Revolutions of the WheelPart 3 - Peter Voulkos and the Otis Group
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In 1953 Peter Voulkos was offered a teaching position at what was later to become the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. Upon arriving there, he found an empty room in the basement of the school with a few tables and a sink. When his first student, Paul Soldner, arrived, they set about building their own equipment and began what became one of the top ceramic programs in the country. | |
Students and potters made pilgrimages to Los Angeles during this time to witness the Voulkos inspired clay revolution and to sign on to the program. Voulkos says of his teaching style, "I didn't know much about teaching but I knew enough about freedom to leave their asses alone." |
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Classes were unstructured and often Voulkos would sit in his office playing Flamenco guitar until evening. After dark the creative juices would flow and students would find themselves working along side Voulkos, going through 4,000 pounds of clay, or more, in one night. | |
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Pete's work was changing very rapidly at this time, combining painting, sculpture and clay into a single art form. Initially met with rejection and resistance, Voulkos persevered, feeding off the resistance and stubbornly following the path he had chosen as his personal means of expression. |
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