials. Learn about techniques and tricks of the trade that artists use in their studios. Then, see the products of these techniques in the artworks on display, each pulled from the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery’s Permanent Collection. From time to time, we will change them so that you, too, can discover the treasures we have and care for.
Take a step into the studio and explore each of these tools, techniques, and artworks.
Vous êtes-vous déjà demandé comment on crée une oeuvre de métiers d’art? Comment le verre peut être soufflé pour devenir un magnifique vase? Comment l’argile mou peut se muer en une résistante théière en céramique? Comment l’émail peut changer une simple pièce de métal en une explosion de couleurs vibrantes?
Cette exposition permanente vous invite à explorer et découvrir les mystères du travail de l’argile, du verre et de l’émaillage. Saisissez une brochure qui vous aidera à identifier les outils et les matériaux. Familiarisez-vous avec les techniques et les trucs du métier que les artisans utilisent dans leurs ateliers. Puis voyez des exemples de produits finis tirés de notre propre collection permanente. Nous renouvellerons périodiquement ces oeuvres afin que vous aussi puissiez apprécier les trésors que nous conservons précieusement ici.
Entrez dans l’atelier, et penchez-vous à loisir sur chaque outil, chaque technique et chaque oeuvre.