Exhibit – Inspired by Malcolm: A Passion for Shino

This juried exhibit features the work of forty-seven artists from all over the nation and illustrates the depth, range, and variations possible with Shino glazes. Inspired by Malcolm: A Passion for Shino honors the memory of Malcolm Davis, a man who influenced and inspired so many to listen to and follow their heart’s desires. After serving as a minister for twenty years, Davis’s life changed when he took his first ceramics class in 1973. Within a few years, he left his career as a campus minister to pursue pottery full-time. Davis established his own mountaintop studio in West Virginia in 1985, where he experimented with a Japanese-style glaze called Shino. He perfected his own Shino technique, which allowed him to create pottery unlike any other. His glaze, now known as “Malcolm Davis Shino,” is found in studios all over the world. The glaze is prized for carbon-trapping, which creates extensive black areas and black dots in contrast to the more typical white, red, and orange colors of other Shinos. After perfecting his glaze, Davis took the unusual step of publishing the formula for public use. Recognized for his artistry and passion, Davis traveled widely teaching others about pottery. On exhibit are sixty-four works of art that were inspired by Davis and his passion for Shino.