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Catalog Data

Interviewee:
Roloff, John, 1947-  Search this
Interviewer:
Riedel, Mija, 1958-  Search this
Creator:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
Names:
Fuller Goldeen Gallery  Search this
Gallery Paule Anglim  Search this
Gallery Reese Palley  Search this
George Lester Gallery (Rome, Italy)  Search this
Humboldt State University -- Students  Search this
Lance Fung Gallery  Search this
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America  Search this
University of California, Davis -- Students  Search this
University of Kentucky -- Faculty  Search this
Arneson, Robert, 1930-1992  Search this
Beuys, Joseph  Search this
Butterfield, Deborah, 1949-  Search this
Kaltenbach, Stephen J.  Search this
Melchert, Jim, 1930-  Search this
Oppenheim, Dennis, 1938-2011  Search this
Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002  Search this
Extent:
13 Items (Sound recording: 13 sound files (8 hr., 50 min.), digital, wav file)
155 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
2009 August 17-18
Scope and Contents:
An interview of John Roloff conducted 2009 August 17-18, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Roloff's studio, in Oakland, California.
Roloff speaks primarily about the intersection of art and science; his desire to look at these disciplines from multiple perspectives in his work; the relationship between materials and their geological histories; his exploration and exposure of the physical processes associated with the making of art objects; Roloff talks at length about ceramics; the chemical properties of the clays and glazes; their connection to geological landscapes; and their transformation through the firing process; moreover, he discusses site specific works; the importance of location in giving context to a piece; as well as referencing a site through site based materials; furthermore, he expounds his theory of anthroturbation; discusses the parallels between man-made and natural structures; and ruminates about his work's visual engagement with ecological systems; Additionally, Roloff converses about several formative childhood experiences; how they shaped his later artistic interest and evolved into thematic elements in his work; studying marine geology at University of California-Davis; taking a ceramics class with Robert Arneson; becoming a dual art and science major; the spirit of experimentation at UC-Davis, which led to his early ceramic discoveries; pursuing graduate work at Humboldt University; teaching at the University of Kentucky-Lexington; developing his Exile and Rower series; showing his sculptures at Lester Gallery and Fuller Goldeen Gallery in California; his shift from studio work to landscape/installations; the development of his Ship and Kiln series; as well as his later photographic work; Roloff also recalls Stephen Kaltenbach, Deborah Butterfield, Peter Voulkos, Jim Melchert, Dennis Oppenheim, Joseph Beuys, Kenneth Baker, in addition to the following galleries: Lance Fang, Paule Anglim and Reese Paley.
Biographical / Historical:
John S. Roloff (1947- ) is a sculptor and ceramicist and lives and works in Oakland, California. Roloff also taught at the San Francisco Art Institute and Mills College.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 13 digital wav files. Duration is 8 hr., 50 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Art -- Technique  Search this
Ceramicists -- California -- Oakland -- Interviews  Search this
Science -- Study and teaching  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- Oakland -- Interviews  Search this
Submarine geology  Search this
Ceramics  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.roloff09
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f4887af7-aabd-4e00-8143-9c793cab7f34
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-roloff09