RONTHERIN RATLIFF
New Orleans, LA
2024-2025 Grant A Poem, A Work of Art, A Story Told
Grant 2015, 2016, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2023-2024
Rontherin Ratliff is a multimedia artist who primarily works as a sculptor. Inspired by iron work on the buildings of French and Spanish origin in New Orleans, as well as the summers he spent working as a renovation carpenter alongside his father in his youth, he utilizes architectural materials and domesticated objects to create works of art. Some themes he explores include external versus internal, the burdens of sociocultural constructs, love, loss, fear, and notions of security and morality. Sometimes, he works to highlight the message he receives from a found object, while other times he seeks out objects to tell a particular story. “My work blends functionality, aesthetics, context, and associations to address subjects of loneliness, homesickness, memory, and transcendence,” reflects Ratliff. “My experience as an artist has set me on the path to find ways in which art can be a tool for healing.”
This grant will support Ratliff in accomplishing the goal of creating Volume 1 of nine artist catalogs he dreams of producing. “These catalogs will consist of a 144 line poem that is paired with artwork. Each volume will include 16 lines of the 144 line poem and 16 works of art. Once all 9 volumes are completed they will be combined into a box-set,” he explains. The creation of Volume 1 will serve as a catalyst for pursuing out-of-state exhibit opportunities, artist talks and workshops, and distributing the catalog to museum gift shops and gallery book stores. The idea reflects Ratliff’s dedication to sustaining himself through his creativity. He practices looking inward to find the value within himself and strives to make art that helps others see their own
value.
Rontherin Ratliff first joined the YAYA Guild in 1995.