Ronni Solbert

1925 - 2022

Ronni Solbert

Randolph, VT — Ronni Solbert, an artist, illustrator - writer of children's books and activist for peace and social justice, died June 9, 2022, in Randolph, VT at the age of 96.

Ronni was born in Washington, DC on Sept. 7, 1925, and grew up in Rochester, NY. She attended Vassar College and received an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Wisconsin in 1948. Ronni lived in NYC where she met her partner of 50 years, Jean Merrill, a writer of children's books. Ronni and Jean collaborated on more than 15 books between 1951 and 1976, including the much beloved, The Pushcart War (1964). Ronni illustrated more than 40 books over her career and, in addition, wrote and illustrated three of her own books. As the list is too numerous to include here, refer to Wikipedia for the list of all the books she illustrated and published. Her illustrations are humorous, sensitive and convey emotion and character. Book illustration was her avocation and making art, her vocation.

In 1953 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship which took her to India for research on folk and indigenous arts. Jean Merrill also received a similar award for research on folk tales in India. Several of her books relate some of these stories, illustrated by Ronni. In 1955, Ronni was included in an exhibit of Recent Drawings at the Museum of Modern Art, NYC and was also included in a major show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1959 entitled "New Talent." Ronni's work is in many collections, and she exhibited widely in Vermont and around the country.

In 1962, Ronni and Jean bought a remote hill farm in Washington, VT where they spent four months of the year over many years. In 2013, the farm and land were bequeathed to The Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Woodstock, VT. In 1971 they moved permanently to Randolph, VT where they both pursued their work and were active in community, state, and national affairs. Ronni also worked as an artist/teacher in the MFA Visual Arts Program at Vermont College, Montpelier, VT.

A fire at Ronni's studio in Randolph destroyed all her paintings and records; she then began working in sculpture, photography and works on paper.

Ronni taught us to notice the natural world in all its stages; flowers fresh on the stem and later, shriveled, dry and colorless. Each stage is perfect, just as is, she said.

Ronni writes in an artist statement: "Art is my sanity, joy, frustration and passion. My subject is the human animal, our relationship with each other and to the world we inhabit. I want the work to invite reflection, open perspectives and challenge the viewers' emotional and intellectual responses."

Thank you, Ronni, for your vision and for living with integrity, humor, wit and wisdom.