About
Ronnie Spann
Ronnie Spann is a multidisciplinary artist based in Minneapolis whose work spans jewelry making, sculpture, drawing, painting, metalwork, music, and community arts engagement. Beginning as a sketch artist inspired by comic books, Spann later discovered a passion for ceramic sculpture while studying under teacher Vern Andersen, developing a strong artistic foundation in both traditional and experimental mediums.
During the 1990s, Spann became active in the Twin Cities graffiti and community arts scene, collaborating on murals and installation projects through organizations including Pillsbury United Communities and MPS community education. In 1997, he taught ceramics to youth through the Inner City Youth League in Saint Paul and later led a neighborhood public art project in North Minneapolis in partnership with Legacy Village Apartments, mentoring local youth in transforming trash receptacles along Plymouth Avenue into painted public artworks.
For more than 20 years, wire-wrapped jewelry has been Spann’s primary artistic focus. Working primarily with copper and silver, he is recognized as one of the pioneering wire-wrap jewelry artists in the Twin Cities metro area, helping shape and inspire a growing local scene long before the craft became widely visible in regional artist markets.
Today, Ronnie continues expanding his practice through blacksmithing, metal casting, smelting, and mold making while participating in artist markets and community art events throughout the Twin Cities metro area. His work reflects a lifelong commitment to craftsmanship, cultural expression, experimentation, and community-rooted art.