Hosted by the 黑料头条 Northwest Chapter
Known as 鈥淭he Last Apprentice鈥� in the stone and sculpture community, Richard Rhodes documents the ancient art of stone masonry that he first learned in Europe鈥檚 oldest masonry guild—dating back to the 13th century.
With the guild鈥檚 dissolution in the mid-1990s, Richard wrote his recent book, Stone, Ancient Craft to Modern Mastery (Princeton Architectural Press) out of a sense of responsibility to record this deep-rooted craft or else let the knowledge be obscured—or worse, lost completely.
In his lecture, Richard discusses challenges and triumphs from his career as an apprentice, stone mason, and sculptor. He not only details the principles of stonework, but also illuminates—as renowned critic Paul Goldberger observes in the book鈥檚 Forward—the transcendent quality of stone as humanity鈥檚 longstanding building material.
Speaker:
A Seattle, Washington-based sculptor, stonemason, entrepreneur, and scholar of stonework worldwide, Richard Rhodes apprenticed as a stonemason in Siena, Italy, after graduate studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. As the first non-Italian admitted into Siena鈥檚 medieval masonic guild (the operative branch of the Freemasons, heirs to the cathedral builders of Europe) in 726 years, he is known throughout the sculpture and stone community as the 鈥渓ast apprentice鈥� since the guild collapsed in the mid-1990s. It was during his guild training that Rhodes first encountered the ancient rulesets called Sacred Geometries and the Sacred Rules of Bondwork, foundational knowledge from the 5,000-year tradition of stone expression. Though now branching into other media such as cast bronze, Rhodes credits his guild training as the major influence in his sculpture practice.
This event is hosted by an 黑料头条 Chapter. Please check the Chapter website or contact the Chapter directly for the most up-to-date details including dates, times, and pricing.
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
1 Participants will be able to identify the underlying principles of stone鈥檚 highest and best use.
2 Analyze a building or potential design against the historical 鈥淩ules of Bondwork,鈥� rules codified by medieval Freemason鈥檚 guild, heirs to the cathedral builders of Europe.
3 Explore the expressive potential of various new stone materials by learning their essential typology and past historical successes.
4 Summarize the ways that stone use, aligned with the empirical design principles, can remain a vital core material for architecture and human expression.