Potters of the past and present combine at Bigfork museum

A deceased local potter with national acclaim and the works of present day potters inspired by nature and artifacts will be on display at the Bigfork Museum of Art and History’s next show, “Montana Pottery: Then and Now” starting March 15.

David Shaner’s career as a sculptor and a potter spanned more than four decades. During that time he invented “Shaner’s brown glaze,” according to Tammy Riecke of Riecke’s Bayside Gallery in Bigfork.

Riecke came up with the idea for the exhibit as a way to expose the public to different pottery forms and techniques. Honoring Shaner was a natural way to do it.

“He was such a driving force of pottery in the 1970s,” Riecke said.

Trained in the late 1950s at Alfred University School of Ceramics, Shaner became the director of the influential Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena.

His innovations and success with refined organic forms and the wood firing process made him a leader in ceramics and sought after by museums and private collectors alike.

After leaving Helena, Shaner became a nationally acclaimed studio potter and sculptor, working out of his home and studio north of the Pope John Paul II Catholic Church from 1970 until his retirement in 1997.

Although Shaner passed away in 2002, his work lives on and continues to garner international acclaim with galleries such as The Nevica Project.

Shaner’s work is described as reflecting the beauty of the western landscape and the natural environment on their website, thenevicap roject.com.

Shaner’s wife, Ann, who previously taught at Bigfork Elementary School, will give a retrospective talk about his work on Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m.

Shaner’s work will be displayed alongside the works of Flathead Valley potters Dan Doke and Joseph Pesina. Doke hails from Bigfork, while Pesina is a woodfired ceramic artist from Whitefish who has lived in the Flathead Valley off-and-on for nine years.

Pesina’s work is primarily inspired by nature and artifacts, he said.

“Montana Pottery: Then and Now” will run on consecutive weekends from Friday, March 15 through April 15 at the Bigfork museum.

There will be a soft opening of the exhibit on Friday, March 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The opening reception will be held Friday, March 22 from 5-7 p.m.

For more information about the exhibit, call 837-6927.