AWW Free School

AWW Free School

Inspired by the exhibition Ai Weiwei: Unbroken (external link) , this unique series in collaboration with the Gardiner Museum will transform the exhibition into a site for social action. Five interdisciplinary workshops, focused on documentary media, spoken word, performance, online journalism, and student activism will be offered free with registration. These workshops, co-led by artists, facilitators, and writers, will activate the exhibition by connecting its themes to the practice of public citizenship.

March 5: Embodied Narratives (external link) 

March 19: Documenting Dissent (external link) 

April 2: Fake News (external link) 

April 16: Extreme Music Therapy (external link) 

June 4: AWW Free School Final: 6/4/89 (external link) 

About the exhibition

Ai Weiwei is one of the world’s most influential artists and human rights activists, as well as one of China’s most formidable critics. Known for smashing conventions—and ceramics—with iconic works like Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, he upends the cultural traditions and materials of his native China.

This highly-anticipated and timely exhibition explores the breaking of boundaries, both physical and symbolic, and considers how the artist’s ceramic works form a basis for his ongoing exploration of urgent social justice themes, including immigration, freedom of speech, and the repression of dissent. Learn more (external link) 

Co-presented by The Jack Layton Chair; The Gardiner Museum; and Melanie Panitch, The Director of The Office of Social Innovation, Ryerson University