Remembering Artist Jeff Schlanger

This past week, our community mourned the loss of pioneering artist Jeff Schlanger.

We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jeff Schlanger, one of the earliest Clay Art Center Artists and a pioneer of ceramics and performance painting. After arriving in Port Chester in 1958, Jeff worked side by side with Clay Art Center founder Henry Okamoto for years as artists, friends, and believers in the transformative possibilities of clay. In 2022, Jeff played a key role in developing Homage to Henry, an intimate exhibition at Clay Art Center dedicated to the founder's work. In 2026, Jeff generously gifted his piece Portrait of Henry Okamoto to Clay Art Center so that future generations would remember Henry and his contributions to the ceramics field and his inexhaustible support of ceramic artists for more than thirty years.

Born in New York in 1937, Jeff graduated from LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and studied at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan under Maija Grotell. He later co-authored a book with fellow Cranbrook student Toshiko Takaezu about Grotell, titled “Maija Grotell: Works Which Grow From Belief”. As a ceramic artist, Jeff understood the tactile immediacy and spirit of clay, as well as the value of organizations like Clay Art Center as conduits for creativity, saying, “There must always be a place for people of all backgrounds to come and experiment with clay.”

Portrait of Henry Okamoto remains on permanent view at Clay Art Center, serving as a testament to the spirit of Jeff Schlanger as an artist, Henry Okamoto as a founder, and the enduring friendship and dedication they shared.