Like many people in prison, art is not just an escape, or a means to make a little extra money to buy necessary and desired provisions, but a profound platform for greater self-expression. And for Ronnie Lamont Goodman, a former marathon runner and self-taught artist, he was no exception. Ronnie was an artist in every sense of the word and he embodied an animated “art spirit” up until the day he recently passed away on Thursday August 6th , 2020 less than two weeks after his 60th birthday. By then a homeless artist eking out a living for himself on the streets of the Mission District in San Francisco.
I first met Ronnie briefly during a 1-1/2 year period of volunteering at San Quentin State Prison where he was incarcerated, and was especially enamored by his linocut pieces that often depicted musicians and saxophone players. The second time I met Ronnie in person was after he had been released and at a June 2015 Arts in Corrections Conference: Opportunities for Justice and Rehabilitation that took place in San Francisco, and which I was honored to have the opportunity to attend.
Ronnie’s artwork has been exhibited in a plethora of venues and over the years has received a great deal of press, radio interviews, videos and newspaper articles.
His art is mentioned in PATHS OF DISCOVERY: Art Practice and Its Impact in California Prisons (Second Edition) by Larry Brewster and Peter Merts, as well as a New York Review of Books: MARKING TIME: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration by Nicole R. Fleetwood that just came out this year!
As it turned out, Ronnie’s artwork was about to be in a show at the MOMA PS1 gallery in Queens, NYC, and he was supposed to fly out to NYC for its opening in April, but it got postponed because of Covid.
In remembering Ronnie, who died on the corner of Capp and 16th Streets, I look at something he once said: “I am inspired by the beauty of this city and its diversity, balanced with the struggles of human despair. With my brush, I try to capture these raw emotions in painted images”.
And, that he certainly did! R.I.P. Ronnie!
For more information about Ronnie and his artwork, check out his flickr page
Blessings,
Leslie Lakes, Director
Photos of Ronnie and his street art in San Francisco courtesy of Kerry Rodgers
Ronnie Goodman’s Acrylic Painting; Untitled 2008; San Quentin
Linocut Prints: Ruins of San Quentin