Title: Dolores Fortuna, Professional Potter. Galena, Illinois
Speakers: Dolores Fortuna, Meredith McGriff, Nancy Groce
Series: America Works
Date: February 10, 2022
Running Time: 10:26 minutes
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Description:
The respected profession potter Dolores Fortuna, head of Fortuna Pottery in Galena, Illinois, is interviewed in her studio by folklorist Meredith McGriff. Fortuna, whose career includes teaching at the Art Institute of Chicago, talks about how she discovered her love of pottery as a student at University of Chicago. She recalls how she was instrumental in creating cooperative networks and studio spaces for artists in Chicago and Virginia, and how, when she moved to Galena about 20 years ago, she worked with the area’s large community of potters to establish annual “pottery tours.” These tours bring members of the public—who are also potential customers--directly into scores of potters’ studios. She speaks eloquently about what being an artist means to her. As Fortuna speaks, you can hear the gentle hiss of her kiln as it cycles on and off in the background.
