John Otte’s Obituary

Artist, curator, deejay and installation specialist, John August Otte, III, departed this world on Wednesday, October 3, 2012.  Otte was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia on May 24, 1963, and was raised in Atlanta, Georgia where he attended the Westminster Schools.  During his youth, John sang with the renowned Atlanta B\oy Choir, allowing him his first international experiences at a young age.  He travelled to Rome, Italy, amongst other European cities, where the choir twice sang for Pope John Paul II.  During his senior year of high school at Westminster, John had his first solo art exhibition, which certainly inspired his future as an artist.

Otte consciously eschewed a traditional collegiate education and instead chose to take classes of his choosing at both New York University and Princeton University, while also studying at Empire State College.  But it was his life experience in the New York City art world in the 1980’s that shaped his career, most importantly assisting contemporary painter Gary Stephan and silkscreen printmaker Donald Sheridan.  During these years John created his own paintings that embodied a mix of elements and motifs from Renaissance painting, graffiti, photography and abstraction, reimagined into a unique form. Possessing an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, his New York education included frequenting every museum, art show and lecture that he could attend.  He continually sought rich insight from the lifelong friendships he cultivated in New York.

During these years John created the iconic Mr. Suave, a refined graphic aesthetic that reinterpreted and combined elements of popular culture in new and often contradictory forms.  An example is John’s camouflage hat with a target patch on it, conflating both hunter and hunted.

After twelve years in New York City, Otte returned home to Atlanta where he fine-tuned his style while spending time with his ailing beloved grandfather, Marion Whaley.  John’s New York influenced approach became infused with his new, yet old Southern surroundings and so began his journey to harness both aesthetics within one palette.  At this time John began deejaying.  Soon his curatorial work would also embody his zest for connecting people, creating visual art forms and his love for music.

For instance, John created a sound installation in a small, urban, wooded park in Atlanta.  He broadcast audio captured in the swamps of Jean Lafitte National Park, infusing the rich, raw nature of rural Louisiana into the urban, yet natural setting of an Atlanta park, blending the context of swamp and city, Louisiana and Georgia, reality and imagination.

Otte’s strong attachment to New Orleans was formed during his trips to visit his younger sister, Susannah, who attended college there.  After making a strong mark on the arts and culture of Atlanta through his multi-faceted work as a deejay, visual artist, curator and installation specialist, Otte moved to New Orleans where he pushed his aesthetic even further, curating arguably the most notable satellite exhibitions of both Prospect.1 and Prospect.2 Biennials.  His most satisfying curatorial work was his Prospect.2 show, “Constant Abrasive Irritation Produces A Disease Of The Oyster,” –Lenny Bruce, at The Pearl Lounge in the Bywater neighborhood.  This work involved an international roster of both well-known and emerging artists, creating a masterful tapestry of mainly video art amidst the ruin and rubble of an 1800’s house.  His own art works were included in the show as well.

Otte’s sudden and tragic death leaves a mark on the art world, where he had many more shows planned, young artists to nourish, art to create and ideas to inspire.  His departure from this world has left a deep scar on his family and friends.  John marched to the beat of his own drum: loving deeply, living freely and without compromise.  A common sentiment of his bereaved friends and family is that he lived true to his heart.  His kindness and generosity spanned both his personal and professional worlds.  Otte was known for being a friend you could always call upon, and the nicest guy you could ever hope to know.  His spirit was quickly apparent upon meeting him, and his sudden absence has stolen the world of some of its vibrancy.  A star dims to all who were fortunate to have seen it in the sky, however briefly, and each of us is bound to notice a change in the light.  He will be missed deeply and never forgotten.

John leaves behind his grieving family: mother, Susan Bridges of Atlanta, sister Caroline Bridges Driebe of Atlanta and her husband Charles Driebe, sister Susannah Bridges Burley of New Orleans and her husband David Burley, and their newborn son Sidney Burley, half-brother Clay Otte of Tampa, and half-sister Stacey Otte Berryman of Tampa.The family would like to thank those who have expressed their condolences.   A private memorial service is to be held in New Orleans, and the date for a public memorial service is to be announced on this blog soon.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to one of the two memorial funds that John’s family has established in his name:

In honor of his rich life, a scholarship has been created at the middle/high school NOCCA, New Orleans Center For Creative Arts.  This scholarship will benefit the training of a visual arts/installation student.  The family intends to continue this scholarship in perpetuity.  NOCCA Institute, 2800 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70118.  Please write on the subject line: John Otte Scholarship Fund and include your address so the school can acknowledge your gift.

Also in honor of John, an alumnus of the Atlanta Boy Choir, a memorial fund has been created to further the artistic efforts of the boy choir, which played a large part in his life as a young boy.  Atlanta Boy Choir, PO Box 8583, Atlanta, GA 31106, info@atlantaboychoir.org, 404 983 7933.