David Batz

David Batz was an American artist known for Ceramic vases, bowls, porcelain totem structures, painting on handmade paper. Born in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico in 1944, Batz spent over 20 years in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Batz was a BFA/MA graduate from Rhode Island School of Design, and became a teacher of ceramics at the Cleveland Institute of Art from 1970-1974, before opening the Fiori Gallery in Little Italy, and working full time as an artist in his own studio. His works were selected for exhibition in over 17 Cleveland Museum May Shows, as well as numerous other exhibitions. In addition to creating functional pottery, which he produced the most, he added glazed ceramic pictorial reliefs and sculptures to his repertoire.

David tragically died in 1994 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. His art has been under the care of his surviving partner Robert Jursinski ever since, and was last seen in a retrospective show at the Cleveland Artists Foundation/now ARTneo/in Lakewood in 2000 and an exhibition at Tregoning & Co. in 2018. 

1968 -B.F.A. Ceramics, School of Architecture, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI

1968-1970 - Teaching Fellowship, Rhode Island School of Design

1970 - M.F.A. Ceramics - Rhode Island School of Design
          Instructor - Ceramics - Cleveland Institute of Art

1971 - Instructor/Founder Atelier Garrigues, Gardon, France

1974 - Studio Artist

1985-86 - Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship recipient

1985-87 - President, Murray Hill Area Arts Association, Cleveland, Ohio

1986-92 - Director, Fiori Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio

1990-94 - Instructor, Ceramics, Art Studio, Case Western  Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio