Darlene Rzezotarski
Biographical Info Darlene “Lolly” Wesenberg Rzezotarski is a storyteller—through word and clay. She arrived in Milwaukee in 1965, thinking she’d teach here one year to pay back student loans and move on. But something happened: She fell in love with the place. More than fifty years later, she remains involved in writing, teaching, and creating ceramic art. With a master’s degree in comparative literature from UWM, she has taught English for MPS and has shared her love of writing and the creative arts with generations of students. She looks back with gratitude on that day in 1982 when she first put her hands in clay. A coil-pot in the form of a snake emerged. She inscribed the word hiss-story inside. Since then, she has developed her ability to create ceramic sculptures, eventually setting up a home studio and offering hand-building workshops. Her sculptures are described as narrative in nature, anchored in history or myth, often site-specific. She is the author of three books: Trick a Witch, Wed a Hedgehog, Save your Soul: An American Artist Encounters Poland; Memorable Milwaukee: Legendary Tales Depicted in Clay; and Tannenbaum Arms, a novel set in Milwaukee in the Vietnam Era, first appearing in monthly installment form in the Riverwest Currents in 2022.
Level Southeast Wisconsin Chapter
Membership Type Professional