Conversations with Mitzi Davis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mitzi Davis.

Hi Mitzi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a ceramic artist originally from South Carolina. I took my first wheel throwing class as a freshman in college, and I’ve been pursuing clay as an artistic medium ever since. I received my bachelor’s degree in Fine Art, emphasis in Ceramics, from Shorter University, and my master’s degree in Arts Administration from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). After graduating with my B.F.A. in 2008, I worked as the Ceramic Arts Technician at SCAD in Savannah, GA, for eight years as my ceramic arts career progressed. In 2015, I was a development intern at Baltimore Clayworks, and later that year, I founded the Savannah Clay Community. I initiated the juried exhibition “SIP: A Ceramic Cup Show” and worked as its project manager in 2016, to complete my master’s degree. From 2017 to 2023, I moved to complete a five month artist residency and was hired to manage the international artist residency and educational center at New Harmony Clay Project in New Harmony, IN.

My artwork has been exhibited nationally, in over 30 galleries and venues throughout the US, including New York, Minnesota, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington. I was an UncommonGoods Ceramic Design Challenge Finalist in 2011 and have had gallery representation at New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art and Baltimore Clayworks. I have also led numerous workshops in Georgia and Indiana guiding participants in various techniques to explore clay as an artistic medium. In 2024, I moved to Kalamazoo, MI, with my husband and began teaching at Kalamazoo Institute of Art in the spring of 2025. I plan to teach and continue my studio practice as I settle in and live in this thriving artist community.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There was never a rigid plan I stuck to regarding my artistic career. I knew I wanted to get better at my craft and learn all I could about clay, so I’ve jumped on opportunities when they presented. One of the biggest struggles in my career was while I was in Savannah, GA, and started pursuing my degree in Arts Administration in 2013. This degree was appealing because I knew very little about the business and grant writing aspects of art. Part of my motive to pursue the degree was to help create unity within the local clay community, but I also knew that most of the skills I would learn could help me one day manage my own ceramics business as well.

It was really difficult to balance a master’s level of study for three years with a full-time job and studio practice without experiencing burnout. The time in my studio became a lot more valuable because I had less time to spend there, so after graduating, I felt like I needed a change. I was uncertain about the path I wanted to take, so I applied to any ceramics job I could with no success. After six months of rejections, I ended up applying for an artist residency with the intent to develop techniques to incorporate screen printing into my work. I was accepted, so my husband and I packed up to move to Indiana to see where life would take us.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My ceramic work embodies whimsy and youthful delight. I seek to capture humorous observations and playful details that reconstruct various interpretations of domesticity, ritual and shelter. Using the interrelationship between my memories and cultural influences, whether it’s fond recollections of childhood bedtime stories, Saturday morning cartoons, or daily chores, I reconstruct narrative scenes to express visible and imaginary tensions in my work.

My current work incorporates layers of imagery that focus on the personification and adaptability of animals. I explore a narrative that incorporates creatures that are consumed, used, or abandoned by humans to represent what is unwanted or misunderstood. Like my favorite childhood cartoon, I arm these “scapegoats” with a surplus of weaponry befitting their idiosyncrasies and wait to see if retaliation will occur.

I throw cone 6 porcelain on the wheel and use a variety of techniques like screen printing, mishima, sgraffito, and image transfer to decorate my functional work. I mainly work on mugs and bowls in my studio, but I’ve made vases, pitchers, salt & pepper shakers, plates, platters and other functional objects for daily living.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I’ve been looking for a place to settle down for about 15 years, and I recognized the places I didn’t want to continue living. I’ve always loved cold weather and knew I wouldn’t be happy in the south. After living in Indiana for seven years, I knew I wanted a colder climate among other things. Michigan’s legislature aligned more closely with our values, so my husband and I randomly spent our anniversary in Kalamazoo in 2023, and the following year we were living here.

The city caught my attention because it has some positive attributes of a larger city, like the accessibility of public transportation and a variety of local shops and restaurants that diversify the community, but Kalamazoo still maintains the feeling of a small town. The city is burgeoning with artistic talent, and here creative knowledge is made accessible. You can take classes in blacksmithing, ceramics, drawing, glass blowing, jewelry, photography, weaving, etc. There are various green houses, parks, you-pick farms, and outdoor adventures too. I haven’t lived here long enough to have many complaints, but I know the city is experiencing growing pains with construction and traffic which brings both positive and negative changes. To me, the positive outweighs the negative, and I look forward to seeing how Kalamazoo continues its growth in the future.

Pricing:

• As far as pricing, my work is fairly affordable because I make small, functional items, but I’m currently trying to restock my inventory of work for galleries, online sales, and exhibitions.
• It won’t happen this year, but when I have created more work, I plan to participate in future sales at KIA.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mitzidavis.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mndavis1584/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mitzi.davis.7/