The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Fan Dancer

1928
designer

Waylande Gregory

(American, 1905–1971)
maker

Cowan Pottery Studio

(America, Rocky River, Ohio, 1920–1931)
America, Ohio, Cleveland
glazed ceramic
Overall: 30.5 x 15.2 cm (12 x 6 in.)
Educational Purchase Fund 1928.571
Location: Not on view

Description

A stamp on the bottom of this ceramic sculpture indicates that it was produced at the Cowan Pottery studios. Although unsigned, it was most likely designed by Waylande Gregory, one of the studio’s premiere artists. In 1928 the studio’s founder, R. Guy Cowan, brought Gregory to Cleveland from Chicago, where he was developing a reputation as a talented young sculptor. Cowan Pottery, located in Lakewood (1912–17) and later Rocky River (1919–32), Ohio, began producing ceramic sculpture in the mid-1920s, launching its most fertile creative period. Cowan employed a large team of talented artists at the studio, including Walter Sinz, Thelma Frazier Winter, and Viktor Schreckengost. The studio brought national fame to Cleveland ceramists, but was forced to close due to economic circumstances in 1932.
  • Purchased from the 10th Exhibition of Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen.
  • R. Guy Cowan Entry Card to 1928 May Show. Cleveland Museum of Art May Show Records, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
  • Burchfield to Schreckengost: Cleveland Art of the Jazz Age. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 28-July 18, 2004).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; March 28 - July 18, 2004. "Burchfield to Schreckengost: Cleveland Art of the Jazz Age", no exhibition catalogue.
    Cleveland Art Comes of Age: 1919-1940. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 28-September 10, 1989).
    The May Show: 10th Annual Exhibition of Works by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 25-June 3, 1928).
  • {{cite web|title=Fan Dancer|url=false|author=Waylande Gregory, Cowan Pottery Studio|year=1928|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1928.571