Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Extent:
0.2 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1965-1983
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, articles, sketches, glaze formulas, and materials charts.
Biographical / Historical:
Ceramic sculptor; Claremont, Calif.; b. 1921.
Provenance:
Donated 2005 by Paul Soldner as part of the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
Unpublished manuscript "Nothing to Hide": The donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that they may own.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
The papers of ceramicist David Shaner measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1937-2007, with the bulk of the material from 1968-1998. Shaner's career as a ceramicist in Big Fork, Montana, is documented through scattered correspondence, subject files, studio working files, writings and notes by Shaner and others, exhibition catalogs and other printed material, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of ceramicist David Shaner measure 2.8 linear feet and date from 1937-2007, with the bulk of the material from 1968-1998. Shaner's career as a ceramicist in Big Fork, Montana, is documented through scattered correspondence, subject files, studio working files, writings and notes by Shaner and others, exhibition catalogs and other printed material, and photographs.
Scattered correspondence includes letters, cards, and postcards. Correspondence is primarily with friends and colleagues, but also includes a few letters from galleries and art organizations. Subject files document Shaner's activities as a professional ceramicist. The majority of the files are for art galleries, but also found are files are for studio equipment, supply companies, and professional organizations. Files may include correspondence, agreements, invoices, price lists, receipts, and press releases.
Shaner's studio working files consist of glaze formulas, his kiln log notebook, plans, and kiln documentation. Also found are his studio notes, lists, formulas, manuals and guides for various ceramic processes and tools. A series of writings and notes consist of notes by Shaner, including notes for his artist's statement, as well as draft manuscripts, lectures, and essays by others on the topic of ceramics.
Printed material includes articles documenting David Shaner's career, exhibition announcements and catalogs for exhibits of Shaner's work, and various publications about ceramics. A small number of photographs found within this collection depict kilns and kiln building events, unidentified artists and studio spaces, and artwork. Included is one photograph of David Shaner.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 6 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Correspondence, circa 1978-1999 (Box 1; 3 folders)
Series 2: Subject Files, 1961-1998 (Box 1; 0.6 linear feet)
Series 3: Studio Working Files, circa 1951-1990s (Boxes 1-2; 8 folders)
Series 4: Writings and Notes, 1954-circa 1993 (Box 2; 6 folders)
Series 5: Printed Material, 1937-2007 (Boxes 2-4; 1.4 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographic Material, 1968-1990s (Box 4; 4 folders)
Biographical Note:
David Shaner (1934-2002) was a ceramist in Bigfork, Montana.
Shaner was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania in 1934. He attended Kutztown State Teachers College and in 1957 entered the Master of Fine Arts program at Alfred University. After earning his MFA, he taught ceramics at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. In 1962 he and his wife Ann permanently relocated to Montana. Shaner served as director of the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana from 1964-1970. He remained a prolific potter and respected teacher throughout his life. Shaner was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 1995 and died in 2002.
Related Material:
Also found at the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with David Shaner, conducted by Gerald Williams on June 17, 2001.
Provenance:
The David Shaner papers were donated in 2010 by Ann Shaner, David Shaner's widow.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
The papers of ceramist William P. Daley measure 15.2 linear feet and date from 1905-2004 (bulk 1951-2001). The collection documents Daley's career as both artist and teacher through biographical information, correspondence, exhibition files, project files, material on workshops, seminars, and lectures, teaching files, artist files, reference files, printed material, photographs, financial files, and artwork.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of ceramist William Daley measure 15.2 linear feet and date from 1905-2004 (bulk 1951-2001). The collection documents Daley's career as both artist and teacher through biographical information, correspondence, exhibition files, project files, material on workshops, seminars, and lectures, teaching files, artist files, reference files, printed material, photographs, financial files, and artwork.
Biographical files encompass items from Daley's early life including family, education, and military materials, as well as files on awards he has earned, and interviews he has given during his career. Correspondence includes general correspondence with family, friends, artists, colleagues, and schools, as well as named files on correspondence with galleries, organizations, and individuals. The largest series in the collection, Exhibition Files, spanning a fifty year period, contain materials on group and solo exhibitions in which Daley participated, and also includes Auction Files and Exhibition Juror Files. Project Files contain materials related to public and private commissions.
Workshops, Seminars, and Lectures, documents the numerous events at which Daley taught or spoke on topics of art, ceramics, and/or education. Many of these topics are also found in Writings, which include drafts of writings by Daley and others. Within this series Daley's personal address lists and calendars are also found. The Teaching Files provide insight into Daley's teaching methods, primarily at the Philadelphia College of Art, from materials such as curriculum plans, lesson notes, and assignments. Also within this series are general teaching notes which contain many hand drawn diagrams. The Artist Files that Daley created house materials concerning artists who were friends, former students, co-workers, and colleagues. Daley also compiled Reference Files containing materials on various topics for use in teaching and projects. Topics include the art of various countries, formulas and tables for ceramics, essays on art and education, and other general subjects. Printed Material provides information, primarily on ceramics, through press clippings, exhibit announcements, catalogs and journals, as well as other miscellaneous materials. Also found are reviews of Daley's work. While photographs are included throughout the collection, the Photographs series contains additional photographs of Daley in the studio or in the classroom, as well as photographs of artwork by others. Also found in the collection are copies of drawings Daley completed throughout his career.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into thirteen series. Each series is arranged either in rough chronological or alphabetical order.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Files, 1905-2003 (Box 1; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1957-2001, undated (Boxes 1-2; 1.5 linear feet)
Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1949-1999, undated (Boxes 3-5; 2.7 linear feet)
Series 4: Project Files, 1956-2000 (Boxes 5-6; 1.0 linear foot)
Series 5: Workshops, Seminars, and Lectures, 1958-1998, undated, (Boxes 6-8; 2.3 linear feet)
Series 6: Writings, 1951-2003, undated (Box 9; 0.6 linear feet)
Series 7: Teaching Files, 1951-1998, undated (Boxes 9-10; 1.3 linear feet)
Series 8: Artist Files, 1938-2001, undated (Boxes 10-12; 2.1 linear feet)
Series 9: Reference Files, 1951-2001, undated (Box 13; 1.0 linear foot)
Series 10: Printed Material, 1936-2004 (Boxes 14-15; 1.9 linear feet)
Series 11: Photographs, 1953-2001, undated (Box 15; 5 folders)
Series 12: Financial Files, 1962-1997, undated (Box 16; 4 folders)
Series 13: Artwork, 1954-2003, undated (Boxes 15-16; 3 folders)
Biographical Note:
Born in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, in 1925, William P. Daley developed an interest in art at an early age, and was encouraged by his parents William and Alice. In 1943 Daley finished high school and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. When the war ended, he returned home, and with the help of the G.I. Bill, completed a B.S. in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art, and a M.A. from the Teachers College at Columbia University. While at the Massachusetts College of Art he met and married fellow student Catherine Stennes. They had three children together, Barbara, Charlotte, and Thomas.
Originally intending to focus on painting, Daley discovered his love for ceramics while in art school. Much of his early work after graduation consisted of architectural and sculptural commissions. From 1961 to 1965 he held teaching positions as a ceramics instructor at the University of Northern Iowa, State University of New York at New Paltz, Philadelphia College of Art and Design, and the State University of New York at Fredonia. In 1965 he settled in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania and returned to the Philadelphia College of Art and Design, University of the Arts. There he taught in both the Industrial Design and Craft Department until his retirement from the college in 1990. When not teaching in the classroom, and even after retirement, Daley traveled extensively giving workshops and lectures at art centers, high schools, colleges, and universities. He has won several awards for teaching in the arts, including the College Art Association of America Distinguished Teaching of Art Award in 1991.
Daley became an active member of the crafts movement in Philadelphia, co-founding the Philadelphia Council of Professional Craftsmen. The Helen Drutt Gallery opened in Philadelphia in 1974 and gave Daley his first one man show there. Later, the gallery would become Daley's primary dealer. A self-proclaimed "mud man" and maker of "cosmic pots," Daley has focused throughout his career on the issues of the ceramic vessel, using drawings to explore his ideas. In 1994 the Renwick Gallery held a retrospective entitled, "William Daley: Ceramic Works and Drawings" which featured thirty years of his work. William Daley is still producing new work today.
Provenance:
The William P. Daley papers were donated by Daley in 2003.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment and is limited to the Washington, D.C. research facility.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
