Meet the Maker

Jay Bolotin was born in rural Kentucky and lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for a large portion of his life. Bolotin studied sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design, but was also deeply drawn to literature and storytelling. During his life he regularly crossed disciplines, including music, theater, literature, and film. Having just recently been introduced to some of his work, I am truly inspired by the dedication to his craft and his impeccable ability to express his vision.

Early in life, he was deeply inspired by the drawings of Giacometti during an outing with his aunt at The Chicago Art Institute. He remembers the empty space of the drawings "being alive and full of myth and thought". One can see the way both artists approached mark-making and how their process became part of their artistic stories. In an interview, Bolotin once explained while expressing his creativity, the "presence of text and imagery provides a story mode" and that "art and writing are the same marks". Having the visual of language perhaps allows the viewer to be a part of the story he is telling with each piece.

Image: Jay Bolotin in his Cincinnati studio, 2023. Photo credit: Michael Solway

Jay Bolotin: A Jackleg Testament, currently showing at the UK Art Museum (Lexington, KY) through July, includes a variety of Bolotin's work encompassing his prints (wood/intaglio etchings), drawings, sculptures, sets, and film. The selection of woodcut prints on view are from the body of work titled The Jackleg Testament, Part I: Jack & Eve (2004-5). Parts of these prints, along with sculptural sets, music, and more were morphed together by Bolotin to create his feature-length film, titled The Jackleg Testament, Part 2: The Book of Only Enoch, which is a sequel to The Jackleg Testament Part I: The Story of Jack and Eve (2007). Viewing all of these pieces in person, one can see the love Bolotin showed in creating visual intricacy of textures within his woodcuts as well as his sculpted multi-media sets.

Image: University of Kentucky webpage, 2025

Sets

Bolotin had a unique way of combining random materials, including natural elements and found objects, to create the sculptural sets for his movies.

Image: Crimson Duvall, 2025

Minature Worlds

Every single surface of these sets have had attention to detail that enable us to envision ourselves being able to roam around in these small-scale towns.

Image: Crimson Duvall, 2025

Visuals

The way the exhibition includes examples of Bolotin's two-dimensional prints that were scanned digitally to be used in the film, allows the viewer to peek behind the scenes.

Image: University of Kentucky website, 2025

Prints

Bolotin once said he loved to work with wood cuts because "Words cut into the wood seemed to acheive an education and a right to exsist". Standing in the gallery looking at these prints, one could spend hours inspecting each carved texture and word, getting lost in the contrast of the black inks and bright whites of the paper.

Images: Crimson Duvall, 2025

Video Clips

Bolotin created his own style of animated films combining his visual art, stop-motion techniques, and digital software. He worked non-stop on this film during these past few years of his life, performing multiple roles in production, including: visual artist, writer, actor, composer, director, and cinematographer. While he didn't get to fully finish his vision of this second film before his death this summer, the completed sequences showing in this exhibition allow the viewer to be immersed in the story and be inspired by a person who saw the world in a very unique way. 

Clips: Crimson Duvall, University of Kentucky, 2025