Description
Ishmael Soto Austin Texas Studio Pottery Abstract Sculpture Duck Planter. Measures 6.5" wide x 5.5" tall.
Below is an excerpt from the artists eulogy. This is a good vintage piece from a
local Austin estate.
Ishmael Soto, longtime Austin ceramicist and teacher, died Monday after a battle
with cancer. He was 84.
“Ishmael’s passing is a loss for us all in the community,” said Sylvia Orozco,
director of Mexic-Arte Museum. “He was a great human being, teacher and artist.
Ishmael was one of the first, if not the first Mexican-American Austinite to
become a professional visual artist.”
Artist and teacher Ishmael Soto died Feb. 27 at age 84. Contributed by Tahila
Mintz
Soto won many prizes and was exhibited frequently in group and solo shows.
A native Austinite, Soto earned his first degree from the University of Texas
and his second from the famed Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. His 57th
Annual Potters Show and Sale took place in December 2016. He taught ceramics at
UT for seven years — one of the first Hispanics to teach in the art department
— then at St. Edward’s University and Austin Community College for a total of
more than 30 years..
“He was a modest, generous mentor and major inspiration to many artists,” said
his widow, Cynthia Leigh. “He taught thousands of students over his lifetime.
Many of his students decided to become artists from his encouragement and
support. He did not try to mold his students to imitate his work; he encouraged
them to follow their own artistic path and draw on their own talents”
TW2
