Panama native will share her craft as artist in residence

June 30, 2010Panama native will share her craft as artist in residenceBy Sara Cunninghamscunningham@courier-journal.comMarie-Elena Ottman has always found ways to meld her Panamanian culture with her American onein her ceramic art and day-to-day life.Now, students at the Oldham County Schools Arts Center and area residents will reap the benefits ofher rich background and talent.Ottman is the center's pick for artist in residence for the next school year, and she's already hard atwork this summer.She taught two weeklong summer camp sessions, "Ceramics Studio Art," June 14-18, and "All AboutClay," June 28 to July 2.Once the school year starts, Ottman will visit schools in the district to work with students of all ageson ceramic art projects. She'll also continue to teach classes at the arts center and start a fewcommunity art projects intended to draw county residents to the arts center."We've seen an increasing demand for visual art in the community and in the schools, especially 3-Dart like what Marie-Elena does," said Alvin MacWilliams, executive director of the arts center."We would really like to grow our ceramics program to help meet that demand and she will really beable to help us with her experience and talent, and just her enthusiasm," he said.For Ottman, the opportunity seems almost accidental and somewhat of a dream job, she said.She grew up in Panama, near the Panama Canal, because her father was stationed there with the AirForce.She moved to the United States during college and has lived in the states for about 20 years.At first, she lived in Florida and then in Montana and then finally Louisville, always intending to get alaw degree, but the ceramic artwork she did as a hobby turned into something more.She left her job at a paralegal and earned her undergraduate degree in fine arts from the University ofLouisville in 2004.Ottman continued to do her own art and started teaching English to Spanish-speaking adult studentsin the evenings at the arts center. She left that job when she and her husband decided to start theirfamily. Now she lives in Crestwood with her husband and their son, 3, and daughter, 2.Ottman's artwork has been featured in books such as "500 Animals in Clay: Contemporary

Expressions of the Animal Form," and on PBS' "Kentucky Life," "Mainstreet" and "Bluegrass andBackroads." She exhibits her work locally and nationally.About a year ago, she returned to teaching."I was ready to get back to it and it must have just been the right time because (MacWilliams) asked ifI wanted to start teaching a couple ceramics classes instead of doing what I was doing before,"Ottman said. "It was like a dream for me because art is something I have always loved."In addition to her work with the arts center, Ottman is a substitute teacher for art classes atBellarmine University."For me, art is something that's accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds," Ottman said. "Ithink ceramics is really wonderful, in particular, because it's something you can put your hands in andaround."During her summer session on June 17, her students also seemed to enjoy it."I like getting dirty and this is just fun," said Bryna Smith, 11.Bryna, who will be a sixth-grader at North Oldham Middle School in the fall, said she'd never reallytried doing things like throwing clay pots on a pottery wheel."It's pretty hard but that just makes it more fun when you do it," she said. "(Ottman) is really patientwith us and she doesn't make you feel bad if you make a mistake."In addition to the working the pottery wheels, students got to try their hands at creating clay rattles,mugs and pinch pots during the summer camp.Ottman's Spanish skills were put to use to make sure one of her students Ricardo Toledo, 12, wasincluded in the group.Ricardo, who will be an eighth-grader at South Oldham Middle School in the fall, is not a nativeEnglish speaker, and Ottman gave him instructions in English and Spanish to help.As students worked on different projects, Ottman circulated the room, ready with advice or ademonstration for those who needed help."Remember guys, this is a learning project," she said at one point when students were painting someof their fired work. "If something pops off, we'll just glue it back on. No big deal. It can always befixed."Reporter Sara Cunningham can be reached at (502) 582-4335.Additional FactsTo learn moreFor information about Marie-Elena Ottman's artwork, visit her website at www.marie-elena.com.

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