Mission Statement

It is the mission of the American Museum of Ceramic Art to educate by presenting, collecting and preserving significant ceramic achievements of the world's cultures from ancient times to the present and through aesthetic and technical study to develop a deeper understanding of cultural values and traditions.

About the Museum

As an organization of vision, devoted to the arts, we believe that visual art experiences communicated through professional artists, workshops or gallery exhibitions, promote cross-cultural understanding and provide new perspectives and insights which enrich our lives.

Exhibitions and programming at the American Museum of Ceramic Art will embrace a wide number of topics - all relating to clay. Within this broadly diverse community, it is our goal to increase the aesthetic appreciation of clay as an art form and to assist our audience in unraveling the creative thinking behind the making of ceramic objects. At the same time, AMOCA aims to provide confirmed clay enthusiasts with encouragement, camaraderie and exhibition opportunity.

Used as a teaching tool, pottery is one of the most enduring indicators of culture. We can open the doors of the past through exhibitions of archeological finds; we can trace ceramic advances by studying the construction, glazing and firing practices developed throughout history, and we can find clues to the social expression of certain time periods through the study of ceramic shapes, forms and styles of decoration. Varied exhibitions may display pottery from different countries, focus on the work of an individual clay artist, illustrate specific skills or emphasize current high-tech processes. Useful vessels, tile collections and sculptural works, from wide-spread eras and regions, will all be part of our repertoire.

History

Founded in 2001 and opened in September 2004, AMOCA is one of the few museums in the United States devoted exclusively to ceramic art and historic innovations in ceramic technology. It is located in an area abounding with ceramic history and internationally recognized clay artists from the Arts and Crafts Movement, the 60's Clay Revolution and the current Studio Pottery Era. Geographically, the building is located in an urban downtown district where art is an important element of the continuing and successful community revitalization program. The home community consists of a rich ethnic mix and a large academic constituency with approximately fifteen institutions of higher learning within an eight-mile radius.

Museum Staff

David Armstrong - Founder & CEO

Christy Johnson - Director & Curator

Victor Crosetti - Membership Coordinator

Nicole Frazer - Collections Manager

Rody Lopez - Associate Curator

Board of Directors

David Armstrong, President
AMOCA Founder

Joseph C. Schreiber II, Vice President
Retired, Planned Giving Director at Claremont McKenna College

Georgette Unis, Secretary
Mixed Media Artist

Brent Maire, Treasurer
President, Original Tommy's

Christy Johnson, Museum Director
AMOCA Director & Curator

Alexandra Muse Ehrlich, Director

Advisory Board

Tony Marsh
Ceramic Artist & Professor
San Bernardino Valley College, San Bernardino

Randy Au
Ceramic Artist and Instructor
Orange County High School of the Arts

Jo Lauria
Independent Curator, Art Consultant, and Author

Billie Sessions
Art Education, and Ceramic Research Professor
CSU, San Bernardino

Rebecca Niederlander
Artist, Independent Writer & Co-founder of BROODWORK

Acquisitions Committee

Thomas Ahern
Antiques Dealer
Professor at the College of Appraisers

Crispin Gonzalez
Ceramic Artist, Retired Professor

Amy Green
Art Conservator