A midnight bell tolls high in the tower of a dark castle. The year is 960 and gargoyles rule the land. Fast-forward over 1,000 years, students in the grade 10 art class learned about Medieval art today at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art and worked with a professional artist to create their own mythical creatures. Some grew animal-like sharp claws and teeth and others sprouted wings and horns. The little critters will be fired in the kiln at the museum and students will return in a few weeks to apply colour glazes as the final touch.
If you are walking around downtown Toronto sometime soon, especially around the University of Toronto campus, take a look into the corners and around the door-frames for replicas of Medieval gargoyles. But be sure to watch your back…