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.
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 designing a series of tunnels and chambers within the volcanic cone which play on celestial light. While Turrell rarely offers the public a glimpse inside the crater, a 2021 report by Smithsonian Magazine detailed the world slowly emerging inside the largely untouched exterior.
“Inside, the light was low, and dust filled the air,” Smithsonian writer Wil S. Hylton explained. “**Masons sculpted elliptical walls and tile-setters finished a low bench around the perimeter. Turrell wandered to the center of the room and looked up through a narrow opening to the sky. “We have to make everything in here perfect so that no one can see it,” he said quietly. “All you should see is the light.””
When completed, the complex will see a labyrinth of underground works and installations including an enormous domed instrument for tracking celestial bodies, a series of water-filled chambers such as an 8-foot-deep pool that will reflect the sunrise, and a room where visitors can see their shadows with the light of Venus. As we reported in 2019, Turrell has sought to raise $200 million to realize the massive project. While those same reports suggested a completion date in 2024, the scale of ambition for the project makes such a deadline seem overly ambitious.
“He has designed the tunnel, like other features of the crater, to be most precise in about 2,000 years,” Smithsosnian’s Hylton notes. “Turrell’s friends sometimes joke that’s also when he’ll finish the project.”
Further reading for interested candidates
Job Highlights is one of a number of ongoing weekly series showcasing the opportunities available on our industry-leading job board. Our Meet Your Next Employer series profiles and interviews interesting studios with open positions currently available on Archinect Jobs, while our weekly roundups curate job opportunities by location, career level, and job description.
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