American Museum of Ceramic Art
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| Established | 2003 |
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| Location | Pomona, California |
| Coordinates | 34°03′40″N 117°45′02″W / 34.0610°N 117.7506°WCoordinates: 34°03′40″N 117°45′02″W / 34.0610°N 117.7506°W |
| Type | Ceramic Art Museum |
| Director | Beth Ann Gerstein |
| Public transit access | Pomona Station |
| Website | amoca |
The American Museum of Ceramic Art was founded on March 22, 2003, in Pomona, California. The mission of the museum is to champion the art, history, creation, and technology of ceramics through exhibitions, collections, outreach, and studio programming.
The American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) was founded in Pomona, California on March 22, 2003 by David Armstrong.
Armstrong was born in McPherson, Kansas on July 8, 1940. His family moved to Pomona, California in 1944, where his father, David S. Armstrong, opened a furniture and appliance business located at 150 East Third Street. Armstrong graduated with honors from Upland High School. Armstrong later attended Pomona College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. His major was Zoology; however, during the years he attended Pomona College, Armstrong discovered a love for ceramics and studied under the tutelage of Paul Soldner.
Armstrong served for a period in the United States Army and later in the National Guard as an officer in the Military Police Corps. He met his wife, Julie while attending Pomona College. Armstrong's father died in 1966, and in 1969, he changed the family furniture business into Armstrong's Gallery. The gallery featured limited edition ceramic collectibles from all over the world, specializing in porcelain figurines and collector plates.
In 1973, Armstrong started his own ceramic business facility to make porcelain collector plates. In 1975, he met famous comedian Red Skelton. Skelton was a man of many talents that also included painting. Skelton's subject matter in painting was clowns which became the subject of a series of collector plates. For 23 years, Armstrong produced and distributed Red's limited edition ceramic collectibles through the use of ceramic decals fired onto porcelain. He was one of the founders of the International Plate Collectors Guild and was responsible for innovations of ceramic products including the first ceramic baseball cards, ceramic plaques, and elaborate gold borders on collector plates to enhance the artist’s design.
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