" The Great American Thing " at Tacoma Art Museum

Tuesday, 25 April 2006 10:30

Tacoma, WA – Most Americans don’t know his name, but nearly every American’s life has been touched in some way by Viktor Schreckengost. The work of this artist, educator, and industrial designer spans from pedal cars to watercolors, dinnerware to military research, ceramics to bicycles. To celebrate Schreckengost’s 100th birthday (1906 - ), over 100 locations across the country have his work on view in the world’s largest simultaneous exhibition. Tacoma Art Museum represents Washington in Viktor Schreckengost: The National Centennial Exhibition. Two of his pieces are included in The Great American Thing: Modern Art and National Identity, 1915 – 1935. One of his most famous works is The Jazz Bowl , which Schreckengost produced in 1930, when he worked for Cowan Pottery in Rocky River, Ohio. The first Jazz Bowl was created for Eleanor Roosevelt to celebrate her husband's recent election as governor of New York. Ralph Cowan liked the design and produced a small edition of similar punch bowls. When Art Deco began to be rediscovered in the 1980s, The Jazz Bowl quickly emerged as one of the masterpieces of this 1930s style. Schreckngost’s Blue Revel also appears in The Great American Thing. The cubist-inspired painting expressed his enthusiasm for the jazz scene, portraying how African-Americans’ influence provided a distinct character to American culture as jazz music swept through the U.S. and Europe, and African-American dance halls became the rage. Inspired by visits to Cleveland's Globe Theatre, Schreckengost painted Blue Revel in 1931. These pieces and those of Schreckengost’s contemporaries – such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Marcel Duchamp, Charles Demuth, and Alfred Stieglitz – are on view in The Great American Thing until Sunday, May 21. Schreckengost has been called an “American da Vinci” because the extensiveness of his work is so staggering it can be compared to the great Leonardo. This pioneer of modern American industrial design, painter, ceramist, and sculptor, has created work included in major private and public collections. Over 750 Schreckengost pieces are being displayed at locations in all fifty states. America will find Schreckengost in a variety of venues beyond art and ceramics museums. Pieces are on view in pedal car and bicycle collections, restaurants, libraries, historical societies, military museums, parks, churches, public schools, private homes, and even a stable. The diversity of audiences reached by the National Centennial Exhibition illustrates Schreckengost's far-reaching impact into a myriad of industries and art communities alike. Most especially, it pays tribute to the artist's creed that " good design should be available to everyone." The Viktor Schreckengost National Centennial Celebration is being organized by The Viktor Schreckengost Foundation One-hundred different venues will show Viktor Schreckengost art and design works between March 18 and June 26, 2006. For a full listing of venues and for more information, visit www.americandavinci.org Tacoma Art Museum connects people and builds community through art. The museum serves the diverse communities of the region through its collection, exhibitions, and learning programs, emphasizing art and artists from the Northwest. The museum’s five galleries display an array of top national shows, the best of Northwest art. Visit us at Tacoma Art Museum

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