ASU-Roden Crater Project
Building an academic and intellectual enterprise around a global art destination
The goal of the ASU-Roden Crater Project is to bring university planners and scholars together to work with the artist to design a blueprint for the long-term stewardship and sustainability of Roden Crater and elevate ASU’s academic enterprise through a unique suite of transdisciplinary programming: from art and design to astronomy, sustainability, health, archaeology, geology and beyond. Building an academic and intellectual enterprise around this global art destination and activating it as a learning lab for diverse students and scholars for generations to come.
Our work
We are piloting field labs, design studios and internships for undergraduate and graduate students that are inspired by the transdisciplinary nature of Roden Crater and examine the concept of place. Course subjects to date have included indigenous design and sky science, sustainable architecture, art and sensory acuity, the medium of light, volcanic arts and sciences, range management, and radio astronomy.
In partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, ASU invited world-renowned artist, Leo Villareal, to be the first artist in the artist residency program. Villareal created a light installation using double-sided LED screens. The art work was installed at the entrance of the ASU Art Museum in late 2020 and is currently on view.
Featured story
Letting in the light: ASU, artist James Turrell to partner on masterwork in the desert
One of the most important large-scale artworks in the world sits in the desert of northern Arizona, where artist James Turrell has spent decades shaping the landscape into an immersive observatory…
Who’s involved
Affiliated faculty
Field scholars
- Richard Begay, Architect, SPS+ Architects
- Michael Govan, President, Skystone Foundation
- Edwin Krupp, Director, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles
- Henry Fowler, Dean of Graduate Studies, Navajo Technical University
- Justin Owen, Executive Director, McDowell Sonoran Conservancy
ASU Roden Crater academic planning team
Principal investigator
Project leads
Roden Crater team
Turrell Art Foundation
- James Turrell, Lead Artist
- Kyung-Lim Turrell, Director of Board
Skystone Foundation
- Michael Govan, President