Don Schreckengost
Don Schreckengost (September 23, 1910 – December 24, 2001) was an American industrial ceramic designer who was active from the 1930s through the 1990s. He is considered to be the first American industrial ceramic designer.
Early life
Schreckengost was born in Sebring, Ohio.[1] He was one of six children and the youngest of three brothers. At the time, Sebring was an important center in the US ceramics industry. His father was in charge of the kilns at a ceramics company and as a child Don would go to the factory with his father on Saturdays and work in clay while his father prepared for the upcoming week. His oldest brother Viktor Schreckengost became an important industrial designer who taught at Cleveland Institute of Art. His other brother Paul Schreckengost became a model and mold maker who also worked in the ceramic industry. Don worked with Paul at the Gem Clay Forming Company while he was in high school and learned the art of ceramic model and mold making. He graduated from the Cleveland School for the Arts (now Cleveland Institute of Art) in 1935. During his time in school he spent his summers working for ceramics companies, and completed an internship at Salem China in Salem, Ohio. [2][3]
In addition to his interest in art and ceramics, Schreckengost had a passion for music and sports from an early age. He was in a big band based in Chicago for a short time in 1935, and played semi-pro baseball and basketball in Ohio and New York.[3]
Professional career
While working as an intern at Salem China while he was a student, Schreckengost designed Tricorne, which was a unique dinnerware line with a unique triangular shape. The design was inspired in part by the development of a bright orange glaze at Salem China.[2][4]
In 1935, Schreckengost became professor and chair of the design department at the
In 1945, Schreckengost left Alfred University, and became Design Director at
Awards and honors
Awards and honors received by Schreckengost include:[5] [1]
U.S. Pottery Award, Contemporary Ceramics of the Western Hemisphere, Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, 1941[1]
Fellow, American Ceramic Society, 1950[1]
Collections
Schreckengost's work is held in the following collections:[5]
The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC[1]
Cooper-Hewett National Design Museum, New York, NY [1][4]
Museum of Ceramics, East Liverpool, OH
International Museum of Dinnerware Design, Ann Arbor, MI [2]
Murals
Schreckengost painted the following murals:[5]
Fresco – Mural – Eschel De Bellas Artes, San Miguel, Mexico, 1939
Exterior Mural (107' x 17') Former Summitville Tile Showroom at 631 Boardman-Canfield Road, Youngstown, OH
Interior Topological Tile Mural (40' x 19'), Subway, Philadelphia Transit Authority
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Salem News". Don Schreckengost. December 28, 2001. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Mandarin Tricorne". International Museum of Dinnerware Design.
- ^ ISBN 0-7643-0817-3.
- ^ a b "Donald Schreckengost". Cooper Hewitt.
- ^ a b c d e Carney, Margaret (1996). Alfred Teaches Ceramics, 1900–1996. Alfred, NY: Museum of Ceramic Art at Alfred. pp. 24–27.
- ^ a b "Don Schreckengost with Homer Laughlin". American Ceramic Society Bulletin. 25: 35. 1946.
- ^ "Obituaries: Don A. Schreckengost". American Ceramic Society Bulletin. 81: 18. 2002.
- ^ Carney, Margaret (2000). The Binns Medalists. Alfred, NY: The Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art at Alfred University. p. 19.
- ^ "Don Schreckengost". Everson Museum of Art. Retrieved 31 March 2023.