RONDELL CRIER
Chattanooga, Tennessee
2018-2019 Creative Work Grant Creation Investment - Artwork Sustainability
Creative Work Grant recipient 2015, 2016, and 2017-2018
Rondell Crier’s work integrates the practices of art and social activism. He lives in Chattanooga where he founded and directs, Studio Everything, an open door creative resource space welcoming any and all community members to design, build and engage. Crier mentors teens within Studio Everything and he also teaches visual arts to incarcerated youth. Crier’s ongoing large-scale work, Veneration of Loss, is an exploration concerning the impact of murder on communities. As a resident of Chattanooga since 2007, Crier has secured commissions from the city for public sculptures and murals, which have generated income that he has invested back into Studio Everything and Veneration of Loss. With this grant, Crier is creating two new large metal sculptures with the prospect of selling the works to yet again generate revenue to support his social practice.
Crier participated in a residency hosted by Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator in Miami, co-sponsored by the Visual Artists Network in 2017. His work has been exhibited in Prospect.1 and Prospect.4 satellite exhibitions, the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans, and the Guggenheim Museum. Crier served as YAYA’s Co-Director/Creative Director 2001-2013. During his participation in YAYA he worked on many commission projects and received opportunities to travel and exhibit in Japan, Germany, Italy, New York, Holland, and numerous cities across the states. He earned an Associate of the Arts degree from Delgado Community College and also studied art at Dillard University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Crier participated in YAYA young artists’ guild 1990-1995.