Ronald Rael (born 1971, Conejos County, Colorado) is an American artist known for architecture, human rights and environmental advocacy along the U.S - Mexico border, earthen architecture, and

3D printing 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

. He works independently, and operates collaboratively in the design ventures Emerging Objects and Rael San Fratello with the architect Virginia San Fratello. In 2020 Rael San Fratello received the prestigious Beazely Award from the London Design Museum and in 2021 the International Award for Art from the Institute for Public Art for thier project Teeter Totter Wall. In 2014 Rael San Fratello received the '' Emerging Voices'' award from the

Architectural League of New York The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines". The league dates from 1881, when Cass Gilbert organized meetings at the Salmagundi Club for ...

. Rael San Fratello operate the venture Emerging Objects which develops 3D printed materials, objects, software, hardware, and companies. He co-founded FORUST, a 3D printing company that uses sawdust, which was acquired by the 3D printing company Desktop Metal. He is a tenured full professor at the

University of California Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

where he holds the Eva Li Memorial Chair in Architecture and is Chair of the Department of Art Practice. He Chaired the Department of Architecture from 2019 to 2020 as the first Chair of the Department of Latino descent. His collaborative work is in the collection of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, ...

, the

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was ...

, and The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Their series, ''Bad Ombres v.2'', was acquired by the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds ...

as part of the

Renwick Gallery The Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum located in Washington, D.C. that displays American craft and decorative arts from the 19th to 21st century. The gallery is housed in a National Historic Landmark building th ...

's 50th Anniversary Campaign. He was educated at the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado s ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

. Rael is the author of several books including ''Printing Architecture: Innovative Recipes for 3D Printing'' (Princeton Architectural Press, 2018) and ''Earth Architecture'' (Princeton Architectural Press, 2008). He presented a TED talk on ''Borderwall as Architecture''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rael, Ronald 1971 births Living people Architects from Colorado