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Malcolm Herbert Davis, Jr. (1937-2011) was an internationally acclaimed ceramic artist who first began working with clay at the age of forty. Previously, Davis served as a campus minister at the Ecumenical Campus Ministry, George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He was also a well-known social activist. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary in New York City and ordained United Church of Christ clergy, he considered his life in clay as a continued ministry. According to Davis, the making of pots was "a way to celebrate the mundane rituals of daily life and to make them holy."
Davis was most well-known for the shino glaze recipe (known as "Malcolm's Shino") that he developed, which is still in use by potters in the United States and Europe.
Davis first exhibited his ceramics in 1991 at the Greenwich House Nancy Hartsock Gallery in New York City. His work was also featured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, the Smithsonian Craft Show, and the American Craft Council Shows, and he was a regular participant in the Annual Pottery Invitational for over 30 years. His work can be found in numerous museum collections, including the American Craft Museum (New York City), the American Museum of Ceramic Art (Pomona, CA), the Chein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art (Alfred, NY), Mobach Collection (Utrecht, Holland) and a permanent collection in Yixing, China. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including four grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Known internationally for his functional porcelain shinoware, Davis taught and lectured widely throughout the U.S., Canada, and Italy. He was also featured in over 15 books and publications in the U.S. and Europe.
Though born in Newport News, Virginia, Davis spent much of his life in Washington, D.C. and kept his studio and kiln in Tallmansville, West Virginia.
[This note is based upon contents of a funeral program in this collection.]
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Malcolm Davis, Artist, Papers, A&M 4263, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Papers of Malcolm Davis, noted potter and ceramic artist. The collection includes slides of his work, some correspondence, shino glaze recipe cards, sketchbooks, photographs, and research books regarding ceramics. Davis was known for his shino pottery with a distinctive glaze, and much of the collection relates to that work.
This collection is organized into six series:
Series 1. Slides and Photographs, 1970s-2000s: Images of Davis's work, exhibitions and glaze samples, as well as his West Virginia studio and various teaching engagements. Works include shino and celadon teapots, vases, jars, platters, "white pots," Penland celadon miniatures, sake sets, casseroles, vessels, honey jars and planters.
Series 2. Notebooks and Sketchbooks, undated: Notes including Davis's designs, glaze experimentation, kiln logs, international travels and more.
Series 3. Professional Papers, 1970-2015: Materials relating to Davis's career, such as workshop handouts, exhibitions, grants awarded and resumes.
Series 4. Publications, 1977-2012: Books, magazines and journals related to ceramists and their work from the United States, Europe, Asia, Eastern Russia and the Middle East. Magazine and journal titles include
Series 5. Shino Recipes, undated: Hundreds of recipe cards for Davis's famous shino glazes.
Series 6. Correspondence and Personal Papers, 1993-2012: Letters and emails from friends and fellow artists including Jack Troy, Jim Robinson, Val Cushing, David Woodin, Tom Coleman, Pete Pennel and David Leach, as well as materials from Davis's memorial and career retrospective and miscellaneous articles of personal significance.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
This series includes images of Davis's work, exhibitions and glaze samples, as well as his West Virginia studio and various teaching engagements.
CDs in box 5b must be digitized for research access. Researchers must contact the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department in advance.
Images of shino and celadon teapots, vases, jars, platters, "white pots," Penland celadon miniatures, sake sets, casseroles, vessels, honey jars and planters.
Images of early stoneware and workshops including Davis at the wheel in his West Virginia studios. Also includes photos from Retrospective (June 2012), The School at Old Church, Demarest, NJ.
Materials must be digitized for research access. Researchers must contact the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department in advance.
Includes photos of first shino
This series contains notes including Davis's designs, glaze experimentation, kiln logs, international travels and more.
Includes notebook 3 (glaze calculation), notebook 4 (general), sketchbook 1 (vessel forms and some recipes), sketchbooks 2-4 (vessel forms), and a folder of miscellaneous material.
This series contains materials relating to Davis's career, such as workshop handouts, exhibitions, grants awarded and resumes.
Includes handouts from Davis's shino workshops, kiln plans, glaze recipes from other ceramicists and programs from exhibitions featuring Davis.
This series contains books, magazines and journals related to ceramists and their work from the United States, Europe, Asia, Eastern Russia and the Middle East. Magazine and journal titles include
Publications include
This series contains hundreds of recipe cards for Davis's famous shino glazes.
Notebooks inlcude notebook 1 (glaze tests) and notebook 2 (kiln log).
This series contains letters and emails from friends and fellow artists including Jack Troy, Jim Robinson, Val Cushing, David Woodin, Tom Coleman, Pete Pennel and David Leach, as well as materials from Davis's memorial and career retrospective and miscellaneous articles of personal significance.
Memorial service program,