Svetozar Radakovich

Svetozar ‘Toza’ Radakovich, recognized for his sculpture and jewelry designs spanning from the 1950s-1980s studied at the Royal Academy of Art in Belgrade and received his Masters of Fine Arts in painting and design in 1939.

From Yugoslavia to Paris, to Copenhagen (among other locales), in 1955 Toza and Ruth Radakovich arrived in New York. They settled in Rochester where the young couple studied metalwork at the School for American Craftsmen and Rochester Institute of Technology. Soon enough they taught painting, drawing and design at the School for American Craftsmen, RIT in 1955 and in early 1956 Toza began teaching metalwork at the University of Rochester's Memorial Art Gallery.

By 1958 they moved to Encinitas, joined the Allied Craftsmen and returned to their design work. In addition to painting and metal work, they learned to work in wood, stained glass, plastics, stone and fiberglass.

In 1961 Toza taught metalwork at the University of Arizona's Southwest Indian Project; and at San Diego State, in 1966, established a course in bronze casting there after learning the process from James Hubbell. As Ruth and Toza's careers at home as designer-craftsmen became more demanding, Toza gave up teaching at SDSU. In the early 1970's he established and taught a jewelry casting class at Palomar College.