Dennis Ott [March 23, 1943–Oct. 12, 2024] was an iconic figure in Sedona after leading the Sedona Arts Center’s Ceramics Department for the past 22 years, teaching thousands of students from young children to seniors and even a few celebrities the joy of creating art from clay.

Ott started as a ceramics student at SAC before becoming a wheel instructor and heading the department for over two decades. He organized workshops in Italy, taught ceramics for the Navajo Nation, built a kiln in Nicaragua, re-launched the Loving Bowls fundraiser, received the Sedona Mayor’s Arts Award for Arts Instruction in 2017 and often served a SAC and Sedona representative at events, presentations and exhibitions locally and nationally.

Ott received a 2018 Arizona Governor’s Arts Award for an individual in the arts after being a nominee in 2017. The awards are presented annually by Arizona Citizens for the Arts and the Office of the Governor of Arizona.

“A mentor for those wanting to unlock their creative potential and discover new things through the arts, he is currently director of the Sedona Arts Center Ceramic Department. His entry into the art world was a second career after retiring from a corporate retail career in the 1970s and moving to Sedona, where he took his first ceramics class,” the awards committee stated.

“Dennis brings a lot of experience to his teaching, but as important is his sense of playfulness and fun,” then- SAC Executive Director Vince Fazio stated in 2018. “People often arrive at their first art class a bit nervous — maybe even intimidated — or afraid they don’t have talent. Dennis has a gift for creating a learning environment where it is OK to make mistakes and experiment because it’s all part of the creative process. Our offices are upstairs from the Ceramics Studio in the Art Barn and we constantly hear the laughter from that process rising up through the floor boards.”

Ott worked for 25 years in retail management in California before he and his wife Pat and made Sedona their home in 1989.

“Shortly after relocating, I found myself with time on my hands to explore new adventures,” Ott stated in 2018. “After enrolling in a silversmithing class at Sedona Arts Center, my life changed forever. I was a terrible silversmith, but soon discovered the ‘SAC Clay World.’ Enrolling in weekly classes, experiencing amazing pottery instructors, and evolving into an emerging artist along with other potters, I embraced the world of everything clay.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when much of state was under a lockdown ordered by the governor, Ott kept Sedonans engaged with SAC by leading a virtual tour of the ceramics studio.

In celebration of SAC’s 60th anniversary in 2017, then-SAC Executive Director Eric Holowacz conducted a one-on-one interview with Ott that we have reposted below.

One of Holowacz’s last questions was, “What word of advice would you offer an aspiring creative person?”

“Don’t give up. Ride it out. Wait for the good times, they’re worth it,” Ott answered.

“Such a massive loss to the creative life of Northern Arizona. There was no greater champion of ceramics or of the Arts Center,” Holowacz stated on Oct. 14 from his home in Blue Mountains, outside Sydney, Australia. “There was no greater champion of the arts in Sedona, and probably all of Arizona. Dennis defined the Arts Center and what it stood for—and made the ceramics studio a nucleus of new creative possibilities. He had a natural gift for inspiring creative development, leading arts education, and sharing his craft with anybody who walked through the door of the old Art Barn. And over the decades thousands did—always welcomed, nurtured, and (thanks to Dennis Ott), transformed into artists themselves.”

Sedona Arts Center statement

“It is with very heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Dennis Ott,” SAC stated on Oct. 14 “Dennis passed away peacefully at home on Saturday evening. To say that he will be missed is an understatement.

“A beloved, award-winning instructor and head of our ceramics department for 30-plus years, Dennis served on the board and was chair two separate times. He felt so strongly about the future direction of the Arts Center that he recently rejoined the board to help as much as he could.

“Dennis has been a leading and valuable contributor to the greater Sedona community, taking on Loving Bowls, which provided funds to several organizations for 15 years. Dennis has touched countless lives over the years, including all of ours. Dennis has been Sedona Arts Center’s biggest cheerleader and most committed advocate. He was always there to provide a hug or words of encouragement when times were overwhelming or tough. He had a way of always making everything better.

“Our hearts are with his wife Pat and family — they are asking for privacy during this difficult time. There will be a celebration of life in the coming months.

“The Arts Center welcomes his current and former students, fans and community members to provide a tribute page — no larger than 5 inches by 7 inches — that will be compiled into a book to be given to Dennis’ family. You can drop them off at our gallery shop or administrative offices at your convenience.

“Rest in peace, Dennis. We will miss you so.”

The Sedona Arts Center Family

Sedona Arts Center Interview: Talking with Dennis Ott

By Sedona Arts Center Executive Director Eric Holowacz

March 23, 2017

We sat down with our Ceramics Program director, Dennis Ott, to discuss humor, paper routes, doo-wop music, and creative influences in Sedona … A new series of conversations with local creative people compiled by Executive Director, Eric Holowacz, in celebration of Sedona Arts Center’s 60th Anniversary Year.

Let’s start with a very brief description of what you do.

I’m a ceramic artist that loves to push the limits of my creative work, and I’m an educator that loves teaching. I’m also the head of the ceramics department of the Sedona Arts Center and love to share my passion with all the students that cross our threshold.I have helped mold ceramicists that have grown to become successful professionals in Sedona and the Verde Valley.

What cities/towns have you lived in (or spent more than a few months in) beginning with the place of your birth?

I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, and became a resident of Sedona 27 years ago—and I’m still loving it here!

What are the earliest stories you remember hearing? The ones that told you about the world?

When I think back, I can still remember the Bible stories that my mother used to tell me.

What music was present and still memorable from your youth/adolescence?

The thing that automatically comes to mind is doo-wop music from the fifties and sixties! Over the mountain by Johnnie and Joe is my favorite song!

What’s your favorite street, backroad, trail in the Sedona area?

Bell Rock Pathways, and my home street and, of course, Art Barn Road.

For you as a creative person, who are three influential artists or thinkers?

Paul Soldner the ceramic artist is top of the list, then Rodin the sculptor, and the Dutch Masters.

What’s an average day in your life at present?

I get up at the crack of dawn, head to the studio at the Art Barn and get engrossed in clay or teaching for the day. Then I meet with friends to share ideas and libations.

If you went away from the Verde Valley for a long time and then came back, what are the first three things you would do or visit?

I would devour a Sedona Memories sandwich, then visit the Sedona Art Center, and walk the West Fork trail. I love that environment!

If you had to eat the same meal every day, what would it be?

Pizza and salad with a side of peanut butter. Yes, a side of peanut butter (I love the stuff).

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Chocolate.

What are you planning for 2017 that nobody knows about yet?

I will be planning a river cruise in Eastern Europe. Hooray!

Who are your favorite or most admired figures from history?

Martin Luther King, Thomas Jefferson, and Walt Disney

If the Governor asked you to make up a new policy or law for the state, what would it be?

I would guarantee more financial support for the arts. Period.

In one sentence, can you define art?

Evoking emotion, be it good or bad.

Name a few films that you consider profound, moving or extraordinary?

Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, and La La Land

What was your first real job, second, third?

I ran the paper route in a suburban neighborhood in California. That was my first job. Then in college I was a fountain attendant in a major department store, dispensing malts and sweets. I was very popular there. The rest of my work career, until I till I retired, was as General Manager for Save On / Osco Drugs in Southern California.

Where would you like to live, but have yet to?

I would love to live somewhere by the ocean. Maybe Carmel, California. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

What word of advice would you offer an aspiring creative person?

Don’t give up. Ride it out. Wait for the good times, they’re worth it.

Has Sedona Arts Center helped your development in any way? How?

Absolutely—it changed my life. The Arts Center gave me a new way of life and a creative groove that I love dearly. For me, it has been a new creative outlet, and a place of new social interactions, artistic opportunities, community building, and so much more.

Looking back at your teen-age self: what one sentence describes you?

I was always full of humor.

The biggest problem about life in Sedona? How you would solve it?

The biggest challenges are traffic related. As a tourist town it’s a necessary evil, but the roads keep getting more clogged and backed up. Reestablish the road across Oak Creek at Red Rock Crossing, and open up some new entry points…

What is your dream of happiness?

A peaceful world and good health.

What one question would you add to this interview?

What are you going to be in your next life?