Schreckengost - "Pastoral" Clay pottery with battle and bird painted on side

Viktor Schreckengost • American (1906-2008)

Pastoral C: 1950 • Clay 14-1/2” x 12-1/2” x 14”

If you’re old enough to remember Jiffy Ware, Viktor Schreckengost touched your life in one way or another. If you bought a table from Sears, rode a Murray bicycle, carried a Delta Buddy flashlight, or drove an early riding lawn mower, you were touched by Schreckengost. Seldom has one artist left such a lasting imprint on the world.

Schreckengost was the son of a factory worker in a factory town. His father, Warren, was a potter in Sebring, Ohio. Young Viktor first followed in his footsteps before heading off in new creative directions. His two-pronged career saw him become one of America’s foremost industrial designers, and one of its’ most celebrated fine artists. He was honored at the White House as a National Medal of Arts winner in 2006, at the ripe old age of 100.

Between his rural Ohio youth and his trip to the White House, he became a watercolor and ceramics artist of note, creating the famous “Jazz Bowl” collection for Eleanor Roosevelt. He also established one of the countries leading industrial design programs at the Cleveland Institute of Art and was a beloved teacher for over half a century.

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His was a life so filled with accomplishment it took over a century to live, and he always lived ahead of his time.

According to Craig Bara, Shreckengost’s archivist, “Viktor’s designs are ageless. I’ll show someone a painting, and they’ll guess it was from the ‘70s, ‘80s or even early ‘90s, and they’re surprised to learn it was really painted in 1948.”

As an artist, Schreckengost took ceramics out of the realm of utility or craft and treated it as pure art. In his own words: “I was stymied by mechanical methods and tried to imagine pottery not as a handicraft, but as a fine art. I wanted to get away from the normal medium that dictated utilitarian shapes, and looked for a method where form, rather than utility was a primary interest”.

So, the next time you visit the Canton Museum of Art – and we hope it’s soon – when you look at a ceramic piece that’s more art than pottery, you’ll know that Viktor Schreckengost has touched your life, again.

Canton Museum of Art Permanent Collection • Margretta Bockius Wilson Fund, 2013.4

4 Ways to Sound Smart When Viewing at The Canton Museum of Art

1.
“He designed the famed Art Deco “Jazz Bowl” series, starting with a commission from Eleanor Roosevelt.”

2.
“This piece was made from a solid slab of clay rather than thrown on a potters wheel as all ceramic vessels were before Schreckengost.”

3.
“At age 41 he enlisted in the Navy during WWII and ended up developing radar object recognition technology and improving the design of artificial limbs.”

4.
“While studying art in Vienna he also became known as a renowned Jazz saxophonist. He may be the original “Most Interesting Man in the World’.”

Schreckengost Timeline. Scroll over images to see timeline.

1906

Born in Salem, Ohio, just 14 miles from the city of Alliance. His father was a potter for one of the local pottery companies that dominated the area.

1925-29

Studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art (then known as the Cleveland School of Art) where he earned a diploma in design, with a minor in ceramics.

1929

Studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna. Everyone there spelled his first name with a “k” and he became so used to it that he kept the spelling throughout his life.

1930

Designed his most famous piece, the “Jazz Bowl” inspired by his visits to Manhattan. The anonymous client who commissioned the work turned out to be Eleanor Roosevelt.

1933

•Created the industrial design program at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the first of its kind in America.

• Designed the cab over truck which added five feet to the available hauling area.

1930s

• Designed the Jiffy Ware line of ceramic food containers for American Limoges.

• Designed many children’s toys, including the nationally popular pedal-cars.

1933-2000

Taught industrial design at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where he inspired generations of designers including Joe Oros, lead designer of the 1965 Ford Mustang.

1937

Although deemed too old for active military, Schreckengost enlisted in the Navy and spent the war years helping to design radar recognition systems and artificial limbs.

1941

Designed the “Beverly Hills” lawn chair, promising a drink to every one of the 428 people who sat on the clay mold used for the seat, to help create a universally comfortable design.