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From 1938 to 1942, free classes were offered in Newell on the fundamentals of drawing and painting, ceramic design, and pottery making by hand. The classes were sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Education, West Virginia University, and the federal government. Frederick Rhead, art director at Homer Laughlin, was in charge of the classes that were held at Wells High School and the Homer Laughlin China Company. Tuition was free, however, students did have to pay for any required books.
According to an article from The Evening Review, dated September 16, 1938, thirty-six registered for the courses. Painting and drawing classes were held on Thursday nights, while pottery classes were on Friday nights. Students could join either or both classes. The first term ran from September 1938 to the spring of 1939.
The faculty consisted of personnel from Homer Laughlin. Cy Toft and Garvin Miller, both from HLC's art department, thaught decorative techniques, drawing, designing, and painting. Engineer Walter Emerson held classes on ceramic physics and chemist H. W. Thiemecke thaught ceramic chemistry. Other classes included algebra, mechanics, and hydraulics.
Artwork from the classes were displayed at Carnegie Library in East Liverpool, Ohio.
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| Eggshell Nautilus 9" plate by Margaret Price from the 1938-1939 term |
For the second term (1939-1940), Arthur Hull of Homer Laughlin joined as a teacher for the art classes, and Maxon King of the Edwin M. Knowles China Co. took over for Walter Emerson. Classes were expanded to include general geology, clay geology, heat and electricity, and mineralogy. Ninety-four enrolled for the second year.
In the third term (1940-1941), the art teachers were Frederick Rhead, William H. Blair, Charles E. Murphy, Cy Toft, and Arthur Hull. King and Thiemecke again taught the math and science courses. More science classes were added covering such topics as pyrometry, fuels, heat transfer, and glaze calculations.
For the last term (1941-1942), seventy-one graduated, sixty from the art classes and eleven from the math and science classes. Members of the faculty from WVU as well as representatives from Ohio State attended the graduation. Dr. William Koehler of WVU awarded special certificates to those who completed the four-year course.
Artwork exhibitions took place at the end of each term in June. Cash awards and special prizes were given out each year. For the final term, Joseph T. Croxall, president of the East Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and head of Croxall Chemical Supply, gave out the awards.
Shown below are some of the pieces made by the students of the Newell Art Classes. In most cases, the students were given unfired (bisque) ware which they hand-painted. The ware was then glazed and fired at Homer Laughlin. The factory supplied the students with examples from various shapes made at the time including Brittany, Eggshell Nautilus, Swing Eggshell, Kitchen Kraft, and Fiesta.
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