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James Turrell's Roden Crater is hiring a construction manager for the iconic artwork

2023-08-16T10:45:00-04:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Project Manager at the Center for Zero Waste Design, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an opportunity on Archinect Jobs for a Construction Manager at the Skystone Foundation.

The role, based in Flagstaff, AZ, will see the successful candidate “work closely with the artist on all phases of the construction of the Roden Crater project, an unprecedented large-scale artwork created within a volcanic cinder cone by light and space artist James Turrell.” Qualifications held by the ideal candidate include a degree in Architecture with the ability to obtain a license in Arizona, and a proficiency in AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, SketchUp, Navisworks, and Adobe Creative Suite.

James Turrell. Image courtesy: Skystone Foundation

Why the role interests us

Roden Crater is one of the most famous pieces of landscape art in the United States. The site was acquired by Turrell in 1979, who has spent over four decades design...

James Turrell’s first mountainous Skyspace experience will debut this summer in Colorado

2022-02-17T17:18:00-05:00

The Pikes Peak area’s rugged Front Range vista is about to get a stark new addition this summer in the form of a hikeable installation courtesy of the light artist James Turrell.

Turrell’s latest Skyspace has been given an updated opening date in June as part of the Green Box Arts Festival in the town of Green Mountain Falls ninety minutes south of Denver.

Aimed at attracting visitors interested in “rediscovering the importance of a tranquil unplugged existence,” the annual festival began as a week-long dance residency and has since blossomed into an educational resource with year-round programming for a community actively seeking to bolster cultural tourism with the infusion of a little blue-chip art.

Aerial view of Green Mountain Falls by Buffalo Media Group.

Turrell describes each space as a “specifically proportioned chamber with an aperture in the ceiling open to the sky,” and that Skyspaces “can be autonomous structures or integrated into existing architecture” with apertures t...

James Turrell's installation reopens at MoMA PS1 in August with an uninterrupted view

2019-08-05T13:48:00-04:00

After a six-month closure, James Turrell's site specific installation Meeting (1980-86/2016) reopens at MoMA PS1! Captivating audiences with his mesmerizing light installations, Turrell's piece was previously closed in January due to an unwanted construction scaffolding seen through the installation opening.

Problematic view temporarily obstructed by a construction crane

The Art Newspaper reminds us of Turrell's start to the piece. "Meeting was commissioned in 1976 by PS1’s founder Alanna Heiss for the museum’s opening exhibition and is the first skyspace work Turrell made in the US."

Many fans of Turrell will be excited to witness another one of his iconic works. According to the museum's site, "When the sunset lighting program falls outside of regular museum hours, MoMA PS1 hosts special after-hours viewings on Monday evenings. Be sure to get your tickets to experience Turrell's entrancing work.

James Turrell's skyspace installation at MoMA PS1 closed after scaffolding from 5Pointz development creeps into view

2019-01-30T14:15:00-05:00

A much loved skyspace work by James Turrell in New York, his installation Meeting (1980-86/2016) at MoMA PS1 in Queens, has been closed to the public because the scaffolding from a nearby high-rise development has encroached into the viewing field. The artist requested the work be shut, the museum says in a statement, and “it will remain closed until the temporary construction scaffolding is no longer visible.”

Unobstructed installation view of James Turrell's MoMA PS1 piece, Meeting, 1980-86/2016. Image: MoMA PS1.

Molly Kurzius, MoMA PS1 Communications Director, told Gothamist (where the story first broke) that the construction scaffolding currently visible in the Meeting installation would not be part of the finished residential high-rises replacing the former 'graffiti mecca' 5Pointz across the street from the museum. The view is expected to be unobstructed again by May.

The internet being the internet, commenters responded swiftly with the appropriate meme.

James Turrell to finally open his latest art installation at Roden Crater in the Arizona Desert

2019-01-15T09:02:00-05:00

For the past 40 years, artist James Turrell has been working on creating his most massive project yet, a largely unseen network of installations built inside a dormant volcano in the Arizona desert. The ambitious land artwork aims to turn the 2.5-mile wide crater into a series of rooms and tunnels designed for contemplation of light, landscape and time.

At 75, Turrell has spent over half his life sculpting the Roden Crater into his magnum opus, which is only about a third of the way done. According to the WSJ. Magazine, a new deal with Arizona State University promises to have the project open to the general public for the first time.

Roden Crater.

Working with the ASU Foundation and Skystone Foundation—the crater’s nonprofit umbrella—the revised masterplan is expected to complete within the next five years. A long-range strategy for the site, made urgent after Turrell's June health scare, is also being formulated by ASU, who will incorporate the project into its academic programmi...

James Turrell and Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects design new galleries for the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum

2017-10-10T13:10:00-04:00

ARoS Aarhus Art Museum’s new additions will be typical of James Turrell’s approach, relying on light to guide visitors around the galleries and exhibition spaces. The rooms lie almost 120 metres beneath the surface, and are invisible from above ground.

Artist James Turrell with model of the dome. Courtesy ARoS Aarhus Art Museum and Schmidt Hammer Lassen

Artist James Turrell partnered with Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects on an extension project for the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum in Copenhagen. The new galleries and installations will include several additional rooms and a 40m wide dome.

Courtesy ARoS Aarhus Art Museum and Schmidt Hammer Lassen

Watch David Adjaye and James Turrell discuss light, space, and architecture

2016-10-14T18:40:00-04:00

Last week, the White House held its very own arts and culture festival in D.C., South by South Lawn (SXSL). Organizers arranged a list of panel discussions and programs that brought together a diverse troupe of creatives for a "festival of ideas, art, and action.” SXSL kicked off with a conversation between illustrious light artist James Turrell and award-winning architect David Adjaye, which was streamed live on The Creators Project’s Facebook Page.

"Over the course of their chat, which was moderated by LACMA director Michael Govan, the two artists unpacked their general philosophies on art, light, space, and culture, and discussed some of the influences that have driven their processes and works."

Video via The Creators Project.

James Turrell appears on Charlie Rose

2013-07-10T12:35:00-04:00

The artist also explained why he needs three museums for his 48-year retrospective. "It's only 23 works," he said, quicly [sic] adding that these are "works that luxuriate in space, and it takes a lot of space to do that."

Click here to watch the interview on BloombergTV.

Light Perception Manipulation: The Future of Architecture

2013-06-25T14:33:00-04:00

"Turrell has continued to develop a series of works that address architecture and the space of the viewer. As part of his evolving practice, he has utilized architectural interventions, created immersive environments, designed and erected autonomous outdoor spaces, and continues to build structures within Roden Crater-an extinct volcano in Arizona."

As the world is transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle the implications of such a shift have already permeated the architecture & design realm. From the Starbucks prototype-cafe in Tukwilla, Washington, to the establishment of Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, it is evident that a change towards ecologically friendly construction & design is upon us. The future of net zero energy and waste is now rapidly approaching. By the advent of human determination and perseverance it is highly likely that functioning at net zero energy and waste will be the norm in the future. This design ideal may very well be the quotidian for Gen-Y's descendants, but what will the future hold for their grandchildren? Without relying on clairvoyance abilities, one can posit that the future of design may rely heavily on perception manipulation. With inspiration from world-renowned artist, James Turrell, the distant future of design may utilize light & perception illusion to bring spaces to life.

James Tur...

Coming this June: James Turrell Reimagines FLW’s Guggenheim Rotunda

2013-05-20T17:45:00-04:00

In his first solo exhibition in a New York museum since 1980, American artist James Turrell sets out to reimagine the iconic rotunda of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum in a dramatic transformation. The luminous and immersive site-specific work, Aten Reign, will be part of the upcoming exhibition James Turrell at NYC's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum which opens on June 21, 2013.

The Turrell skyspace at Rice University

2012-06-13T20:54:00-04:00

The highly anticipated skyspace by famed American artist James Turrell does not open to the public until June 14, but Rice students, faculty and staff got a sneak preview May 5 during an exclusive Cinco de Mayo celebration for the Rice community.