Robert C. Koepnick papers

Robert C. Koepnick was born in Dayton, Ohio on July 8, 1907. As a young man he worked for several years as an architectural modeler for firms such as the George E. Heidenreich Company and A. K. Musselman and Sons; he was also a designer and modeler at the Springfield Metallic Casket Company.

Koepnick studied sculpture at the School of the Dayton Art Institute (DAI) and under renowned Swedish sculptor Carl Milles at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. He then taught sculpture at DAI from 1934-1974, except during World War II, when he used his sculpting abilities to design personal equipment for the Army Air Corps at Wright Field in Dayton. He was the well-respected head of the Sculpture and Ceramic Department at DAI from 1936-1941 and 1946-1974.

From 1933-1938, Koepnick worked under DAI director Siegfried R. Weng to produce terra cotta pioneer figures for Dayton schools as part of the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) Federal Art Project (FAP). In 1938, Weng, Koepnick, and the DAI staff organized the Dayton Society of Painters and Sculptors. That year Koepnick also traveled to Europe in order to visit the studio of Yugoslavian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic and study significant art and architecture. He traveled with the Robert Metcalf family as they photographed stained glass windows throughout Europe.

Koepnick is well known for his ecclesiastical pieces, including architectural reliefs and free-standing statues. His work can be seen throughout southwest Ohio at sites such as Woodland Cemetery, Bethany Lutheran Village, Dayton's St. Anthony, St. Rita, and St. Stephen churches, and Cincinnati's St. Peter in Chains Cathedral and St. Gregory Seminary.

Koepnick frequently worked with prominent architects from firms such as Edward J. Schulte, Associated Architects, and Welty and Kielawa to provide sculptural elements for buildings they designed, including Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City, Iowa; Corpus Christi Church in Cincinnati, Ohio; and Concord Methodist Church in Englewood, Ohio. Koepnick's work is also displayed at several Dayton-area schools and at the entrances to the Montgomery County Fairgrounds and the Dayton Metro Library's downtown branch.

For both his sculptures and architectural pieces, Koepnick worked with a variety of media, including terra cotta, ceramics, bronze, aluminum, and marble. He frequently participated in art shows and sculptural competitions, winning awards for his works "Christ, Light of the World," "Woman," and "My Mother."

Koepnick married Betty Borland in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1941, and they later had two sons, Richard and John. An accomplished artist herself, Betty provided professional and personal support throughout their 54 years of marriage. She also worked as a finished artist at Elder-Beerman. Richard worked as a petroleum geologist for many years and is now retired and lives in Athens, Georgia. John lives with his wife Patricia in Ridgeville, Ohio and works in his father's barn studio creating his own abstract sculptures. He also owns and operates a painting contracting company.

In 1974 Koepnick was awarded the title "Emeritus" at Dayton Art Institute, and in 1995 he received the honorary degree Doctor of Humanities at the University of Dayton. When he passed away on July 20, 1995, family, friends, colleagues, and students all praised him for his "gentle" spirit, exceptional teaching abilities, and extraordinary artistic talents.