Frankoma Pottery is an American pottery company located in Glenpool, Oklahoma, but originating in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. The company is known for its sculptures and dinnerware although the company made many other products including figurines, trivets, and vases. All Frankoma pottery is made in the US from locally excavated clay.[1]
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History edit
Frankoma was founded in 1933 in Norman, Oklahoma, by John Frank, who was a professor of ceramics at the University of Oklahoma from 1927 to 1936. The name Frankoma was derived from "Frank" plus the last three letters of "Oklahoma". Frank moved the company to Sapulpa in 1938, but rebuilt the factory later that year after a fire.[2]
Frankoma used light-hued local Ada clay in its early products. The light clay was replaced by a Sapulpa OK based brick-red local clay in 1953.[2] John Frank operated the pottery with his wife Grace Lee Frank until his death in 1973; Grace designed a second line called Gracetone for the firm. The factory was rebuilt in 1984 after a September 1983 fire destroyed most of the facility.[3][4] The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1990.[2] The Frank's daughter Joniece ran the pottery until 1991 when she was forced to sell the struggling company. The buyer, Richard Bernstein of Maryland, resold the business in 2005 to Det Merryman.[5]
The company was closed for six weeks and then sold again during the summer of 2008, reopening on August 18 under new owner Joe Ragosta. Ragosta planned to bring back all the employees and continue the Frankoma line of pottery.[6] The year 2008 marked the company's 75-year anniversary.[1] The company closed in 2010 and was auctioned on May 18, 2011. Over a thousand pieces of pottery plus showroom fixtures and equipment were sold. The 1,800 original molds and the Frankoma name were not included in the sale, nor was the real estate.[7][8] In August 2012, the factory building was sold to a non-pottery manufacturer and the original Frankoma molds and trademark name were sold to FPC LLC. As of April 2020, pottery continued to be made[9] but in lower volume, focused on artware.
The 2012 exhibition, Oklahoma Clay: Frankoma Pottery, documented Oklahoma culture through pottery; it took place at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.[10]
In November 2022, Frankoma opened a new manufacturing site and storefront in Glenpool, Oklahoma.[11] Owner Dennis Glascock constructed the facility in hopes of exposing more people to the company’s products and revitalizing the program.[11]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Frankoma Frankoma Pottery marks 75 years". Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ a b c Joe L. Rosson (2005-10-11). The Official Price Guide to Pottery and Porcelain. Random House Information Group. p. 162. ISBN 978-0-676-60091-9. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
- ^ Ellen T. Schroy (2004-12-18). Warman's Americana & Collectibles. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-87349-685-8. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
- ^ "Fire destroys pottery plant". Durant Daily Democrat. September 26, 1983. p. 5. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
- ^ "Frankoma Pottery". Tulsamountains.com. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
- ^ "Frankoma Pottery". About.com company profile. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ Ron McCoy. "Frankoma Pottery". Collectingbuzz.com. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
- ^ "Frankoma Pottery in Sapulpa will be going, going, gone". The Oklahoman. 2011-05-15. Retrieved 2012-05-12.(subscription required)
- ^ "Home". Frankoma Pottery. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ Westlee Parsons; Photo by Melodie Lettkeman (2012-04-25). "OU museum opens pottery exhibition". The Oklahoma Daily, University of Oklahoma. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
- ^ a b "Frankoma Pottery's new Glenpool location to hold grand opening Saturday". Grace Wood, Tulsa World, November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.