From street corners to artist-run centres, and from impromptu busking sessions to a thriving antiques storefront, John David Lawrence has spent the last four decades weaving himself into the cultural fabric of Vancouver. His collection—now on view in Written in Clay: From the John David Lawrence Collection—is a living archive of artistic friendships, shared histories and local legacies.
Born in rural Vermont, John David Lawrence grew up immersed in music. Encouraged by his mother, a musician and music teacher, Lawrence began studying saxophone and singing in choirs during his youth. He continued his secondary education in music at Atlantic Union College; the School of Fine Arts at Boston University; and the Quadrivium Center, where he also taught. Lawrence travelled extensively throughout the United States. After living in San Francisco for a few months, his life took a decisive turn when a hitchhiking journey bound for Alaska brought him, instead, to Vancouver Island on the West Coast of Canada.
By 1984, he had made Vancouver his permanent home. Soon, Lawrence became a familiar face in the city’s artistic community that converged around the burgeoning performance and artist-run centre scenes. He co-founded the genre-blending band the Zaniacs and, later, Artists for Creative Environments (ACE)—an advocacy group that successfully petitioned the City in the late 1980s to amend the laws governing artist live/work spaces in Vancouver—evidence of his deep commitment to this community.
Lawrence’s contributions, however, extend far beyond performance and activism. For more than twenty years, he has been the proprietor of DODA ANTIQUES, where he sells a selection of ceramics, Indigenous art, jewellery, outsider art, curios and glass. A lifelong collector, Lawrence began acquiring the work of local artists to better understand his adopted home. By the late 1990s, he became interested in the history of ceramics production in the region. He has since cultivated what is now the largest private collection of British Columbia ceramics ever assembled. But for Lawrence, collecting is not about amassing objects—it is about honouring relationships. Every work in his collection is tied to a personal encounter, a friendship or a moment of discovery.
His collection is a powerful counter-archive—eclectic, deeply personal and rooted in place. It reflects the histories and lives of artists often overlooked by major institutions. Through his work, John David Lawrence has helped define what it means to belong to a creative city, leaving behind a legacy that is as enduring as the art he has championed.
As Lawrence reflects, collecting ceramics is more than a passion—it’s a kind of transformation: “Now, I have grown to have a philosophy about ceramics. I think it’s alchemy. It’s magic. Same as glass. It’s taking one object, one substance that you’ve been familiar with all your life, and making it into something else.”
That way of seeing—curious, generous, full of wonder—shapes everything he has built.
Reflections On A Collector
Excerpts from The Place of Objects: From the John David Lawrence Collection, the newly published book that accompanies the exhibition Written in Clay.
“John’s collecting ethos is so rooted in community and personal connections. His interests and passions have been guided by his long-term relationships—with artists, musicians, performers, activists, collectors and pickers. With his encyclopedic memory he can recall, when prompted, each encounter and interaction that brought an object into his orbit and eventually his home. […] It is quite unusual for a collector of this scale to have an account of nearly every work in his collection that is so entrenched in personal connections, friendships and anecdotes. Each object carries with it a narrative and history that is transferred and evolves with shifts in ownership. With John, the course of his life cannot be divorced from the pieces in his collection—it is not an overstatement to say that every object truly has a story.” —Stephanie Rebick, Interim Director of Exhibitions & Publishing at the Vancouver Art Gallery
“For John David, collecting is more than a hobby; it’s a connection to the art scene, a passion and a way to leave a lasting legacy for the communities he supports. […] His intimate knowledge of the artists he supports enriches conversations and encourages collectors to trust their own interests. His store and his personal collection contribute to the cultural education necessary for a vibrant, creative city, leaving an indelible mark on the art community.” —Donna Hagerman, artist and longtime friend of John David Lawrence
“One of the more striking aspects of John David Lawrence’s biography is that he was a person who during his at times nomadic life was neither materialistic nor particularly interested in the deliberate acquisition of things. […] It was only when he settled in Vancouver and found the people and place to his liking that he became increasingly aware of objects. […] His collection of BC ceramics numbers in the thousands of pieces and exists as an astonishing, unmatched history of creativity in the province.” —Michael J. Prokopow, Independent Curator
