Roden Crater

Roden Crater Roden Crater is an unprecedented large-scale artwork by light and space artist James Turrell. The project has been under construction since 1979.

Roden Crater is an extinct volcanic crater, situated at an elevation of approximately 6,000 feet near Arizona's Painted Desert. The 400,000 year old, 3 kilometer wide crater is being turned into a monumental work of land art by the artist James Turrell. Working with cosmological phenomena that have interested man since the dawn of civilization and have prompted responses such as Stonehenge and the

Mayan calendar, Turrell’s crater brings the heavens down to earth, linking the actions of people with the movements of planets and distant galaxies. The Roden Crater project is designed to be built in three phases. The first phase is finished and includes the South Lodge, Sun and Moon Space, East Tunnel, East Portal, Crater Eye, Crater Bowl and Plaza. The second phase will complete the construction on the upper portion of the crater and continue the alignment from the Crater Eye to the West Portal and Tunnel, North Moon Space, Amphitheater and the pathway to the South Lodge. The third phase is comprised of the Fumarole Space, to the east of the Sun and Moon Space, and the Cardinal Spaces (North, East, West and South) at the lower crater level. The third phase will include the remaining connecting pathways for all spaces, as well as the Egg Road around Roden Crater. Roden Crater is not open to the public as it is a work in progress. Construction of the next phases are our top priority and will be determined by fundraising success and construction schedule. We expect to provide access for visitors after the completion of phase two.

Roden Crater
01/15/2019

Roden Crater

Read about Arizona State University partnership with at asunow.asu.edu
01/15/2019

Read about Arizona State University partnership with at asunow.asu.edu

circa 1978, flight line planning
07/05/2018

circa 1978, flight line planning

getting closer
06/03/2018

getting closer

photos from the first major phase of construction, circa January 2000. Photo by T. McGrath
05/17/2018

photos from the first major phase of construction, circa January 2000. Photo by T. McGrath

Here is a very recent photo showing the great progress being made on the new South Space at Roden Crater. Please visit o...
05/04/2018

Here is a very recent photo showing the great progress being made on the new South Space at Roden Crater. Please visit our website for information on the spaces that make up Roden Crater. We provide updates and often include construction photos of progress in our newsletters emailed to our donors, small and large. We would like to give special thanks to the many foundations and individuals contributing towards the goal of completing Roden Crater and opening to the public. Photo by Paul Bustamante

For a few minutes each day around Winter Solstice, the image of the sun appears on the image stone in the Sun and Moon C...
04/28/2018

For a few minutes each day around Winter Solstice, the image of the sun appears on the image stone in the Sun and Moon Chamber. Viewers can step up close to the image stone and see details of the sun such as the solar flares at the edge of the image. Roden Crater is unique in that it will be both an amazing work of art as well as a naked eye observatory!

Cat Carin (2003) in Hexham, England is operated using , both wind and solar. Both energy sources are currently being ...
04/22/2018

Cat Carin (2003) in Hexham, England is operated using , both wind and solar. Both energy sources are currently being investigated for the Roden Crater site.

The are important at Roden Crater (photo by Klaus Brasch)
04/16/2018

The are important at Roden Crater (photo by Klaus Brasch)

Sunset transformation at the Crater’s Eye. Happy holidays from Roden Crater! A great idea for a last minute holiday gift...
12/25/2017

Sunset transformation at the Crater’s Eye. Happy holidays from Roden Crater! A great idea for a last minute holiday gift is to include a loved one in this amazing project by dedicating a tax deductible donation to Roden Crater (link in bio).

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Flagstaff, AZ
86001

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