Name Rolf Rohn | ||
Rolf Robert Rohn (born September 3, 1944) is a Liturgical Artist, Designer, Appraiser, Educator, Construction Consultant and founder of the Pittsburgh-based liturgical design consultancy Rohn & Associates Design, Inc., as well as its subsidiary, Rohn & Associates Custom Studio, Inc. He has dedicated his professional career to the study and execution of sacred art and liturgical design. His life-long commitment to his profession began after he emigrated from Germany at age eight and became an apprentice to his father, the self-taught liturgical artist Rudolph N. Rohn and founder of Rudolph N. Rohn Art Studios in Pittsburgh, PA. Rolf majored in Art History and Theology at local Duquesne University, taking over the family business after the death of his father in 1975. He has continued his education over the years by studying ancient liturgical art, techniques and architecture in cities all over the world. Rolf spends several months a year in Italy sourcing new artisans and maintaining close working relationships with carefully selected craftsmen. He has worked on over 2,500 projects in both the United States and Europe.
Contents
Design philosophy
Rolf specializes in the liturgical development and implementation of comprehensive worship environments from programming, fundraising support, space and functional needs formation to liturgical art and preservation of environments, lighting and design, using the guidelines articulated in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture and Worship, as well as the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the Rite for the Dedication of a Church and Altar, the Rites for Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass and other Church documents. Rolf voiced his philosophy and approach to projects in the June 20, 2010 issue of the Orlando Sentinel, citing as an example a Pentecostal scene commissioned by the Catholic Diocese of Orlando for the St. James Cathedral: “through the years, the artists have become teachers—educating ministers and congregations about how art and liturgy work together…she is Mary, but she is much more than that. She represents the Church here and now.” Of Catholic worship and its supporting environments, he has stated that they have completely different functional needs – including lighting, lighting control, sound and acoustical needs. Most important, these Catholic worship environments are designed from the altar table outward, and space formation, active and passive spaces and sightlines that interact to bring either harmony or confusion. His desire is to create as much harmony into the Catholic environment as possible to promote a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Projects
Rolf will be an integral part of the team to develop and oversee the major renovation of the historic Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral in lower Manhattan. He also been commissioned with the master planning for the Cathedral of Toledo in Ohio; the design and construction phases at the Cathedral of Steubenville in Ohio; and the large presentation hall for St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts.
He has worked on St. Anthony Cathedral in Beaumont, TX; St. James Cathedral in Orlando, FL; St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Savannah, GA; St. Joseph Basilica in Webster, MA, St. Paul Cathedral in Worcester, MA; St. Peter’s Cathedral in Erie, PA; and St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in Cincinnati, OH. Pope Francis recently named St. Mary’s Basilica in Marietta, Ohio, a Minor Basilica after its revitalization under Rolf’s direction.
He has also completed projects at the ICTE Chapel of the Pontifical North American College at the Vatican City in Rome, Italy; the Immaculate Conception Chapel at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati, OH; Our Savior Parish at the USC Caruso Center in Los Angeles, CA; St. Louise de Marillac in Pittsburgh, PA; Saint John the Evangelist at St. John Seminary in Boston, MA; and Our Lady of Guadalupe Adoration Chapel in Fargo, ND.
Press
Famed architect and professor, Dr. Nikos Salingaros, described Rolf’s innovative liturgical design work at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, Texas:
“Harmonious ornamentation achieved through multiple symmetries nourishes our senses and creates in us a healing state. As human beings, we always anthropomorphize our gods, and expect that they share our own higher pleasures. For this reason, our love of God moves us to ornament the place where we worship, and to do so in a totally selfless manner. We wish to create an environment of maximal transcendent pleasure using an understanding that arises from our own physical experience. Most important, I see a fundamental humility in the Houston Cathedral, quite a feat expressed in such a large and imposing building, and in my mind, this modesty is closer to the early Church doctrine.” (Chiesa Oggi, Edition #87)
Rolf’s stained glass and mosaic designs at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, have appeared in Stained Glass Quarterly. Rolf designed the entire environment with “Trinity through the Cross” as the central theme of the unique church dome, with its transepts and balcony uniting to form a triangle and cross representing the Holy Trinity. Once completed, the record-breaking 76’ diameter dome mosaic will be the largest in Texas and one of the ten largest in the United States.
Houston's PBS Arts Insight also recently featured stained glass windows he custom-designed for St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Nassau Bay, Texas. The colorful celestial-inspired windows based on images of stars from the Hubble Telescope invite a look heavenward while honoring the local NASA space program.
In 2012, Rolf served on a jury with other elite liturgical professionals for the prestigious IFRAA/Faith & Form Awards Program for Religious Arts and Architecture in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Annual Religious Art and Architecture Design Awards program is co-sponsored by Faith & Form Magazine and the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture (IFRAA), a knowledge community of the American Institute of Architects with the goal of honoring the best in architecture, liturgical design and art for religious spaces.
Philanthropy
Rolf has sponsored both the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Conference for Catholic Facility Management for many years, the latter of which featured his custom-designed bronze Stations of the Cross and exterior landscaping/lighting plan for the Virgen de San Juan del Valle Shrine in San Juan, Texas, in their newsletter.
His charitable three-year mission to design and furbish the Philippines Capuchin Friars in Papua New Guinea’s new chapel in Bomana, as well as their donated San Damiano cross, was recently featured in the August 2012 Capuchin Missionary Partner Update.
Rolf’s native Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (December 12, 2012 issue) featured the donated repair of a damaged baby Jesus for the city’s Trinity Cathedral.