Gallery 16’s exhibition honors the legacy and influence of Richard and Martha Shaw, through their work and that of their family and friends. The renowned artistic family includes Bay Area ceramic pioneer Richard Shaw and his wife Martha, daughter Alice Shaw and son Virgil Shaw. Their influence and contributions to the Bay Area’s art and music scene have been on display for over four decades.
We are pleased to present a collection of work by members of the Shaw Family as well as a collection of work by many Bay Area artists for whom the Shaws have been friends with, inspired by or inspirations for including Rebeca Bollinger, Mike Henderson, Bob Hudson, Sahar Khoury, Alicia McCarthy, Jim Melchert, Ruby Neri, Cornelia Schulz, Ehren Tool, Wanxin Zhang.
In the early 1960s, Richard Shaw was a student of some of the most innovative ceramic sculptors including Ron Nagle, Jim Melchert, Manuel Neri and Robert Arneson, and sculptor Hudson. He was influenced at the time by Peter Voulkos, Viola Fry, and Ken Price who, as a group, were redefining ceramics as a fine art medium. These artists developed what became known as the California Clay Movement. Alongside these artists and others, Shaw is recognized as one of the leading forces in the development and direction of ceramics in the last half of the twentieth century.
In 1995, The Bolinas Museum of Art published an account of the early lives of the Shaws in a book entitled, The Years at White Gate Ranch, Stinson Beach, California 1963-1976. At White Gate Ranch, a former dairy farm in Stinson Beach, California, Shaw collaborated with fellow artist Robert Hudson for several years. Their wives, Cornelia Schulz and Martha Shaw worked in mixed media and painting, respectively, with their children underfoot.
