Selected Lectures
Orcas Island Public Library, 2022, Enduring Quality of Stone
TEDX Seattle, 2021, Hammer, Chisel, Stone: Simple Tools for Hard Times
University of Washington School of Architecture, 2017, 2018, 2020, Various lectures including: Essential Materiality, Introduction to Stone Sculpture, The Last Apprentice
China Academy of Art, invitation by Wang Shu, Hangzhou, China, 2016
Paths in Stone: China, Material and Modernization
Arts & Lectures Series, Town Hall, Seattle, WA, 2016
The International Stonework Symposium, De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA, 2016
Strelka Institute of Media, Architecture and Design, Moscow, Russia, 2015
Working in a Culture of Chaos: Building Global Infrastructure in the Developing World
Royal Institute of Australian Architects (RAIA), Sydney, Australia, 2012
Adaptive Re-Use of Antique and Reclaimed Stone Materials
University of Washington, Materials and Craftsmanship Conference, Seattle, WA, 2011
Stone “Materialism”
Philips Exeter Academy, General Assembly, Exeter, NH, 2010
Make a Path by Walking
Associated Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) Annual Conf., Tarrytown, NY, 2008
Stone Specification
Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America, San Francisco, CA, 2008 (four lectures)
Dimensional Stone, Sacred Rules of Freemasonry
Stone Specification, Grain of Stone
American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention, San Antonio, TX, 2007
Adaptive Re-use of Antique and Reclaimed Stone Materials
Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America, New York, NY, 2007 (five lectures)
Dimensional Stone, Grain of Stone
Adaptive Re-use of Antique and Reclaimed Stone Materials
Stone Specification, Sacred Rules of Freemasonry
American Institute of Architects (AIA) NY State Convention, New York, NY, 2007
Stone Specification, Grain of Stone, (two lectures)
Building Stone Institute (BSI) Annual Convention, Captiva Island, FL, 2007
Adaptive Re-use of Antique and Reclaimed Stone Materials
Dry Stone Wallers of Canada, Toronto, Canada, 2007
Sacred Rules of Freemasonry, Grain of Stone, (two lectures)
Stone Expression and Use in the Built Environment
The relationship between humankind and stone is elemental and deeply ingrained in all of us. Stone, after all, has been the primary building material for more than five thousand years of human history, and it continues to record our triumphs and failures. In this searching history of the expressive and practical use of stone, Richard Rhodes unlocks the underlying principles of stone’s highest and best use, and he illuminates rules codified by the medieval freemason’s guild.
Century after century of stone use gradually produced the closely guarded Sacred Rules, as they are collectively known, considered tp be the most important property of the ancient stone guildsmen. Previously available only to the initiated, the rules are explained here for the first time ever, through historical examples and photographs. In our era of rapid development and expressive urbanization, Rhodes implores is to explore the essential qualities of stone that emerge from the Sacred Rules, not only to rediscover the ancient and traditional knowledge that governed the use of stone for so long but also to create a road map for hoe fitter generations might thoughtfully recapture the power this material offers.
Advanced Praise for Stone
“What Michael Pollan did for food, Richard Rhodes has achieved, brilliantly, for the sorely of stone: a vivid, thrilling journey through a world where nature meets intelligence, Stone unspools a history that ranges across the world and through time into fascinating secrets of art and architecture. The passion and clarity in this book will appeal to anyone who has wondered about what endures- and why”
– Evan Osnos, Winner of the National Book Award, author of Wildland: The Making of America’s Fury
Authors
A Sculptor, stones man, entrepreneur, and scholar of stonework worldwide, Richard Rhodes apprenticed as a stonemason in Siena, Italy. He is know throughout the sculpture and stone community as the “last apprentice” since the Freemason guild collapsed in the mid-1990’s. Rhodes is the founder of several Seattle-based businesses, including Rhodesworks Design Studio, Rhodes Masonry, and Rhodes Architectural Stone. He lives in Seattle.
Paul Goldberger (Foreword), is a Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair and previously held posts at The New Yorker and The New York Times, where he was awarded a Pulizter Prize.