Ronnie Goodman

Ronnie Goodman (died 7 August 2020) was a homeless artist who lived on the streets of San Francisco, California. Goodman became a beloved and enigmatic local celebrity after the quality of his artwork gained recognition. He is also known as a distance runner who competed in local marathons. Goodman’s character, artwork and biography which appeared in newspapers, Runner’s World magazine and documentaries, helped humanize the homeless crisis in San Francisco.[1][2] Goodman died in his encampment in the Mission District of San Francisco on August 7, 2020. He was 60 years old.

Biography

Goodman was born in Los Angeles and moved to San Francisco when he was a baby. He grew up in a low income San Francisco housing project near Jefferson Square Park.[3] Goodman had a difficult childhood and suffered from drug and alcohol addiction.

Eventually, Goodman was sentenced to prison for burglary. While serving between 6 to 8 years in San Quentin Prison, he rediscovered running and he developed his art.

Though he ran track as a child, he stopped around the age of 14.[4] While in prison, Goodman joined San Quentin State Prison’s 1,000 Mile Club inmate group that runs around a quarter-mile loop in the prison yard. He credited running with eventually helping him to break his alcohol and drug addictions. After being released from prison, Goodman continued to run long distance. After organizers of the San Francisco Marathon read a profile of Goodman in the San Francisco Chronicle Homeless S.F. marathoner doesn't run from his problems[5], marathon organizers reached out to Goodman to help. Goodman made a painting for the cause and they sold raffle tickets to win the painting. For every $10 donated to Hospitality House Community Arts Program, donors got a chance to win a piece of Goodman’s art.[6] Goodman’s raffle raised almost $10,000 for Hospitality House Community Arts Program.[7]

Also while in prison, Goodman developed his portrait drawing. He attended San Quentin Arts in Corrections Program taught by Art Hazelwood. When he was released from prison, Goodman took classes at City College of San Francisco and created work at the Hospitality House.

Ronnie’s son, Ronnie Jr, was also an artist. He was a graffiti artist known as Papa Mire and he worked on the murals in the Mission district. Ronnie Jr was stabbed to death in 2014.[8]  

Appearances and Profiles

Ronnie Goodman was profiled in the book Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration written by Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood, Professor of American Studies and Art History at Rutgers University.[9] Goodman’s artwork was also included in the Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration exhibition curated by Fleetwood and presented at the MoMA PS1 in NY.

His work was presented at the Georgia Museum of Art: Art Hazelwood and Ronnie Goodman: Speaking to the Issues.[10]

A documentary short by David Swope about Goodman titled Good Man - A Prison Arts Project Story was an Official Selection for the Mill Valley Film Festival.[11]

The San Francisco Marathon created a video profile of Goodman titled Every Runner Has A Reason. The video became a viral success on YouTube and garnered over 300,000 views.[12]

gollark: WRONG!
gollark: The PotatOS privacy policy (https://osmarks.tk/p3.html) also applies.
gollark: [REDACTED]
gollark: Go write some.
gollark: Heptagons.

References
  1. O'Connor, Lydia (2014-12-03). "San Francisco Ads Aim To Reveal Who Homeless People Really Are". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  2. Curiel, Jonathan (2019-06-12). "Ronnie Goodman, Street Surrealist". SF Weekly. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  3. "Memorial service for homeless artist Ronnie Goodman at Capp and 16th Streets". Mission Local. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  4. Wade, Alison (2014-06-18). "San Francisco Marathon, Homeless Runner Partner on Fundraising". Runner's World. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  5. Fagan, Kevin (2014-04-19). "Homeless S.F. marathoner doesn't run from his problems". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  6. "#RunWithRonnie: Homeless Artist to Run in San Francisco Marathon". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  7. Schempp, Austin (2014-07-28). "Homeless Runner Raises $10,000 At San Francisco Half Marathon". Runner's World. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  8. "Father & Son Artists by Jeanne Hallacy 2014-12-09". Vimeo. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  9. Fleetwood, Nicole R. (2020-04-28). "Creation in Confinement: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  10. "Art Hazelwood and Ronnie Goodman: Speaking to the Issues". Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  11. "Tell your story today with 6 Feet Away Films". Swope Creative. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  12. "Every Runner Has A Reason by Heist | Short Film". Short of the Week. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
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