May Beatrice Davis (née Scott, 30 March 1914 – 13 January 1995) was an English-New Zealand potter.[1]

May Beatrice Davis
Born
May Beatrice Scott

30 March 1914
Manchester, England
Died13 January 1995
NationalityEnglish
EducationLeach Pottery, Cornwall
Known forPottery
Spouse
(m. 1938)

Biography

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Born in Manchester, Lancashire, England in 1914,[2] Davis studied at Salford Art School and was taught basic pottery skills by Muriel Bell.[3] In 1936 she began working at Leach Pottery in Cornwall under David Leach, where she met Harry Davis.[4] They married in London in 1938, and she joined him in Ghana, where he was employed by Crown Agents for the Colonies as Head of Art at Achimota College, Accra.[1][4] In 1946, they established the Crowan Pottery in Cornwall.[5]

They moved to Nelson, New Zealand, in 1962 and set up the Crewenna Pottery in nearby Wakapuaka.[6] Between 1972 and 1979 they lived in Izcuchaca District, Peru, establishing a pottery workshop in a small community as part of an aid project.[7] They returned to New Zealand in 1979.

Collections

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Their work is included in the collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the ceramic collection of Prifysgol Aberystwyth University in Wales.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b Blumhardt, Doreen (1981). Craft New Zealand: The art of the craftsman. Auckland: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 220. ISBN 0589013432. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Register of persons granted New Zealand citizenship 1969–1977". Ancestry.com. 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  3. ^ "May Davis". Philoliver. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b "May DAVIS". Cornwall Artists Index. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  5. ^ Cape, Peter (1969). Artists and Craftsmen in New Zealand. Auckland, London: Collins. pp. 37–39. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Nelson Pottery". The Prow. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Harry and May DAVIS". Prifysgol Aberystwyth University Ceramic Collection and Archive. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  8. ^ "Untitled [Harry and May Davis, Crewenna Pottery dish]". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 4 December 2014.