Attleboro Arts Museum Exhibit

Atteboro Arts Museum

86 Park St.

Attleboro, MA

Most of the good vibrations emanate from the museum’s current exhibit, which celebrates the life and work of the late industrial designer Viktor Schreckengost. (And don’t worry if Schreckengost’s name doesn’t ring a bell: over the course of a long career, Schreckengost designed hundreds of household products, from children’s toys to electric fans. Even if you don’t know his name, chances are you know his work.)

It also helps that Schreckengost began his career in the 1930s and ’40s, a time when American design was just starting to take off. A good example are the vibrant Art Deco bowls that Schreckengost designed for the Cowan Pottery Co., beginning in the early 1930s. Decorated with scenes of stylized cars, skyscrapers and even a set of martini glasses, they’re a visual tribute to the rambunctious energy of Jazz Age America.

Another highlight is a selection of children’s items that Schreckengost created for companies such as Steelcraft (toys) and Murray (bikes). Designed in the “streamlined” style made popular by industrial designers such as Raymond Loewy, they include toy cars and buses, flashlights and peddle cars. There’s even a streamlined “Super Deluxe” wagon — painted a bright fire-engine red, of course.

The show also highlights Schreckengost’s skills as an artist (mainly as a ceramic sculptor) and teacher. Indeed, about half the show is devoted to work by Schreckgost’s former students at the Cleveland Institute Art — a high-powered group that includes Joe Oros, who led the design team responsible for the original Ford Mustang, and Kirk Bennion, designer of the 2009 Corvette ZR1. (Bennion, by the way, must have some serious pull at GM: a real-life Corvette ZR1 is part of the exhibit.)

Sadly, Schreckengost passed away earlier this year, at age 101. This show, which was organized by another former student, Charles S. Tramontana, is a fitting tribute to a design titan.