Olea Marion Davis (May 20, 1899 – 1977) (née Montgomery) was a Canadian artist and craftsperson who worked in architecture and decorative art as well as sculpture and pottery. Her sculptural and ceramic work was exhibited in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, as well as at the

Brussels World Fair Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (french: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles de 1958, nl, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling van 1958), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Bel ...

(

Expo '58 Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (french: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles de 1958, nl, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling van 1958), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Bel ...

) in 1958 and the Ostende International Show in 1959. Her architectural commissions include friezes, ornamental grills and screens, and lighting fixtures for locations such as the

Hotel Vancouver The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, formerly and still informally called the Hotel Vancouver, is a historic hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia. Located along West Georgia Street the hotel is situated within the city's Financial District, in Downtown ...

and Pier B.C. in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Early life and education

Davis was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

to Canadian parents. She graduated from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

with a diploma in Physical Education. From there, she studied at the

École des beaux-arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

in Montreal, the

Ontario College of Art Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...

(now

OCAD University Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...

) in Toronto, the Extension Department of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

, and the

Vancouver School of Art Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co-e ...

(now

Emily Carr University of Art and Design Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co-e ...

), where she learned from Canadian sculptor

Charles Marega Charles Carlos Marega (September 24, 1871 – March 27, 1939) was a Canadian sculptor in the early 20th century. He was born in Lucinico, in the commune of Gorizia, then part of the Austrian- Hungarian Empire. He received training in plaster work ...

. Davis married Henry Landerkin Roy Davis in 1926 and shortly after, the couple moved from

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Professional projects

Hotel Vancouver

In the spring of 1939, Davis was one of several artists approached to execute decorative work for the

. Davis was recommended by the

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Franc ...

to the Ornamental Bronze Co., which showed sample models of Davis' work to the hotel architect. Davis received a commission to create ornamental grills for the hotel. She produced clay and plaster models which were then sent to a foundry so that the metalwork could be cast in large quantities. The ornamental grills and light fixtures were installed around the tops of the walls in several large public rooms and halls in the building.Davis, Olea Marion : rtist file (Archival material, 1969). University of British Columbia Library. The decoration of the Hotel Vancouver was rushed to ensure that all work was completed by May 1939, in time for the Royal Visit, when

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

and Queen Elizabeth stopped in Vancouver on the westbound portion of the 1939 Royal Tour. Other artists commissioned for this project include: *

, Sculptor, Instructor in Sculpture at the

(now Emily Carr University of Art and Design). * Beatrice Lennie, Painter and sculptor, Graduate of the Vancouver School of Art. Lennie produced a bas-relief sculpture titled ''Ascension''. * Valentine Shabief, Russian sculptor. * Lilias Farley, painter and sculptor. Farley painted two murals with accompanying bronze details. The decoration of the Hotel Vancouver was overseen by Chief Architect John Schofield, of

Archibald and Schofield Archibald and Schofield was a collaborative relationship between Canadian architects John Smith Archibald and John Schofield. They designed for the Canadian National Hotels for the Canadian National Railway. John Smith Archibald (1872–1934) fir ...

Pier B.C.

In her work for Pier B.C., Davis created rosettes which were added to the building as decorative detail for supporting chains to the marquee.

Potter's Guild of B.C.

An educator and strong advocate for the standardization and development of ceramic arts in British Columbia, Davis was the founder and first president of the BC Potter's Guild in 1955. Through her work with the Guild, she started summer schools, brought notable potters from around North America to teach workshops, and encouraged fellow artists to submit their work to juried international shows. She continued to work with the Guild until her death in 1977. Davis' efforts and contributions were subsequently recognized with the Olea Davis Memorial Award, which were launched in 1978.

Teaching

For many years, Davis taught at the

, Department of Extension, Fine Arts Division. From the early 1950s until 1969, Davis was responsible for running the UBC Pottery Hut and taught pottery courses, which included classes taught by renowned international ceramicists.

Other

Davis founded the Allied Officers Guild in B.C. during

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The First World Congress of Craftsmen was held 8–19 June 1964 at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, where 942 conferees attended from 47 countries. One of the thirty delegates from Canada, Davis attended as a representative of both the

Canadian Handicrafts Guild The Canadian Handicrafts Guild (now known as La Guilde) was an association of Canadians involved in handicrafts that was founded in Montreal in 1906. At first the goal was to preserve and market traditional home crafts that were seen as being at ri ...

and the

Canadian Guild of Potters The Canadian Guild of Potters was a non-profit organization of Canadian ceramic artists that was active from 1936 to 1978. Foundation The founding members of the Canadian Guild of Potters were Nunzia D'Angelo, Robert Montgomery and Bobs Cogill Ha ...

Exhibitions

* Canadian Ceramics '67, Montreal. * Vancouver Art Gallery. * UBC Fine Arts Gallery.

Awards

In 1937, Davis won the medal for sculpture in the B.C. Artists' Exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Olea 20th-century Canadian sculptors 1899 births 1977 deaths Canadian women sculptors Emily Carr University of Art and Design alumni McGill University Faculty of Education alumni École des beaux-arts de Montréal alumni OCAD University alumni Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Women potters Canadian women ceramists Canadian potters Artists from Vancouver Artists from Buffalo, New York Canadian ceramists 20th-century Canadian women artists