It is a shame that, throughout the history of art porcelain, it was so rare for public credit to be given to the artists and artisans who actually produced these beautiful objects. Even collectors who focused on the work of one particular studio almost never knew who was actually responsible for the existence of the sculptures they so coveted and acquired, because all were sold under the imprimatur of the studio itself. The anonymous artists and artisans were not publicly acknowledged for their part in the creative process; indeed, some studios specifically prohibited the designers themselves from sharing that information.
This ‘artisan anonymity’ was not unique to Cybis or to any of the porcelain art studios of the 1960s onward; it was simply the way things were done in the industry. A notable exception was the Connoisseur of Malvern studio, whose pieces all bear the individual marks of each artist who had a hand (literally!) in creating it.
In my opinion it’s past time to give the artists and artisans some credit for the fruit of their creative labors, and to that end I’ve compiled an Honor Roll of those who plied their craft on behalf of the Cybis Studio. The list below derives from many sources and by no means covers the studio’s entire existence.
The fine porcelain sculptures by Cybis, Boehm, and similar studios were the product of many talented hands, each with their own area of expertise. From the designers who originated the ideas and sketches, to the sculptors who brought them into three dimensions in clay, to the mold-makers who enabled them to be properly reproduced, to the casters, mounters, kiln operators, finishers, and decorators whose deft touch with a brush so pleases the eye – every person, at every step of the way, was vital and the process very personal. And let’s not forget those in the packing and shipping room who took such care that these fragile objects would arrive at their destination undamaged!
This group photo of all of the Cybis employees was taken in the studio’s inner courtyard during the 1970s. Owner Joseph Chorlton, wearing a light jacket, dark tie and holding a newspaper, sits near the center front.
The backstories of most of the artists and artisans at the Cybis studio will probably never be known, but others were recognized in their own right before and/or after their time there. Names shown as links have their own Cybis Artist Profile on this site (links will open as a separate page.)
The Cybis Porcelain ‘Honor Roll’ – with many thanks for all the beauty that you have created
Artists and Artisans (listed by first name, not by surname)
Adeline Barbaro Piccone
Agnes Johnson
Angela Murray (decorator)
Ann Ancelo
Ann Vickers
Anna Mae Takacs Pagliaro
Anna Marie (“Ginny”) MacCotter (Senior Painter/Decorator)
Anna Murro Baez
Annie Hartnagle
Antero Figueroa
Anthony Wiater (Casting Foreman,1983 – 1988)
Beatrice Gilles
Beatrice Wiater (caster)
Betty Bannister (decorator)
Betty Thatcher (packer/shipper)
Belle Boehm (painter)
Carol Strenlo (finisher)
Carol Worstall (caster)
Cathy Jean Gernhardt (decorator)
Cathy Lubas (dry finisher)
Cecilia Martynowicz
Charles O’Brien
Charles Oldham [freelance designer/sculptor]
Connie Hegedus (mounter, dry finisher)
Cyndy Bohonovsky [freelance illustrator]
Dana Davis Zieman
Dennis W. Norton (caster)
Diane Szygiel Owad (detail artist)
Dolores Ervin
Dolores Valenza [freelance designer/sculptor]
Doris Foma
Dorothy Bronston
Dorothy Kaminski (decorator; later Art Supervisor)
Dorothy Temple [freelance floral consultant, mid-1980s]
Doug Yahn (moldmaker)
Edward Krakowski (caster)
Edward Lettieri (repairs/restorations)
Edward Lutiero Jr. (decorator)
Elaine Turek
Eleanor Feehan Potent (decorator)
Elise Maletaki (mounter)
Elizabeth Childs
Elsie Matelski (artist)
Evelyn Stout
Florence Berish
Florence Dura Mieszkowski (decorator)
Frances Tesserin
Frank Hollendonner (moldmaker, early 1940s)
Gene Wojnarski
George Ivers (artist; Art Director, 1970s-early 1980s)
Gertrude Fass [freelance designer/sculptor]
Harry L. Burger [freelance designer/sculptor]
Helen Callahan (decorator)
Helen D. Kierepka (decorator)
Helen Kish
Helen Granger Young [freelance designer/sculptor of early North American Indians series]
Helen McCook (sculptor)
Helen Zola (decorator)
Herminia Hernandez
Jack Thatcher (packer/shipper)
Jacqueline Onofre Kunkelman (painter)
Jake Blanch (moldmaker)
James Nelson Slick [freelance designer of Nashua]
Jean Meriwether
Jennie Boulton
Jerry Klein [freelance designer/sculptor]
Joan Cheesman (Head Caster)
Joan McCrossen
John Baize (kiln operator)
Jolan Elek Palmai (decorator/finisher, Art Director 1980s)
Joseph Cobb
Joseph Nosari (caster)
Judith Harrison (decorator)
Julius (“Jules”) Dolewa (Master Moldmaker)
Julia Jones (detailer)
Julia Nokyos (painter)
Keith Stewart (caster)
Krystyna Kurpiewski Dziekonski (decorator)
Kyle Conley (decorator)
Laszlo Ispanky (Head Designer/sculptor, 1960-1966)
Laura Lansing-Jones (Modeling Department Supervisor)
Laura Lewis (detail cleanup)
Leon Koury (chemist/slip formula creator; caster)
Leslie Brown, Jr.
Lillian Suchocki Szwedo (mounter)
Linda Edelstein Tuman (painter)
Linda Klemann Brown
Linda Oyler
Liselotte (“Lilo”) Haenisch Mihalek (mounter and decorator)
Lorraine Yates Alexander (decorator)
Loretta Szutarski Buchanan (painter and color designer)
Lucy Clark (decorator)
Lynn Klockner Brown (designer/sculptor)
Mabel Wylie (painter)
Marie Denelsbeck Hall (decorator)
Marie Mayoros
Marion Muzzicatra Sikos (molder/moldmaker)
Mary Barrick Stein (decorator)
Mary Connell
Mary Hutchinson
Mary Kupiec Borowski (decorator)
Michelle Post (artist)
Mildred Cook (designer/sculptor)
Mildred Hillman (finisher)
Mildred M. Ryan
Nancy Worstall (caster)
Patricia Applegate (painter)
Patricia Baize (mounter)
Patricia Haluska Pae (designer and research analyst)
Patricia Jean Eakin [freelance designer/sculptor]
Philomena Abatto Deorocki (decorator)
Ralf Morrow (kiln supervisor)
Rose Barclay (decorator)
Rose Eganey (mounter)
Ruby Harding Richards Wallace (finisher)
Ruby Sienkiewicz (artist)
Ruth Zasoski
Sadie Barger
Sandra Batchlett
Scotty Moonlight (caster)
Sharon Streeter
Shirley Guenther
Shirley Shaw
Stanislawa Misiolek
Stella Clark
Stella Fleming Hamilton (sculptor)
Stephen Zuczek (sculptor)
Susan Clark Eaton [freelance designer/sculptor]
Susan Helaine Hamer (decorator)
Susan Lloyd (designer/sculptor)
Susan/Suzanne Cook
Tom Lubas (moldmaker)
Veronica Moroz
Victor Munn (caster)
Victoria Onofre
Vincent Ceglia [freelance designer of display signs and Cybis print catalogs]
Vincent Gryniewicz
Virginia Owen
Wilhelmina Surro
William Hegedus
William Pae (designer/sculptor; Art Director, 1980s)
William Renze (ceramics engineer)
Studio Management and Administration
Owner/Directors after death of Boleslaw & Marja Cybis:
Joseph Chorlton (d. 2011)
Marylin Kozuch Chorlton (d. 1977) [also artist, designer, and Art Director]
Theresa Rose Chorlton
Administrative/Sales/Marketing:
Alicia Kozuch
Allen Schoening
Anne M. Dorlon Sears
Anthony (“Tony”) Trezza
Barbara Hotz
Dan Sneburger (regional sales rep)
Dodie Murphy
Frank Bader
Frank Quinn (regional sales rep)
Frank Redden
Frank Zanger
Fred (“Ozzie”) Osbourne (regional sales rep)
Hazel Herman
Helen Karen Wood
Ida Julian
Jerry Moran
Jerry Sawyer
John Crawford
John Murphy
Joseph Fry
Linda Carey
Malcolm Wing Hatch (regional sales rep)
Peter Frost
Sandra Deese
Shirley Stewart
Sally Suchevits
Thomas Higgins
Thomas E. Patterson
Vicky Duncan
William Hancock (in-house sales rep)
Name Index of Cybis Sculptures
Visual Index (for human figures/busts only)
About the Cybis Reference Archive
What is Cybis?
Images of Cybis porcelain sculptures are provided for informational and educational purposes only. All photographs are copyrighted by their owner as indicated via watermark. Please see the copyright notice in the footer and sidebar for important information regarding the text that appears within this website.
The Cybis Archive provides the most comprehensive range of information about Cybis within a single source. It is not and never has been part of the Cybis Porcelain studio, which is no longer in business.
THE CYBIS ARCHIVE 