Viktor Schreckengost

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Viktor Schreckengost (born June 26, 1906, in Sebring, Ohio) is the father of industrial design and creator of the Jazz Bowl, an iconic piece of Jazz Age art designed for Eleanor Roosevelt. He is the creator of the largest freestanding ceramic sculpture in the world, Early Settler, on permanent display at Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Ohio. He is also famous for his dinnerware designs. Eschewing the fancy, flowery French designs that were popular in the United States during the Great Depression, Schreckengost created simple modern designs that were popular throughout the country. He designed bicycles manufactured by Murray (bicycles) for Murray and Sears, Roebuck and Company. He designed the first cab-over-truck with engineer Ray Spiller. This design is used in almost every city bus today.

As noteworthy as each one of these achievements is in its own right, what is most remarkable about Schreckengost is the breadth and volume of his world-class work in both the fine arts and industrial design. He is sometimes known as American da Vinci [1].

Schreckengost was one of six children. His father worked at a ceramics factory from which he brought home clay for his children to model. Every week he held a sculpture contest among the children, the winner of which accompanied his father on his weekend trip into the local big city of Alliance, Ohio. Only years later did Schreckengost realize that his father systematically rotated the winner. Viktor's younger brother, Donald, is also a notable ceramacist and designer.

Schreckengost graduated from the college at the Cleveland School of the Arts in 1929 at which time he earned a partial scholarship to study at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna. To make the trip, he borrowed $1,500 from two owners of Gem Clay, an industrial ceramics manufacturer in Sebring. When he returned six months later, Schreckengost paid back his loans - a fortuitous event for the men from Gem Clay since separate bank failures during the Great Depression had otherwise wiped them out.

Schreckengost taught industrial design at the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) for more than 50 years. He was also the youngest faculty member ever at CIA (then known as the Cleveland School of the Arts). Schreckengost founded CIA's renowned school of industrial design, the first of its kind in the country. Schreckengost also enlisted in the Navy at age 37 to help the Allies in World War II. He was flown on secret missions to Europe where he used his modeling knowledge to help improve the radar used in the Battle of the Bulge. Later he helped design prosthetics for wounded soldiers. He retired from the Naval Reserves as a Captain. Schreckengost was also good friends with Cleveland's famed safety director Eliot Ness.

In 2000, the Cleveland Museum of Art curated the first ever retrospective of Schreckengost's work. Stunning in scope, the exhibition included sculpture, pottery, dinnerware, drawings, and paintings. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a Jazz Bowl. The industrial design portion included many of his famous designs such as safer and cleaner printing presses, economical pedal cars, cab-over-engine trucks, banana-seat bicycles, as well as electric fans and lawn chairs. Then in his 90s, Schreckengost made many personal appearances at the exhibit.

Schreckengost lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and celebrated his 100th birthday in June 2006. The Viktor Schreckengost Foundation planned more than 100 exhibits of his work, with at least one in each state, to celebrate the milestone. The exhibits opened in March 100 days before his 100th birthday. Schreckengost attended an exhibit in New York City to open the shows. The night before his birthday he was honored at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights by a large and appreciative crowd. Also in 2006, Schreckengost was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor the federal government can bestow on an American artist. He and the nine other winners were feted in an Oval Office ceremony by President George W. Bush and the First Lady on Nov. 9, 2006[2].