ELY- Photographer John Ratzloff is having a moment. The 77-year-old Ely resident recently wrapped up a year-long exhibition of his photography in the prestigious Arts@MSP program at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where over 30 million travelers had the opportunity to see the images he created with help from his vintage Hasselblad.
Now, his work is part of a new exhibit at the Minnesota Capitol building, which opened earlier this month. Sponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society, the show “Portraits of Indigenous Authors and Artists,” is a collection of fine art photographs. This project started over 30 years ago when “Ratzloff was invited to photograph the life and natural beauty of the White Earth Nation,” according to the historical society. Although Ratzloff took many of the show’s photos in the 1990s, he’s never stopped taking pictures of people in the region’s tribes. “This project wasn’t just a show-up, take a picture, and go away thing. You could say that this show is the very best of 30 years of work.”
Ratzloff’s work at the White Earth Nation led to deep and lasting friendships with many tribe members. “I fell in love with the Anishinaabe people, their humor, their generosity, their creativity, their resilience,” Ratzloff told the Timberjay.
“Portraits of Indigenous Authors and Artists” will run through June 30 at the Capitol’s Third Floor Exhibit Gallery, which is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m Monday-Friday and Saturdays from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. Admission to the Capitol and the gallery is free. The Minnesota Historical Society will hold a catered reception for Ratzloff in honor of his exhibit on May 14.
Ratzloff’s work was competitively vetted for display at the Third Floor Exhibit Gallery. Artists are selected by the Capitol Art Exhibit Advisory Committee and then must be approved by the State Capitol Preservation Commission. Preference is given to artists currently living in Minnesota or who were living in the state at the time the art was created.
At the conclusion of his Capitol exhibit, the 17 photographs on display will join others that Ratzloff has taken of Indigenous people at a new museum in Pine Point on the White Earth Reservation.
Ratzloff’s early years
Ratzloff was born in Austin, Minn. and attended St. Cloud State University. “It was during the Vietnam War and I had a student deferment to go to school. I took 36 credits and flunked them all trying to stay in school as long as possible.” One of the classes he flunked, Ratzloff noted with humor, was photography.
Ratzloff did graduate and was eventually drafted, but flunked the physical. After that, Ratzloff worked for a photo album company in St. Cloud for many years and then transitioned to working in photo preservation and album creation with archival-grade materials.
“It was I while I was still doing that that I sold my first photo,” said Ratzloff, recalling it was a sunset scene. Much of Ratzloff’s early work was nature-based, although his dedication to social justice and anti-war causes soon took his photography in different directions. His interest in taking portraits of advocates for peace eventually paved the way for his invitation to the White Earth Nation in the 1990s.
Moving to Ely was a logical step for Ratzloff. “I paddled with the same partner in the Boundary Waters and Quetico for 25 years. He was patient with me because I always brought my Hasselblad and tripod. It’s a slow camera. It takes time to set up the shots.”
Ratzloff came to Ely to become the Artist in Residence at the Steger Wilderness Center and he still maintains strong ties there.
Ongoing work
Even in retirement, Ratzloff is still drawn to capturing incidents and people who embody social justice themes. After the murder of George Floyd, for example, Ratzloff grabbed his camera and spent several days after the riots in Minneapolis taking photos of the street art that spontaneously appeared in the city. He had an exhibition of some of those photos last August at the Ely Folk School.
Ratzloff has another Ely-based show in the works called “Portraits of Indifference,” sponsored by the Northern Lakes Arts Association and supported by a grant from the Donald G. Gardner Humanities Trust. The show is tentatively scheduled for display at the Community Hub on a date to be announced in 2025.