THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN CERAMIC ART LOST ITS FOUNDER

David Armstrong, who founded AMOCA-American Museum of Ceramic Art in California in 2003 to support ceramic art, passed away in February this year. A lover of ceramics, Armstrong created more than a museum; his unwavering vision and commitment to ceramics education changed countless lives.

Compiled by: FATMA BATUKAN BELGE

David Armstrong

Born in 1940, David Armstrong's love for ceramics blossomed in the 1960s. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College in 1962. At that time, his work with ceramic artist Paul Soldner inspired him to collect works by other ceramic artists. In 1969, he transformed the family furniture business into Armstrong's Gallery, which featured limited edition ceramic collections. He started producing porcelain collector's plates in the early 1970s. He studied ceramics with Paul Soldner again at Claremont Graduate School and received his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1993. In 2000, he shifted the focus of his gallery to contemporary studio ceramics. He thought that the country would benefit from a museum focusing on ceramics, and that this museum should be located in Southern California, which has a rich tradition of ceramics and art. In 2003, he founded the American Museum of Ceramic Art as a non-profit organization with a core group of community members.

For its first nine years, AMOCA was located in a 3,000 square foot storefront in downtown Pomona, an economically struggling district where art is an important element of the continuing community revitalization program. Despite the extremely small space, AMOCA’s talented and dedicated staff organized dozens of thought-provoking exhibitions that drew a local and regional audience. Nonetheless, space constraints and the need to store AMOCA’s growing ceramics collection led the museum to purchase a former bank building in 2011. The 51,000 square foot building includes ample space for exhibition galleries, collection storage, a library, staff offices, meeting spaces, museum store, parking, and a fully equipped, 12,000 square foot ceramics studio. It is in the process of renovating the building to meet standards of the American Alliance of Museums.

More than a museum…

AMOCA's permanent collection consists of more than 10,000 piecesand includes California pottery, Southern California ceramics and dinnerware, ceramics donated by collector Mettlach, industrial ceramics, factory made ceramics, ancient vessels from the Americas, fine porcelains of Asia and Europe, and functional and sculptural contemporary ceramics.

As a visionary organization dedicated to the arts, the museum believes that visual art experiences delivered through professional artists, workshops, or gallery exhibitions foster cross-cultural understanding and provide new perspectives and insights that enrich lives. All of the exhibitions and programs at AMOCA cover a wide range of topics related to ceramics. Within this diverse community, the goal is to increase the aesthetic appreciation of clay as an art form and to help audiences uncover the creative thinking behind the making of ceramic objects.

AMOCA’s Executive Director Beth Ann Gerstein commented on Amstrong’s loss “He created more than a museum – he built a vibrant community that continues to inspire and educate. His recent joy in witnessing AMOCA's 20th Anniversary celebration, the milestone of paying off our building's mortgage, and the premiere of a short documentary film about his remarkable journey make his loss especially poignant. While we will deeply miss his physical presence, David's spirit will forever resonate through our galleries and ceramic studio.”