Howard Kottler

American, (1930–1989)

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Howard Kottler originally pursued a career in optometry, receiving his bachelor’s degree in biological science from the Ohio State University in 1952. Unhappy with his coursework, Kottler began experimenting with clay in elective courses. After a year in optometry school, he dropped out and returned to OSU for his MA, which he completed in 1956. He went on to study with Maija Grotell at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he received his MFA in 1957. Kottler is one of the few people to achieve a PhD in ceramics, in 1964, when it was briefly offered by OSU. He was hired by the University of Washington, where he, along with Robert Sperry and Patti Warashina, made the institution’s ceramics program one of the most important and vibrant such educational centers in the United States.