"AMOCA :: American Museum of Ceramic Art" :: About AMOCA :: 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.

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.

Board of Directors:

David Armstrong, President AMOCA Founder		Ann Ach, Director Art collector & ceramic enthusiast

Tim Campbell, Secretary Curator, Blizzard Entertainment		Rosemary Choate, Director Volunteer, Community and Pomona College

Orien Pagan, Director Investment & Tax Services, EA		Joseph C. Schreiber II, V.P. Retired, Planned Giving Director Claremont McKenna College

Georgette Unis, Treasurer Mixed Media Artist		Christy Johnson, Staff AMOCA Director & Curator

Administration:

Founding Benefactor: David Armstrong Pomona Businessman & Art Colony Enthusiast, Ceramic Artist		Director: Christy Johnson Curator, Educator, Ceramic Artist

Advisory Board:

Ralph Bacerra Ceramic Artist		George Cuttress Pomona Art Colony Advocate and Local Businessman

Patrick Shia Crabb Ceramic Artist & Professor of Ceramics at Santa Ana College		Lance Henriksen Actor and Ceramic Artist

Joe Koons Laguna Clay Company		Jo Lauria Independent Curator, Art Consultant, and Author

Brent Marie President, Original Tommy's		Lynn Myers Contemporary Ceramics Collector

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