Ken Bortolazzo is a sculptor from Santa Barbara, California, known for his work in kinetic and optikinetic stainless steel sculptures. ^{[1] [2]}

While studying at Santa Barbara City College, Bortolazzo learned how to weld from Julio Agostini, and apprenticed with painter Kenneth Noland. ^[3] When New York sculptor George Rickey opened his Santa Barbara workshop, Bortolazzo was hired as his studio assistant, ^{[4] [5] [6]} and eventually he evolved into Rickey's acknowledged colleague. ^[7] After Rickey's death, Bortolazzo became a conservationist for the Rickey estate. ^[8]

Bortolazzo's sculptures are included in corporate collections, ^[9] including the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington. ^[10]

A sculpture by Bortolazzo was placed in Century City, California in front of Century Plaza Towers. ^[11] Another can be seen on the Westmont College campus. ^[12]

Bortolazzo's work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Outdoor Arts. ^{[2] [8]}

In 2023 and 2025 Bortolazzo's work was included in shows to raise money for Ganna Walska's botanic garden Lotusland in Montecito, California. ^{[13] [14]}

In 2006 sculptures by Bortolazzo were displayed along Santa Barbara's State Street in a joint project between the city and county of Santa Barbara. ^[15] Also in 2006 Westmont College held a solo show entitled "Ken Bortolazzo: Retrospective". ^{[15] [16]}

In 2003 a sculpture by Bortolazzo was placed in front of PTI Technologies in Oxnard, California. It was chosen from 800 entries as part of the city's Art in Public Places Program. ^[17]

A collection of Bortolazzo's puzzles from the 1980s are housed at Indiana University Bloomington in the Jerry Slocum Mechanical Puzzle Collection in the Lilly Library. ^[18]

Bortolazzo is one of the artists featured in Tina Skinner's book, "100 Artist of the West Coast II". ^[19] Bortolazzo is also included in Mark Robert Halper's book, "Between Seer and Seen: Celebrating the Artists of Santa Barbara County". ^[20]

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