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EAST LIVERPOOL -- The Museum of Ceramics (MOC) in East Liverpool is looking for a new director and encourages area qualified residents to apply. Longtime MOC director Susan Weaver is retiring this coming spring.
Founded in 1980, the MOC has pride of place in central downtown East Liverpool at 400 E. Fifth St. It is dedicated to showcasing and exploring East Liverpool's integral place in the ceramics industry of the country. Exhibits of pottery, photographs, tools, maps and other artifacts are used to tell the story of the approximately 300 potteries which operated in East Liverpool over the last two-plus centuries.
Housed in the city's former post office, the building is a stunning example of Beaux Arts architectural design with an additional recently modernized all-access entrance. The MOC is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
The MOC is a site of the Ohio History Connection (formerly the Ohio Historical Society). It features two floors of exhibits, a theater and a gift shop.
The first floor exhibits include the largest publicly displayed collection of Lotus Ware porcelain in the world and an 1840s great wheel (potter's wheel), one of only six still extant. Lotus Ware is still generally considered to be the finest porcelain ever produced in the United States. A Works Progress Administration Depression-era mural by Roland Schweinsburg wends its way around the walls as an ongoing visual tale of East Liverpool's pottery industry.
The ground floor features dioramas of pottery shops as they would have appeared circa 1900. A jigger shop, kiln and decorating shop here depict the skilled workers at their craft. Additionally, there are cases and cases of important area ceramics designs highlighted on this floor.
In addition to exhibits, the museum offers cultural programs for the local community including lectures, a music series showcasing local musicians, a regular trivia night, a holiday table contest featuring local ceramics, art and pottery classes for all ages, a week-long Clay Academy summer day camp for children, the Museum March/gallery crawl, the Ceramic City Clay Show and the Around Town Literary Club. The museum is a lively place and an integral factor in the cultural and social life of the city. Via the MOC website (TheMuseumOfCeramics.com), these events and others are regularly updated.
In addition to the museum director, the MOC is searching for an associate to assist the director. The ideal candidate for the full-time director position would have a management and supervisory background; grant-writing and fundraising experience; an undergraduate or master's degree in the arts; familiarity with local history; the ability to plan and execute a broad range of MOC events and to work occasional evenings and weekends; and a basic level of technological fluency regarding the Microsoft Office Suite and design software such as Adobe or Canva.
Interested candidates can apply by sending a resume and cover letter to JobsAtMOC@gmail.com -- review of applicants will begin immediately and continue until a new director is hired. This is a full-time position, with a salary commensurate with experience. The MOC hopes to have a new director in place by April 1, 2024.