NEHMA | Collection - Glacier Plate

David Shaner

American
(1934–2002)

Glacier Plate
circa 1975

Stoneware
2.25 x 16.5 x 16.5 in.
Museum Permanent Collection
1984.1653

Few ceramists have sought to connect their practices with environmental awareness as much as David Shaner. Glacier Plate exhibits his deeply held belief that to achieve harmony potters must be grounded in their local natural environments. Deeply concerned with conservation practices, Shaner often wandered the land around his adopted home of Big Fork, Montana—just outside of Glacier National Park—gathering local clays and minerals to produce varied tints and tonal combinations. The glazes of Glacier Plate create a fluidly layered design, suggesting a colorful landscape framed by the plate. Shaner drew great inspiration from the open landscapes, deserts, and mountain peaks of the American West.

The Montana-based potter received his BS degree from Kutztown University in 1956 and an MFA from Alfred University in 1959. After a brief unsatisfying stint teaching in Illinois, Shaner headed west to take on the role of director of the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana.

Matthew Limb

Keywords
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This object has the following keywords:

black, earrings, green, landscape, tan, white

Exhibition List

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Transcendence: Abstraction & Symbolism in the American West , 9/1/2015 - 12/10/2016
Unearthed , 8/23/2022 - 5/14/2023

Also found in

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This object is a member of the following portfolios:

Unearthed | The NEHMA Ceramics Collection & The Woman Behind It

Ceramics

Unearthed | 1970s and 1980s

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David Shaner