American Museum of Ceramic Art facts for kids
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front entrance of AMOCA
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| Established | 2003 |
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| Location | 399 N. Garey Ave Pomona, California 91767 |
| Type | Art Museum |
| Collections | Ceramics, Sculpture |
| Founder | David Armstrong |
| Architect | Benjamin Hall Anderson |
| Public transit access | Pomona–Downtown |
The American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) is a special art museum in Pomona, California. It focuses on ceramic art, which is art made from clay. The museum opened in 2003. It is a non-profit organization, meaning it uses its money to help the museum, not for profit. AMOCA shows both old and new ceramic artwork. It has a huge collection of 10,000 objects. The museum also hosts new art shows that change often.
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About AMOCA's History
The American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) started in Pomona, California in 2003. It was founded by David Armstrong. He was a businessman and also an artist who worked with ceramics. AMOCA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit group. This means it's a charity and doesn't make money for owners.
The museum first opened in a small storefront in Pomona. In 2010, David Armstrong bought a much bigger building. This building used to be a bank. It was designed by Benjamin Hall Anderson in 1956. Inside this building, there is a large mural by artist Millard Sheets. The museum moved into this larger building in 2011.
In 2014, Beth Ann Gerstein became the museum's executive director. She joined AMOCA after working for 20 years at another art group. She took over from Christy Johnson, who retired in 2013. Christy Johnson helped create many art shows for the museum. She also worked on a big art project called Pacific Standard Time.
How the Museum Started
David Armstrong, who founded the museum, moved to Pomona in 1944. His family owned a furniture and appliance store. David went to Pomona College and studied art there. He also learned about ceramics from artist Paul Soldner at Scripps College.
In 1969, David changed his family's store into Armstrong's Gallery. This gallery sold special ceramic items. It focused on porcelain figurines and collector plates.
In the 1970s, David started making his own porcelain collector plates. He even worked with the famous comedian Red Skelton. Red Skelton was also a painter known for drawing clowns. For 27 years, David made and sold Red Skelton's ceramic items. These items included ceramic baseball cards and special plates.
In 1993, David earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. He focused on ceramics and studied with Paul Soldner again. Around 2000, David's gallery started showing more modern ceramic art. He closed Armstrong's Gallery in 2014 to focus completely on AMOCA.
Amazing Art Collections
AMOCA has a permanent collection of over 10,000 art pieces. A permanent collection means these artworks always belong to the museum. It includes many types of ceramics. You can see California pottery and ceramics from Southern California. There are also old pots from the Americas. The collection has beautiful porcelain from Asia and Europe. You can also find modern ceramics that are both useful and artistic.
The Mettlach Collection
One special part of AMOCA's collection is the Mettlach collection. It was given to the museum by Robert D. and Colette D. Wilson. They collected Mettlach pieces for 30 years. AMOCA has over 3,000 Mettlach items. This is one of the biggest collections of Mettlach pottery in the world. These pieces date from around 1840 to 1915. The museum often shows hundreds of these pieces.
Robert Wilson started collecting when he was 13 years old. Colette Wilson helped start the Royal Worcester collection. This collection was also given to AMOCA. The Wilson collection was first shown at AMOCA in 2012. A member of the Villeroy & Boch family, Isabella von Boch, said it was the largest collection in the world.
Panorama of the Pomona Valley Mural
The museum building used to be a bank. The bank asked artist Millard Sheets to create a huge mural. He worked with Susan Lautmann Hertel on it. The mural is 78 feet long. It is called Panorama of the Pomona Valley. This mural is now part of AMOCA's permanent collection.
The mural shows the history of the valley. It starts with Native American people. Then it shows the arrival of the railroad. It also shows when Pomona became a city in 1888. Millard Sheets was a famous art professor. He created many murals for buildings. Susan Lautmann Hertel also worked with him on many designs.
Exciting Exhibitions
AMOCA often has special art shows called exhibitions. These shows feature different artists and types of ceramics. Here are some past exhibitions:
- Inferno: The Ceramic Art of Paul Soldner. (2004)
- Robert Sperry, Bright Abyss, a show with 90 works by ceramist Robert Sperry. (2008)
- Harrison McIntosh: A Timeless Legacy, a show about Harrison McIntosh. (2009)
- Common Ground: Ceramics in Southern California 1945–1975. This show was part of Pacific Standard Time. It looked at how ceramic art changed in Southern California after World War II. (2011)
- Patti Warashina: Wit and Wisdom, a show about American artist Patti Warashina. (2012)
- ICHEON: Reviving the Korean Ceramics Tradition. This show came from Icheon, South Korea. It showed over 200 objects. It included old Korean ceramic techniques and new ideas. (2013)
Other exhibitions have shown art by many famous artists. These include Peter Voulkos, Betty Woodman, Beatrice Wood, and Don Reitz. The museum has also shown items from Gladding, McBean and Villeroy & Boch.
Other Cool Features
Ceramics Studio
AMOCA has a large ceramics studio. It is 12,000 square feet! This studio hosts workshops and classes. Artists can work there. Students and the public can also take classes.
The studio has offered classes since 2011. You can rent a studio space if you have experience. There are also classes for all skill levels.
Resource Library
In 2010, AMOCA received a gift of 3,000 books. These books came from Helen and Roger Porter. The library has many books about ceramics. You can find technical guides and history books. It also has catalogs from art shows around the world. The library has about 4,000 books and 2,000 magazines. These go all the way back to 1883!
