MUSEUM OF AMERICAN PORCELAIN ART (MAPA)

In 2006, I learned that the five studios which represented American Porcelain Art between the years 1950 and 2000, had closed, bringing to an end what is arguably the height of this artistic endeavor. The major reason for their demise was the falloff in sales of the collectible pieces they produced in which they were able to profit. With few exceptions, these studios lost money on the Museum quality art they produced and upon which their reputation depended.

I had become familiar with this art as a young man, and bought several pieces early on, but I was never a bonified collector. I had also been to one of the studios around 1970 and had the opportunity to watch the process of creating this art. So in 2006, I was quite shocked to learn that American Museum level porcelains were no longer produced, and importantly, there was no Museum devoted exclusively to this art.

While Americans Porcelains were in Museums throughout the world, including the White House, Buckingham Palace, the Smithsonian and the Vatican, there was not a single place this art was kept and preserved along with the archives which attest to their importance in American history. So from that time forward, I felt compelled to make sure this American art was preserved for the American people.