John D. Olt
American
After graduating from the Dayton Art Institute in 1953, John apprenticed with sculptor Robert Koepnick in Dayton, Ohio, followed by an apprenticeship with Amos Massolini in the bronze foundry affiliated with Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
While continuing to sculpt, John worked for General Motors designing automobiles, fished commercially, created and built the first molds for the seats for the seven original astronauts, designed and created the helmets and oxygen masks for the astronauts of the Gemini 8 space mission, and designed prosthetics for people with special needs. He also worked on the design and manufacture of an artificial heart valve.
John creates his sculpture from stone, bronze, wood, and fiberglass. The "style" of the piece of sculpture depends upon the material; the pieces created from stone or wood are determined by the medium - Nature plays a part. The bronze and fiberglass pieces are freer in form. John's work is permanently displayed in the Charles Paddock Zoo, Atascadero, a bronze plaque in an outside wall of the Paso Robles Public Library, an alabaster carving in the new Technical Library, Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo campus, a marble piece, "E.A. Crow," in the permanent collection of the Dayton Art Institute Museum, and two bronze sculptures permanently displayed at the Kettering Hospital and the Kettering Home in Dayton, OH. A 48' x 48' high carved hardwood wall is located in the Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital.
Person TypeIndividual
American, 1907 - 1995
