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Bob Ragland House, 1723 E. 25th Ave.
To call this 50 Actions for 50 Places site “Bob Ragland’s home” is a bit of a misnomer. Ragland purchased this 1902 classic cottage in the Whittier neighborhood in 1972. It became his residence, his studio, archives, and also gallery space for Ragland’s art, which was displayed on both the interior and exterior of the home and garden.
Born in 1938 in Cleveland, Ohio, Ragland enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1956 and was stationed at Fort Carson. In 1959, he completed his service and moved to Denver. He eventually quit a job with the United States Postal Service to become an artist full-time. Working in a multitude of artistic styles, Ragland spent his life dedicated to art and to mentoring. He referred to himself as a “non-starving artist,” sloughing off the stale trope while tirelessly teaching up-and-coming artists that art was something that you could do professionally. “You gotta eat and you gotta have heat,” was an oft-repeated refrain. Before his death in April 2021, he shaped generations of artists with his practical approach to marketing art; thanks to sharing his tips and strategies, countless current artists are part of Ragland’s ongoing legacy.
For this article, we spoke to several of the many fellow artists who consider Bob Ragland to be their mentor. Ragland’s art continues to inspire through its whimsical nature, but the true legacy of Bob Ragland is the lessons he shared with local artists.
Michael Gadlin is not only an established visual artist, he also boasts a career in television and nonprofit. Gadlin began his art education at the Art Students League of Denver, followed by Metropolitan State University of Denver, and Pratt Institute of Art & Design in Brooklyn. Gadlin keeps close pace with the fast-evolving arts environment. He sits on the board of directors at MCA Denver (Museum of Contemporary Art) and serves as executive director of PlatteForum, an artist’s residency in the city.
MG: “I first met Bob Ragland at 21 years old right after college at an art show in LoDo. Instead of waiting for a gallery to pick up our art, we used the storefronts at 18th and Blake, in what today would be considered the Dairy Block. This was before Coors Field transformed LoDo, and it was a great spot for emerging artists.”
Darrell Anderson grew up in Five Points and attended East Denver High School. Following graduation, he joined the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam. Upon his return, Anderson became the first male flight attendant employed by Frontier Airlines. He worked at the airline for 12 years, but never gave up on his art. Anderson has his art in the permanent collection at Denver International Airport, as well as the U.S. Customs House in Denver, and in numerous homes and offices all over the world. Like Ragland, he too has begun mentoring up-and-coming artists.
DA: “I first met Bob Ragland when I was 35 years old and felt that Bob’s example of quitting a Postal Service job gave me the courage to eventually leave Frontier Airlines. He’s an artist who gave more than he took, especially when it came to the many artists he mentored.”
Carmen Avila is a photographer and visual artist born in San Diego, California, and raised in Mexico. She fell in love with Denver, where she now resides. She first met Bob Ragland as an employee of Ford Warren Library, located just a few blocks from his home.
CA: “He used to refer to the library as his office, since he was there daily researching artists and refining ways to promote art. We started chatting and sharing stories, and eventually I started to share with Bob my desire to be an artist. He immediately offered to be my mentor, and helped support me when I shared my decision with my family and switched my major to art.”
If the adage in real estate is location, location, location, it might have been marketing, marketing, marketing for Bob Ragland.
MG: “Instead of talking about art and style, like many of my professors in art school, Bob gravitated immediately to the practical and marketing side of the equation. How are you marketing yourself? How are you cultivating donors? How are you doing all that you can to make this a career?”
DA: “Bob had simple principles when it came to art: ‘Have no fear in what you want to approach, do what you want.’ But he was adamant that proper marketing was the key to being a successful artist. If Bob were here today, he’d still ask me if I had my business cards on me.”
In fact, every one of Bob’s mentees shared that he frequently asked them where their business cards were, among ideas to increase public awareness of them and their work.
Bob shared and talked a lot, but he also demonstrated his principles to up-and-coming artists by following his own advice. His extensive Art Mail program is a good example of how to keep personal connections with people. Each of the panelists told us about receiving mail from Bob. His letters were unique in both their content and the fact that the envelopes were richly decorated, making each letter with encouraging words or newspaper clipping he sent into a work of art.
DA: “Bob dedicated a large part of his day to keeping in correspondence. The practice of using the postal service to connect with his mentees, collectors, and fellow artists garnered him respect from some of the biggest name artists of his day.”
MG: “It wasn’t about the art: it was about lifting each other up.”
CA: “Bob was always sending me articles, and asking the same question: ‘Are you still promoting your art?’ ”
Gadlin once made the mistake of asking Bob how his painting was going, and Bob, always the teacher, replied, “I paint when I want to paint. Don’t worry about the art, focus on marketing.” This differed from the approach of many in the art world who shied away from talking about how to make a living.
Bob loved to paint, but he also loved to tell young artists to make their own path and cheer them on every step of the way.
CA: “Bob was very blunt. He liked to tell you how it was and wasn’t afraid to break the rules, but he never contradicted himself. His guidance was consistent and really stuck with you. He took a less traditional path with his art and started by selling artwork in church basements. He also diversified his artistic style and worked in many different mediums.”
MG: “In Denver at the time [early- to mid-1990s] there weren’t many Black artists, so Bob and Darrell became leaders within a small community. Instead of a ‘crabs in a barrel’ mentality, they created a sense of community that diffused competition and focused on helping one another.
Bob was at every one of my shows, talks, speaking events, even times when I neglected to formally invite him. One time I was giving a talk at the Denver Public Library, and I didn’t even expect Bob to be there. He comes in, sets up a tripod and starts taking photographs of the event. I asked after what the photos were for, and he had the foresight to know to take promotion photos for future PR ventures, giving me the simple answer, ‘If you ain’t doing it, who is?’
Bob’s success wasn’t based on asking for permission, instead it was about helping artists get out of their own way and promote themselves through good marketing practices.”
DA: “The thing about Bob’s mentoring legacy is, I consider Bob a mentor, and I’ve continued to mentor local artists. I was just checking in on a 22-year-old I’ve been mentoring, and he just finished school and moved to New York to focus exclusively on his design work. So the legacy continues, even though Bob is no longer here.”
Avila was one of the driving forces behind the naming of the Bob Ragland Branch Library, a brand-new branch that opened in RiNo Art Park less than a year after Ragland’s death. When Denver Public Library announced a naming competition, she wrote a paper about his life, went door-to-door through the neighborhood letting them know about the process, made pins, connected with Ragland’s family, and used social media to ensure the honor went to his legacy.
CA: “Bob always carried a pen and wrote down his ideas. When I visited his home and saw his bathroom, there were quotes all over the walls of thoughts and ideas that had come to him.”