Above you see a lovely video tribute to the late Pittsburgh artist, Jerry Caplan, put together, and with music by, my friend, the Maestro, Chuck Biel.

Jerry Caplan is known for creating experimental multimedia sculptures utilizing clay, industrial ceramic pipes, metal hardware, and more.  He is celebrated and studied for his invention of techniques and processes and passed on his knowledge during an extensive teaching career. His drawings and paintings are equally impressive.

Caplan served in the 84th Engineer Battalion, where he helped manufacture and photograph dummy boats, tanks, and other military machinery as part of the Ghost Army project, which I have written about in PopCult before.

 His work as an artist was innovative and inspiring, and he deserves to be more well-known outside of Pittsburgh.

Among his notable achievements, he developed many processes for working with clay, one he named “reduction stenciling.” Utilizing the potential of the raku firing’s reduction process, he developed a stencil technique to control the black patterning on a clay surface. Also, as the son of Ukrainian Jewish Immigrants, Caplan was also recognized for his creative work with in the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

He is also known for the delightful Pittsburgh People fountain tryptich (which apparently doesn’t include water anymore), which is a wonderful installation in Downtown Pittsburgh.