DAVID RUGGERI
ABOUT | SELECTED SHOWS | SELECTED PRESS | EDUCATION
David Ruggeri is a St. Louis based graffiti and pop artist, whose art career has not followed a typical trajectory. After leaving art school in the early 90s, Ruggeri hitchhiked to Alaska where he worked in a cannery and on a fishing boat. He then backpacked though Europe before returning to the US to earn a bachelor’s in business, MBA, Master of Applied Economics, MPH, and PhD degrees. During this time art has remained a constant, drawing and painting every chance he could. Ruggeri has used his vast experiences to create and inform his pop art and graffiti-style paintings.
Ruggeri’s work is filled with a rebellious energy and a heavy dose of nostalgia. Using bold, bright colors and a variety of media such as spray paint, acrylic paint, and ink; each piece is visually commanding. Ruggeri utilizes multiple layers and textures to provide depth to each piece. Ranging from whimsical to thought provoking, each work resonates with a diverse audience, elicits reaction, and inspires conversation. The intent is to hold the viewers’ attention through creative visual imagery and his unique style. These works bring the artist and viewer to a place and time from their past. This may be an arcade in a long abandoned mall, sitting in front of a console television set on a Saturday morning decades ago, or sneaking a quick smoke behind the high school gymnasium wearing classic sneakers.
SELECTED SHOWS
2023
Elaine Fleck Gallery, Represented, Summer Exhibition
Elaine Fleck Gallery, Fleck Fine Art, March
Elaine Fleck Gallery, NEW WORKS, curated by Elaine Fleck, February
2022
Elaine Fleck Gallery, Group Show, June (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Van Der Plas Gallery, “At A Crossroads” Group Show, April 29- May 8 (New York, New York)
Angad Arts Hotel, “Re-Play” Featured Artist, March 4- May 29th (St. Louis, Missouri)
Soulard Art Gallery, “Pop Goes the Easel” Group Show, February 18- March 18 (St. Louis, Missouri)
2021
Sour Mouse Gallery, “New York State of Mind” Group Show, November (New York, New York)
Angad Arts Hotel, 4th Biannual Exhibition, Group Show, May- October (St. Louis, Missouri)
Melvin and Burks Gallery, Group Show, May (Lakeland, Florida)
San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center, “Call of the Wild” Group Show, May (Encino, California)
Jones Gallery, Group Show, March (Kansas City, Missouri)
SELECTED PRESS
St. Louis Magazine- February 2022
Authority Magazine- February 2022
KSDK Fox 5, St. Louis, MO- October 2021
KC Podcast Network, Kansas City, MO- September 2021
USA Art News- July 2021
KHOL, Jackson Hole, WY- July 2021
Creative Chats Podcast- July 2021
The Left Brain Artist Podcast- June 2021
LA Daily News, Los Angeles, CA 2021
The Ladue News, Ladue, MO- March 2021
The Pitch, Kansas City, MO- February 2021
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Public Policy Analysis and Administration, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO
Master of Public Health, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID
Master of Science in Applied Economics, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
MBA, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
B.S., Business Administration, Maryville University, St. Louis, MO