Jerry Rothman

1933Born Brooklyn, New York

2014Died San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

EDUCATION

UnknownBA Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California

mid-1950sLos Angeles City College Industrial Design, Los Angeles, California

UnknownMFA Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, California

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1970-1997Professor Emeritus, California State College, Fullerton, California

BIOGRAPHY

Jerry Rothman is known for producing a range of functional pieces and sculptures that combine clay and steel.

Rothman was an active member of the Otis Group and a player in what has been called the California Ceramics Revolution. This group was an important component in the mid-20^th century movement that changed the point of view of American ceramics from one focused on the vessel form to one that acknowledged the role of sculpture in the field. Rothman studied with Peter Voulkos, a leader in this movement, at Otis Art Institute. Throughout his career he followed his varied interests and created both vessel forms and sculpture. He invented what is now called Ferro-ceramic, a mixture of ceramic and inorganic materials. This discovery allowed Rothman to fire clay and steel together in order to create the large scale cantilevered structures that characterize his work. 

Oral history interview with Jerry Rothman, 2010 August 30-31. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.