|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Ames
Art Pottery -- Ames Historical
Society
|
|
|
The Ames Historical
Society (AHS) reported little was known about
Ames Art Pottery (link,pdf).
Long-time resident Delmar Woodward
worked at the pottery in 1940, and recalled it
was run by Bill Zinszer who drove up
from Hays, Kansas each year to make and sell his
pottery.
|
|
|
For most of the
pottery's output Woodward mixed and poured
liquid clay into molds. Some of the pots were
thrown by Zinszer, but most were molded using
trucked-in clay.
|
|
|
The pottery
operated from 1935 until 1940.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
pottery
|
|
|
So far we have not
found any
slip-cast
pieces as described by Woodward, but one example
AHS shows, a creamer, is seemingly molded or
cast. |
|
|
The remaining
pieces they show look to be as we also know
them: nicely thrown and hand finished. |
|
|
So a picture of
Ames Pottery as a mostly slip-cast operation
doesn't jibe with the pottery we have seen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
More
|
|
|
We found Zinszer
was the second of two managers of Ames
Pottery. He ran the business only for some
period after 1937, until 1940.
|
|
|
He had been a
student at Ft Hays Kansas State College, and
while managing Ames Pottery he also attended
classes at Iowa State College.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
William Zinszer 1937 photo
|
|
|
|
|
|
The pottery went out of business
shortly after the 1940 tourist season and
Zinszer found work that same year in Boise,
Idaho. |
|
|
|
|
|
Ames
Pottery founder
|
|
|
Ames Pottery was
actually founded in 1935 by Howard Erwin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Howard Erwin 1930 photo
|
|
|
|
|
|
Erwin was a
graduate of Iowa State. Then after graduation he
worked for Niloak Pottery in Benton,
Arkansas.
|
|
|
From 1935 through
1937 his shop staff included Jonathan Hunt
as thrower. Hunt's teachings and skills must
have been a plus to create the quality pieces we
find today.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Howard
Robert Erwin (1910-1987)
|
|
|
Howard Erwin was a
native of Ames. He was a student at Iowa State
and graduated, class of '33, with a major in
Ornamental Ceramics. He studied under the highly
regarded Paul E Cox.
|
|
|
Note Cox had
introduced another of his students, Howard
Lewis, class of '28, to Niloak. Lewis
worked for Niloak for two years "developing clay
bodies and glazes" through late 1934.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Howard Erwin 1931 photo
|
|
|
|
|
|
Immediately
following graduation Erwin also went to Niloak
and joined Lewis. Niloak had to let them both go
in early 1935 so Erwin founded Ames Pottery and
Lewis went to Dickota Pottery.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Howard
Stillman Lewis
(1904-1993)
|
|
|
Howard Lewis' roots
were farther west. He was born in Ainsworth,
Nebraska in 1904, on New Years Day.
|
|
|
After his work at
Niloak he went to Dickota Pottery, remaining on
until it folded in late 1937. The following spring he joined
Jonathan Hunt at Broadmoor Pottery in Denver
until it too went under the next year, 1939.
|
|
|
We wonder if Lewis
remained in the Denver area for awhile after
Broadmoor failed. Hunt remained in the area
until his death in 1943, the year before Lewis
went to Rosemeade.
|
|
|
And Lakewood (Colo)
Pottery (link)
used Broadmoor molds and processes including
glazes Lewis developed at Niloak.
|
|
|
Also Lakewood's
founders had no experience making pottery and
their early wares were equal to Broadmoor's. One
would think they would need help replicating
Broadmoor's process. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Howard Lewis
|
|
|
|
|
|
After Broadmoor
folded Lewis returned to North Dakota. In 1944
he became plant manager at Rosemeade Pottery in
Wahpeton.
|
|
|
Howard Lewis died
in Fargo in 1993. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Jonathan
Bowne Hunt
(1876-1943)
|
|
|
At fifty nine
Jonathan Hunt's experience in the business of
pottery making must have benefited young Howard
Erwin in the formation of Ames Pottery.
|
|
|
Hunt threw for
Rookwood Pottery almost twenty years earlier,
followed Joseph Meyer as thrower for six years
at Newcomb College and then threw pots for
Haeger at their 1934 Worlds Fair exhibit in
Chicago.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Jonathan Hunt ca 1938
photo |
|
|
|
|
|
Hunt also traveled
extensively lecturing on pottery. He knew Paul
Cox at Iowa State ceramics who, by the way,
years earlier helped Newcomb College develope of
their soft glazes.
|
|
|
In the fall of 1937
Jonathan Hunt left Ames Pottery and headed west
to work for Paul Genter at Broadmoor
Pottery in Denver. |
|
|
It's not clear when
Howard Erwin left Ames Pottery to turn
operations over to Bill Zinszer. Did he depart
with Hunt in 1937, or stay on for another season
or two? We don't know.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
William "Karl" Zinszer
(1914-2000)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Next time we will
talk about Ames Pottery glazes, marks and a few
forms.
|
|
|
|
|
