Roden Crater is a

cinder cone A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep, volcanic cone, conical landform of loose pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic ash, clinkers, or scoria that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are forme ...

type of

volcanic cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and s ...

from an extinct

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

, with a remaining interior

volcanic crater A volcanic crater is an approximately circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a bowl-shaped feature containing one or more vents. During volcanic eruptions, molten magma and volcanic gases rise from an ...

. It is located approximately 50 miles northeast of the city of Flagstaff in northern

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, United States.

Art project

Artist

James Turrell James Turrell (born May 6, 1943) is an American artist known for his work within the Light and Space movement. He is considered the "master of light" often creating art installations that mix natural light with artificial color through openings ...

acquired the 400,000-year-old, crater's land for a

land art Land art, variously known as Earth art, environmental art, and Earthworks, is an art movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, largely associated with Great Britain and the United StatesArt in the modern era: A guide to styles, schools, & mo ...

project. Turrell has since been transforming the inner cone of the crater into a massive naked-eye observatory, designed specifically for viewing and experiencing sky-light, solar, and celestial phenomena. The fleeting winter and summer

solstice A solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly sun path, excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around 20–22 June and 20–22 December. In many countries ...

events will be highlighted.

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

filmed his 2019 movie '' Jesus Is King'' at Roden Crater. In 2019,

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

partnered with James Turrell to collaborate on the project with the help of a 1.8 million dollar gift. The project, referred to as the "ASU-Roden Crater Project" at ASU, is currently centered at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, and hopes to foster interdisciplinary collaboration between the arts and sciences. Courses at ASU, including one titled "Indigenous Stories and Sky Science" taught by Professor Dalla Costa have already begun including the Roden Crater into their curriculum.

Future

The Dia Art Foundation is continuing to advocate for the development of James Turrell's ''Roden Crater'' project in the Painted Desert in Arizona which was begun in the 1970s with Dia's support. James Turrell, who purchased the Roden Crater in 1979, had plans to open the crater for public viewing in 2011, but now has tentatively set the opening for 2024.

2015 fundraising tours

A one-time fundraising event held from May 14 to 17, 2015, allowed visitors to tour Roden Crater for a cost of $6,500 to Turrell's nonprofit organization.

References

External links

IUAV-College of Architecture: Animation of ''Roden Crater'' project

Web site for ''Roden Crater''

JamesTurrell.com Roden Crater section: includes site plan, chamber photos and Celestial Event visualizer
{{Mountains of Arizona Volcanoes of Arizona Extinct volcanoes of the United States Land art Mountains of Arizona Landforms of Coconino County, Arizona Outdoor sculptures in Arizona Open-air museums in Arizona American contemporary art Cinder cones of the United States Works by James Turrell Mountains of Coconino County, Arizona Pleistocene cinder cones

Art project

Future

2015 fundraising tours

See also

References

External links