The Human Condition: The Stephen and Pamela Hootkin Collection Sept. 2014 | Page 153
Oka Doner, Michele
(American; b. 1945, Miami Beach, FL; lives in New York, NY)
1969 Post-graduate work, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
1968 MFA University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
1966 BSD University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Michele Oka Doner’s prolific artistic career spans over four decades. Oka Doner’s work has
continuously explored the human figure and simultaneously been driven by a lifelong interest
SELECTED REFERENCES:
Kasl, Ronda. “Artifact and Fiction.“
in and observation of the natural world. During her education at the University of Michigan,
In The Eloquent Object: The
Oka Doner studied ceramics with John Stephenson and also took an informative Islamic art
Evolution of American Art in
class that introduced the role of surface decoration in Islamic calligraphy, tiles, and pottery.
Craft Media Since 1945, edited
The attention to surface detail can be found in Oka Doner’s fertility dolls and limbless figures
that are swathed in repetitive patterns or decorated with spiral motifs akin to those found in
nature. The interest in nature and the use of natural objects as source material is often the
guiding motif in Oka Doner’s numerous public art installations such as Celestial Plaza in the
by Marcia Manhart and Tom
Manhart, 240–255. Tulsa: The
Philbrook Museum of Art, 1987.
Oka Doner, Michele. “Biography.”
Michele Oka Doner. Accessed
American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York (1987) and Geologic Time in the
March 27, 2014. http://www.
Dane County Expo Center, Madison, Wisconsin (1995). The artist has received numerous
micheleokadoner.com/
awards and grants including an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Fine Arts from The New York
PDF_Documents/CV.pdf
School of Interior Design (2011), the Legends Award from the Pratt Institute (2006), the Award
Schmidt, Linda. “Nature’s Scribe.”
of Excellence from the United Nations Society of Writers and Artists (2003), and a Kress
American Ceramics 8, no. 3
Foundation Grant (1989). Oka Doner’s works have been acquired by American and European
(1990): 18–29.
museums and can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the
Musée des Arts Décoratifs at the Louvre, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and many others.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MICHELE OKA DONER WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION
Soul Catchers
Large Seated Doll
Schmidt, Linda. “Nature’s Scribe.”
Schmidt, Linda. “Nature’s Scribe.”
*Figure with Mouth,
**Two Torsos, Four Staffs
American Ceramics 8, no. 3
American Ceramics 8, no. 3
*Figurative Clay: February 7-April
(1990): 18–29.
(1990): 18–29.
18, 1992. Pittsburgh: Society for
ALSO INCLUDED IN EXHIBITION
Tattooed Doll II
Contemporary Crafts, 1992.
**Kasl, Ronda. “Artifact and
Fiction.“ In The Eloquent Object:
The Evolution of American Art in
Craft Media Since 1945, edited
by Marcia Manhart and Tom
Manhart, 240–255. Tulsa: The
Philbrook Museum of Art, 1987.
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