JULY 22, 1994 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

7

OBITUARIES

David Batz: celebrated ceramicist, community activist

Nationally-known ceramic artist, teacher, gallery owner and gay rights activist David Batz died suddenly of an apparent heart attack June 23, while vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

He was born October 18, 1944 in Rockville, Conn. David studied architecture and ceramics at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he received a B.F.A. in 1968 and M.F.A. in 1970. He moved to Cleveland in 1970 and was a long-time resident of Cleveland Heights.

David is survived by his partner in art and in life, Robert Jursinski, with whom he was co-director of the Fiori Gallery in Little Italy from 1986-1993. He is also survived by his mother, Mrs. Flora Batz of South Windsor, Conn. and three sisters as well as many friends in Cleveland and across the country.

David was a prodigious and acclaimed artist who worked in a variety of media, but was primarily known for his ceramic art, including fine art porcelains which appeared in many galleries including many May Shows at the Cleveland Museum of Art. He also produced beautiful household stoneware now in many homes in Cleveland and around the country. Many of his pieces were proudly owned by Cleveland-born actress Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz. Hamilton (who had a second career as Cora in the coffee commercials) praised her favorite coffee mug that David had made for her in a featured article in the New York Times.

In his role as a director of the Fiori Gallery and as President of the Murray Hill Association, David was instrumental in the

renaissance of the Murray Hill area of Little Italy as the premiere art colony in Cleveland. Through exhibits of his own work, sponsorship of other local artists as well as organization of the Murray Hill Art Walks, David was a major contributor to the Cleveland Art Scene.

David was also well known as a ceramics instructor, first at the Cleveland Institute of Art, and later in the Art Studio at Case Western Reserve University.

In addition to his reputation as a Cleveland artist, David was also active in the gay rights movement. He attended the 1980 Democratic National Convention in New York City as part of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Convention Project, where he worked with the 66 openly gay and lesbian delegates. In 1981 he was a cofounder and the first vice-president of the Eleanor Roosevelt Gay Democratic Club, which worked for the passage of laws to protect the rights of lesbian and gay men, and worked for the election of public officials committed to support those rights. During the early 80's David was interviewed on gay rights a number of times on radio and TV He was also active in organizing fundraising events for AIDS charities and contributed his own work to benefit the Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center.

Plans are currently underway to hold a retrospective exhibition of David's remarkable range of work. To support that effort, the David Batz Memorial Fund has been established. Those wishing to support the fund should contact David's lawyer, Mark Hoffman at 991-6200.

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