Cowan Pottery Studio

The Cowan Pottery Studio was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1912 by R. Guy Cowan, an artist and craftsman from a family of East Liverpool, Ohio, potters. Cowan began his own ceramic production business, in which he designed his own factories and invented production hardware. In the early 1920s, Cowan moved his studio first to Lakewood, Ohio, and then to Rocky River, Ohio, a suburb to the west of Cleveland. Obtaining the financial backing of prominent Clevelanders, Cowan hired artists such as Viktor Schreckengost, Richard D. Hummel, Edward and Thelma Winter, and Paul Bogatay, and his company began producing pottery for sale in a national market. In the early 1930s, production slowed and then stopped in the depressed economy. The company went bankrupt in 1932.

From the description of Cowan Pottery Studio collection, 1929-1978. (Rhinelander District Library). WorldCat record id: 43697322

The Cowan Pottery Studio (1912-1932) was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1912 by R. Guy Cowan, an artist and craftsman from a family of East Liverpool, Ohio potters. Cowan, graduating in 1911 from the famous ceramic program at New York's Alfred University, moved to Cleveland and began his own production business, in which he designed his own factories and invented production hardware. Cowan taught art and design at East Technical High School and at the Cleveland Institute of Art during the 1920s.

In the early 1920s, Cowan moved his eastside Cleveland studio first to Lakewood and then to Rocky River, using a natural gas well located there. Obtaining the financial backing of prominent Clevelanders, including members of the the Wade, Hanna, and Milliken families, Cowan hired talented young artists such as Viktor Schreckengost, Richard D. Hummel, Edward and Thelma Winter, and Paul Bogatay, and his company began to produce award-winning pottery for sale in a large market. The factory became a popular tourist attraction as well as an economic success, and Cowan pottery developed into a national "rage." In the early 1930s, however, production slowed and then ended as the ceramic market plummeted in the depressed economy. After the business's bankruptcy in 1932, Cowan never again owned his own studio, although many of his students and artists later began successful ceramic businesses.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Cowan Pottery Studio click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Reginald Guy Cowan

From the guide to the Cowan Pottery Studio Collection, 1929-1978, (Western Reserve Historical Society)