Deep into Arizona on the side of a small highway is a dirt road lined with a few vendors that sell their wares to tourist.

Marie and her daughter had set up two small tables where they exhibit authentic Indian jewelry which they made themselves. In fact Maria had been making jewelry and selling it on the side of roads and impromptu markets since the late 70s.

Sometimes the universe sends you a sign. One perhaps you might not be ready to process or accept but in retrospect you know it was a sign.

He sat on a city bench, one of those metal ones bolted to the sidewalk positioned with the back towards the road. As I walked past him, he asked me for some change. I didn’t see a "spare some change" sign or a basket to toss money. He was smoking a short cigar and looked healthy, maybe he’s not homeless. Perhaps he’s just working tourists for a couple of dollars here and there, I thought.

A lot of us are enduring social distancing and self-isolation for the first time. For John, like so many who live on the streets and in alleys, that is nothing new.

I have mixed feelings about 2020. It was an unprecedented year. The government lock downs, COVID and the fear of the unknown, social tribalism, the riots and festering hatred for anyone who didn't belong to the tribe you identified with. It's sad, really.

We take a quick trip to Savannah to get away from things for a few days.

First full day there, I walk and wander. This is something I do to relax.

As I do, I meet Michael who lives on the streets with his wife, “Spooky”. I sit down with them on the sidewalk and we get to know each other a bit. He said he was born and raised in Savannah.

Join me February 26th at Museum of Art Deland as I talk about my exhibit, Dignity: The Light Within.

Dan, Tom and I found each other late one December afternoon near a bus stop in Tampa. He was assisted in his wheelchair by a fellow nomad, a young man named Tom. Tom, a quiet person who laughed at anything and was quite protective of Dan.

Reports have educated us to statistics that the Super Bowl is the most prominent national event where human trafficking flourishes. It’s unfathomable that such a thing exists. With the Super Bowl happening in my home town this year, I took on the invitation for a project to help raise funds to end human trafficking.

Many would be surprised to know that I have a “Mother and Child” image. As son of artist, Frank Rampolla, I’ve been highly influenced by my his artwork. His paintings are larger than life, figurative expressionist style tackling subjects such as social injustice, war and humanity. However, my mother was equally influential in my artwork, as she was love in action to those in need.

Three years ago I started this project. Every artist hopes for museum exhibits. I never imagined it'd happen this fast. Thank you for helping me get here to where I am. Without your support I wouldn't have had as much success in getting the word out about my art and this homeless project Dignity No Matter What.

SOLO EXHIBITION

Renato Rampolla will be exhibiting at Gallery 321 HCC Dale Mabry Campus in Tampa Florida, starting May 2020

I'm excited to share the recent feature I received in the February/March edition of Tampa Magazine.

I Am… is a group exhibition that proposes a new way to further overcome the relative uselessness or ineffectiveness of prejudgment. It proposes to reveal through the lens of a multitude of photographers from various parts of the globe what can be possible in the growing dispersion and development of the human race, images that transcend boundaries and belief systems. Curated by D. Dominick Lombardi

All of the net proceeds go to Blanket Tampa Bay, llc which gives out blankets, backpacks, clothes and toiletries to the homeless every Monday night in the parking lot of St Peter Clavier church here in Tampa. Find out how to purchase a copy and help others.

Morean Arts Center will be featuring Renato Rampolla for an upcoming group exhibit in Florida. Find out more details here.

My book, Dignity No Matter What, featuring homeless is making National News. News Channel WTAJ in Central Pennsylvania featured this video about my work.

ABC Action News featured me and my book Dignity No Matter What, talking about homelessness and my I photograph them and capturing their stories. Watch the video.