Biographies > Donn Zver

Donn Zver is a well-known potter who runs a highly successful studio and café in Troy, near Brantford, Ontario. He receives up to 25,000 visitors each year. He likes to tell the story of his high school teacher who advised him not to try to make a living making pottery, and who subsequently came to cut the ribbon when he opened the studio. His functional earthenware is created in soft earthy colours. Don said in a newspaper interview, “I love the tactile quality of the clay and instantness of it. It goes from a lump to a shape in seconds”.

Donn was born in Millgrove and was educated as a potter at Sheridan School of Design. He also received an Ontario Crafts Council Grant to attend the world renowned Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. He taught for awhile before opening his own studio. He has lectured across Canada including the Banff School of Art and Design. His studio has been operating since 1972, where he takes on apprentices, many of whom have carried on their own careers. His work is in several public and private collections including the Dofasco Collections of Ontario Pottery, the Ontario Potters Collection, the Glenbow Gallery Permanent Collection and most recently, the Museum of Civilization. Donn exhibits his work in Canada, the United States and Europe.