The Shona of Zimbabwe have always worked and lived with stone. The land is featured by rock outcroppings and rocky terrain. While there are examples of Shona sculpture such as the 6-foot soapstone birds found at the Great Zimbabwe that date back nearly a thousand years, Shona Sculpture is really a contemporary art form that was reborn in the late 1950's and 1960's.

Art for art sake was a foreign idea. Traditionally, African art was created for a specific religious or practical purpose. It took the prodding and helpful assistance of several individuals to encourage Shona artists to create art as an end in itself. Canon Edward Paterson of the Cyrene Mission, Father John Groeber of the Serima Mission, Joram Mariga at Nyanga, Frank McEwen of the National Gallery, and Tom Blomefield of Tengenenge, these are the pioneers, each of whom stimulated the artistic capabilities inherent in their Zimbabwean communities creating a movement which has gathered momentum since. Today the Shona sculpture community is the largest community of stone sculptors in the world today (on a per capita basis).

Evolving from handfuls of individuals to the many thousands that sculpt stone exclusively today did not happen overnight. There were no formal schools for stone sculpture. An informal master/apprentice system gradually took hold. Family connections heavily influenced decisions to sculpt. Major international exhibitions of Shona sculpture starting being held in the 1970's, and today Shona sculpture is recognized on the world stage. Several years ago, a prominent London art critic remarked that "5 out of the 10 best stone sculptors in the world were from Zimbabwe."

The majority of first generation artists that brought Shona sculpture to the world's attention are mostly deceased now. Second and third generation artists eagerly fill their void. As the movement has grown, so have its influences. What was once insular is now worldly. Many artists have international exposure. They have opportunities to travel, study, and exhibit abroad. With this travel, new inspirations have been found. New forms and voices have been created, and these continue to represent and proliferate the core themes of the Shona people.