Ronald Coalson Jr. traded the fetal life for the real life in January 1976 at a hospital in Camden, New Jersey. His young parents embraced their tiny blond angel, unaware that “Little Ronnie”, as they called him, was not born to walk the beaten path. At the age of 12, Little Ronnie discovered graffiti and his formative years of art training began. Eighteen years have passed since that defining moment and Ron Coalson has never ceased evolving as an artist. From joining the local graffiti crew DNA, “Da Notorious Artists”, earning a BFA in photography, navigating the art scene and having a go at corporate art; to his recent achievement of an MFA in design and technology, Ron Coalson has developed a unique style, fusing a vast arsenal of technical skills with aesthetics and curiosity.
In 2000, Ron received his BFA in photography from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. During the next few years in Philadelphia he worked as an editorial photographer for the Philadelphia City Paper and the Village Voice. Soon after, Ron became an active resident of various artist communities including Space 1026, where he worked on installation projects that consisted of everything from photo light boxes to mural size graffiti prints. Selected projects he created were displayed in galleries from New York to Washington DC. Soon after, Ron opted for the corporate’s life and accepted a position designing a digital photo studio for QVC (yes the home shopping network).
He’s spent 5 years building elaborate systems that would effectively market a wide range of consumer products. By the end of his time at QVC, Ron had refined his skills in video production, digital photography, graphic design, web design, web development, flash design, and actionscripting. In order to further hone these skills and develop new ones, Ron left Philadelphia to successfully complete his MFA at Parsons School of Design in New York City. Ron currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, and when he is not working as Senior Interactive Art Director for
vml.com, he works on his 1976 Honda CB 450 and enjoys the faith driven game of scratch off cards.