Ron Hagell

Ron is a visual artist working in film, photography and as a painter.  He is the founding director of Gemini Arts, an artist studio and exhibition center in Columbia. His work is at times on social issues but also a variety of other work.

Artist Statement

I make art as creative and cultural statements working with a variety of media.

Themes reflect on city life, being Southern & the human condition rendered in paint or still photography with a focus on a variety of representational moments or objects. At times, my focus has been on beauty, but I also create installations using a variety of themes.

My influences are painters such as John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, Picasso and Marcel Duchamp.

Early film work has influenced much of my art as I have increased my photography and larger installations. This is also apparent in my homage portraiture and voyeur work. However, political concerns divert me. Since 2017 I have made works that comment on gun control, human loss, and the January 6th riot.


Presented by the Jasper Project, The Degenerate Art Project II is the answer to an overwhelming request by artists and patrons of Jasper's inaugural Degenerate Art Project (July 2025) for an additional exhibition which will involve an open call for visual artists. This 3 week-long multidisciplinary arts event (Feb. 11–28 at Stormwater Studios) invites Midlands artists to respond to today's socio-political climate, and unite our local arts community—physically and in spirit—in support and solidarity during challenging times. Inspired by—and reclaiming—the legacy of the Nazi-labeled "Degenerate Art" of 1937, this project champions creative resistance and free expression through a visual art exhibition, featuring over 40 Midlands artists.