Fan Dancer

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.