Terry Ratliff
You gotta ask yourself: Is there an inherent problem with the whatzup polling procedures regarding the Whammy awards for best visual artist? With all the local talent - even beyond the year's nominees like Tom Keesee, Julia Meek and Mee Kyung Shim - how come painter Terry Ratliff continues to reel in however many consecutive Whammys?
Is it because voters eat lots of pasta and drink lots of Italian wine in the ambiance of the Casaburo family's restaurants? Does he scour the obits and capture the votes of the recently deceased? Maybe he gets volume discounts at Kinko's and duplicates ballots. Or, you need to ask, does owning a RatArt T-shirt inherently turn voters into indebted zombies?
No ... no, the answer is that he's a well recognized artist (a painter, graphic artist and theatre set designer) with an abundance of talent. Ironically, any knocks on him may spring from his success. As his detractors point out, his talents arent always spread evenly throughout his prolific output (nobody hits a homer every at bat). His acceptance appears to stem from his being a marquee name plus being an appealing, popular guy. And popular taste, like cream, rises to the surface.
whatzup pollsters may differ, but the idea of rating the merit of visual artists by sheer quantitative measures is wrought with difficulties and ripe for debate. Eclectic taste and qualitative judgment are tossed aside in the rush to determine a "winner." Being ranked fifth out of a list of 20 influential artists on each of 50 ballots will vault that choice to the top of any survey, i.e. that
particular choice is no one's favorite but accumulates enough chads (hanging or otherwise) to be declared the "best."
Understand here that I am in no way demeaning Ratliff's stature in local circles nor belittling his individual worth, which has been previously noted as being immense. Likewise to the whatzup pollsters, I don't want to diminish your valuable efforts to showcase the work of performers and artists. I guess I just feel for the other established and emerging artists who aptly deserve recognition.
The 37-year-old Ratliff, himself, is quick to concur.
"I'm never quite sure how to accept the awards," he explained a few days after picking up his fourth Whammy last Thursday. "In some ways it is with some reluctance, and I feel a little weird. In many ways I'm in awe of the other artists ... Michael Poorman, Karen Moriarty and David Krouse.
"At the same time I'm thrilled to receive the recognition. The publicity is certainly a positive part of it. It's not easy to come by in a smaller market, and [the publicity] helps generate contacts and possibilities for work. I guess I feel, if anything, that I represent local artists, and that's humbling."
For those unfamiliar with Ratliffs work, it's become a mainstay at Casa Mare and Casa Grille and adds to the flavor of what was once Harvey's and is now Ernie's in Riviera Plaza. His work is regularly shown at the Castle Gallery and at Artlink, as well as at his own studio/gallery at 1020 West Washington. He also has a burgeoning commercial career, taking on assignments from ad agencies. Others may have seen his stage work for the Arena Theater where he last did the set for Mousetrap.
As one of the winners of Artlink's juried regional show last fall, he'll be featured there in September and is currently preparing an exhibition for installation at Henry's next month.
"I'm excited about Henry's. I'm planning some raw pieces where it's as much about the pencil lines as it is about the paint ... not as refined as some of my other work," he said.
Therein lays Ratliffs genius. He's willing, even enthusiastic about trying out new ways to express his ideas and feelings. Being in some ways "all over the place" defies strict classification in art appreciation terms. Not a copyist, he does examine and study the works of other artists. He's particularly fond of the German Expressionists like Edvard Munch, Max Beckman, Georges Rouault and Emil Nold among others.
"My subject matter and form come to me as I attempt to express, symbolize or draw what I'm feeling. My work isn't so much about what I intend but more like what I feel. And that changes. If I had to do just still lives or portraits or whatever, I simply couldn't do it for long. I crave change."
Because of his recognition, Ratliff, like many of his contemporaries, is constantly being hit upon to contribute pieces to a wide variety of charitable, fundraising events.
"It's a way to contribute something back to the community," he explained, "I'm happy to be able to do so for the right causes - The March of Dimes, the AIDS Coalition and the Fort Wayne Ballet."
Down the road, Ratliff is pondering with some friends a project that involves art education and the potential for a sort of art collective for younger artists in inner city.
I've never lost my interest in education and sharing. Maybe some day I'll go back into academics and get a Masters," he added.
Given his current schedule that may be a bit away. In the interim we'll just have to be satisfied with his 'undoctored' view of the world.
by David Tanner
News Feed
Downtown Improvement District1 day |
How great is Buskerfest? There is so much fun we had to add bring a Jumbo Tron! Free and fun for ALL ages, today 4-10 @ Wayne & Calhoun.
Mitchell's Sports Bar & Neighborhood Grill2 days |
Join us tonite for The Why Store 10pm-2am $5.00 cover starting at 9:30. and also stop in early for our famous fish special $10.99 kids are welcome until 9:30 see ya soon!!!
Downtown Improvement District2 days |
Tomorrow is the day the Buskers of Fort Wayne will fill the streets at Wayne & Calhoun! Unique performances and fun for ages. 4 pm-10 pm
Mitchell's Sports Bar & Neighborhood Grill3 days |
Mitchell's will be hosting acoustic music with Jon Durnell on our patio tonite from 7-10 pm. We also have our famous 50 cent wings froom 5-10 pm. and as always our $2 Mitchell lager.
Mitchell's Sports Bar & Neighborhood Grill3 days |
Jon Durnell is on our patio tonite. Come check him out 7-10pm. $2 Mitchell's lager is always cold and refreshing.
Embassy Theatre3 days |
TONIGHT: The Cameraman with Buster Keaton. 7 p.m. B&W film series at the Embassy.
Downtown Improvement District3 days |
How much fun are the Kitchen Table Players? You won't want to miss today's Lunch on the Plaza. Friemann Square 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Downtown Improvement District4 days |
Downtown Fort Wayne is bursting with conviviality on this first week of summer. Lunch on the Plaza is Thursday and Buskerfest on Saturday!
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton5 days |
Pick up tickets at all three Wooden Nickel Records locations for the following upcoming concerts at the Foellinger Theatre today!
Fort Wayne Civic Theatre5 days |
Tickets for Beauty And The Beast are on sale now! Show runs weekends July 22 to August 6.
Downtown Improvement District5 days |
This Saturday Buskerfest will fill the streets of Wayne & Calhoun from 4pm-10pm. Admission is free!! Fun for all ages.
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton1 wk |
Just in at Wooden Nickel Records! The brand new album from former Drive-By-Trucker Jason Isbell with his new band 400 Unit!
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton1 wk |
STEVE EARLE FANS! Steve has just released a new album with his band The Dukes called "So You Wanna An Outlaw"! Pick it up at Wooden Nickel!
Downtown Improvement District1 wk |
Lunch on the Plaza today! 11:30-1:30. Stop at one of our great Downtown restaurants on the way to grab your lunch!
Downtown Improvement District1 wk |
Buskerfest is just 10 days away! This FREE festival is a crowd favorite and is sure the be fun for all ages! June 24th 4pm-10pm.
Downtown Improvement District1 wk |
Come enjoy fun, food, and Renee Gonzales & Friends at Lunch on the Plaza tomorrow at Freimann Sqaure. The fun begins at 11:30am!
Castle Gallery Fine Art1 wk |
Castle Gallery is featuring "The Art of Summer" running through July. This show emphasizes the colorful palette of summer. Stop by!!
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton1 wk |
BLACK KEYS AND DAN AUERBACH FANS! Nine time Grammy Award winning artist Dan Auerbach has a new album NOW in stock at Wooden Nickel Records!
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton2 wks |
"Trane: The Atlantic Collection" is an excellent introduction to John Coltrane's Atlantic years. In stock NOW at all three Wooden Nickel"s!
Three Rivers Festival2 wks |
Can you believe we are less than a month away from the 49th annual Three Rivers Festival?
Downtown Improvement District2 wks |
Join us today for Lunch on the Plaza with our guest APQ- Alicia Pyle Quartet and a chance to win lunch! The fun will be from 11:30-1:30.
C2G Music Hall3 wks |
Join Sunny Taylor for Fort Wayne's best OPEN MIC NIGHT on Monday, June 5th beginning at 7:30pm. Canned food donation at the door. Be there!
Rusty Spur Saloon3 wks |
SUMMER SPECIAL!!! WEDNESDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY .25 CENT BOTTLE BEER!!!
whatzup3 wks |
Today's issue is on the stands now. Go pick yours up. Now!
Rusty Spur Saloon3 wks |
TONIGHT AT THE RUSTY SPUR HOUSE BAND SEARCH NIGHT #5 NO COVER CHARGE , COME VOTE FOR YOUR BAND! 8PM -11PM
Showgirl 33 wks |
TONIGHT AT SHOWGIRL 3 .25 CENT LONGNECK BOTTLES!!! EVERY THURSDAY!
Downtown Improvement District3 wks |
Join us in beautiful Downtown Fort Wayne for Lunch on the Plaza today at 11:30am!
Downtown Improvement District3 wks |
2017 Lunch on the Plaza kicks off today! Come Chow-Down...Town and enter to win a Downtown gift card PLUS enter to win the Grand Prize!
Downtown Improvement District3 wks |
Join us for the season opener of Lunch on the Plaza tomorrow from 11:30am-1:30pm at Freimann Square!!! We can't wait to see you!
whatzup4 wks |
Steve Miller Band at the Foellinger Sept. 20. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 2.
Three Rivers Festival4 wks |
Only 42 days until the Three Rivers Festival returns to the heart of Downtown Fort Wayne!
whatzup4 wks |
Did you pick up this week's whatzup yet?
whatzup1 month |
Pick up this week's whatzup at over 350 locations in the Fort Wayne area.
Three Rivers Festival1 month |
The 49th annual Three Rivers Festival is only 43 days away!
Downtown Improvement District1 month |
Lunch on the Plaza will kick off on Thursday, June 1st 11:30am-1:30pm at Freimann Square. Hope to see you there!
whatzup1 month |
Looking for a movie tonite? Go here: https://whatzup.com/movies
Showgirl 31 month |
EVERY THURSDAY AT SHOWGIRL III IS QUARTER BEER NIGHT!!! STARTING AT 5PM EVERY THURSDAY!!!
Rusty Spur Saloon1 month |
HAPPY WEDNESDAY! It's quarter beer night at The Rusty Spur starting at 5:00!
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton1 month |
THIS SATURDAY AT 1 PM! WOODEN NICKEL RECORDS RETAIL RELEASE IN-STORE WITH PIPER & THE OLIVES AT OUR NORTH ANTHONY STORE! SEE YOU THERE!
whatzup1 month |
Doc on ZZ Top: https://youtu.be/Q7Mz8XFMdy4
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton1 month |
Fort Wayne favorite The Dead Daisies have just released a brand new 16 track live album available NOW at all three Wooden Nickel locations!
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton1 month |
NOW all three Wooden Nickel Records locations! The brand new album from Fort Wayne's own alt-rockers Horizon Arcs "Anybody Listening"!
Big Dick and the Penetrators1 month |
Wacky Jac's-Angola this coming Saturday with BDP 9:30-1:30 come Rock a while 5/20/17
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton1 month |
Kansas tonight at 8 PM, Foellinger Theatre! Wooden Nickel will be working the merch booth-stop by and say hi!
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton1 month |
The Fort's own Piper & the Olives will be at Wooden Nickel Sat. May 27th at 1 PM for their new CD release party and performance! Stop by!
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton1 month |
LEFT LANE CRUISER FANS! NOW Available at all three Wooden Nickel Records locations! "Claw Machine Wizard" is out today!
C2G Music Hall1 month |
Watch for the return of The Mersey Beatles on October 14, 2017. Tickets will go on sale soon.
Mad Anthony Brewing Co.1 month |
$1.00 off Unwraps 11am to 4pm today!
whatzup1 month |
If you're a band or musician and want to post here, email us at info.whatzup@gmail.com.
Allen County Public Library, Downtown1 month |
Rock the Plaza kicks off Saturday, June 10th, 6:00 pm with: Overlook, Diamond Solitaire, Alex & the XOs, & Joey O Band
Fort Wayne Civic Theatre1 month |
Only a handful of tickets left for our performances of The Little Mermaid this weekend! They ARE going to sell out!
Fort Wayne Dance Collective1 month |
Don't miss Fort Wayne Taiko at Cherry Blossom Festival and Choreographer's Lab Performances THIS weekend!! http://fwdc.org/watch/
all for One Productions1 month |
Only 3 more performances of A Wrinkle in Time! Friday/Saturday 7:30 pm, Sunday 2:30 pm. Get your tickets today! www.tickets.artstix.org
whatzup1 month |
Want a sneak peak at this week? https://whatzup.com/issue/170504_peach
whatzup1 month |
Doc West on Chicago. https://youtu.be/Ob73a7vlUpg
Wooden Nickel Music Store, North Clinton1 month |
Purchase 6 or more Foellinger Theatre concert tickets at Wooden Nickel Records and receive a FREE Wooden Nickel T-Shirt!
Fort Wayne Civic Theatre1 month |
Tickets are going fast for The Little Mermaid! Some performances are SOLD OUT already. Saturday matinee added on May 5 (2pm)!
whatzup1 month |
Real time advertiser alerts coming to this space soon!
whatzup2nite
Monday, June 26
Click on the headings below for full calendars
Scratch N Sniff w/1/4 Kit Kurt — Variety at Deer Park Irish Pub, Fort Wayne, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., no cover, 432-8966
Fort Wayne Karaoke — Karaoke at Latch String Bar & Grill, Fort Wayne, 10 p.m., no cover, 483-5526
Fort Wayne Karaoke w/TJ — Variety at Office Tavern, Fort Wayne, 9 p.m., no cover, 478-5827
Three Rivers Karaoke w/Rob — at Wrigley Field Bar & Grill, Fort Wayne, 10 p.m., no cover, 485-1038
AUDITIONS
Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (Sept. 7-23) — Auditions for five actors to play nearly 40 roles in comedic adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles, 7-9 p.m. Monday, June 26, First Presbyterian Theater, Fort Wayne, Murphy27A@gmail.com
Beautiful and Obsolete: Obituaries for the Machine Age — Works from Fort Wayne painter and printmaker Kay Gregg that explore once ubiquitous mechanical equipment made obsolete by the digital revolution, daily thru Sept. 1, Franco D’Agostino Art Gallery, Academic Center, Indiana Tech, Fort Wayne, 399-2826
Flourish — Katherine Rorschacher works that juxtapose digital icons over floral imagery, Fridays and Saturday-Thursday by appointment thru Aug. 18, The Gallery at Pranayoga, Fort Wayne, 423-9642
Fort Wayne Artist Guild’s May Exhibitions — Works by Alice Siefert at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Doni Adam at Allen County Retinal Surgeons, Karen Bixler at Citizens Square (2nd floor), Darlene Selzer Miller at Citizens Square (3rd floor), Linda Hall and Susan Wenger at The Einhaus Group for Women’s Health, Jessie Strock at Ophthalmology Consultants (Southwest), Joel Alwine and John Kelty at Ophthalmology Consultants (North), Judi Renkenberger at Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Wayne, Emily Jane Butler at ResCare Inc. Adult Day Service, Karen Harvey at Town House Retirement, Barb Yoder at Visiting Nurse Hospice and Toni McAlhany and Randy Roberts at Will Jewelers, thru June 30, fortwayneartistguild.org.
Glass: A Medium in Art and Automobiles — Dale Chihuly blown glass and fiberglass auto, daily thru Sept. 8, Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, Auburn, $7.50-$12.50, 925-1444
Water — Works from themed art competition, daily thru July 24 (reception 7 p.m. Monday, July 24), Clark Gallery, Honeywell Center, Wabash, 563-1102
