Will Roger

Will Roger is an American author, artist, environmentalist, and teacher. He is the cultural co-founder of Burning Man, founding Board Member, and former Board Chairman of Burning Man Project.

Life and career

For nearly two decades, Roger served at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y., as a photo chemist, administrator, associate professor, and assistant director. He grew up near Niagara Falls and lived in upper-state New York in his 20s and 30s. At the time he was married to Marilyn Bridges. He relocated and lived in the San Francisco-Bay area for decades until moving to Gerlach, Nevada with his life-partner, wife and muse, Crimson Rose, whereby they inspire each other to create art independently and collectively. He lectures frequently sharing his philosophy to live harmoniously with the planet and his Manifesto for a Burning Age featured in his book, Handbook for a Burning Age.

Burning Man

Roger discovered Burning Man in 1994, through his life partner Crimson Rose. Together and with several others, including Larry Harvey, Roger became the co-founder of Black Rock City, LLC, the company that has produced the renowned Burning Man event. As the first Director of Operations of the Burning Man event, Roger played an instrumental role in creating foundations for the event. He founded and managed the Black Rock City Department of Public Works, the team responsible for pre-event and post-event construction logistics and production. He also actualized an FAA approved airport and began traditions such as the Gold Spike Ceremony, the placing of the first stake in commemoration for the builders of Black Rock City. Roger is the co-founder of the Black Rock Art Foundation, a founding board member of Burning Man Project, and former President of Friends of the Black Rock/High Rock. He is heavily involved in conservation efforts for the Black Rock Desert, one of the United States’ largest National Conservation Area (NCA). He is an advocate of conservation for Fly Ranch (stewarded by Burning Man Project), and its sustainability efforts through such efforts as Land Art Generator Initiative.

Art and publishing

Will Roger is a prolific artist and author who continually generates new work. His photography and Burning Man ephemera exhibited at the Nevada Museum of Art for its City in Dust: The Evolution of Burning Man. The exhibit then traveled to The Renwick Gallery-The Smithsonian American Museum of Art, Oakland Museum of Art and Cincinnati Art Museum through the traveling exhibit, No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man. His photography has exhibited at Sotheby's, Sierra Arts Foundation, and many other venues. The traveling exhibit, Home Means Nevada, began in 2016 at the Senate Russell Building in Washington D.C. and continues to travel as of 2022. The Nevada Museum of Art is currently archiving his work for its permanent collection.

His book, Compass of the Ephemeral: Aerial Photography of Black Rock City through the Lens of Will Roger (2019), published by Smallworks Press, features aerial photographs taken between 2005 and 2018. It chronicles Black Rock City, home one of the harshest climates in the continental United States, a full functioning temporary city with over 80,000 citizens.

The book has been critically acclaimed on a global scale. Juxtapoz Magazine has described it as a "stunning historical travelog in words and pictures that defines and depicts Black Rock City, as it was conceived, as well as how it continues to regenerate." Emily Gosling in a review for Elephant Magazine has also praised the "breathtaking aerial shots." In an interview with The Lonely Planet Travel News, Will Roger explained, "This book provides some insight and documentation into the development and growth of the temporary metropolis that is created and disappears each year on Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. It tells the story of growth, community engagement and artistic interaction." In an interview with Eleanor Gibson of the leading international design magazine Dezeen Roger elaborated on his involvement with Burning Man and the process of creating Compass of the Ephemeral, commenting, "We often talk about it as being the miracle in the desert. When you see it in that context, and you experience the building and the cleaning up of it, it's quite amazing."

The book features special photography from other artists, ephemera such as Burning Man tickets and annual Survivor’s Guides, as well as incredible essays from Crimson Rose, Harley Dubois, Tony “Coyote” Perez, [50] Alexei Vranich, and William Fox. Andrew Goldstein of Artnet interviewed Will Roger for his podcast about the evolution of Burning Man and information about how his book came to be. The Kindle version of the book contains 2019 aerial photography.

Will Roger's second book, A Handbook for the Burning Age (August 2022) begins at his home in Gerlach, Nevada as he tells his story and how it shaped his beliefs and practices for living in balance with the Earth and each other. Written to be read in one sitting or as stand-alone essays, Will’s handbook is one-part memoir and one-part how-to guide for cultivating resilience and action through creative and spiritual practices.

Through life stories and examples from works that have inspired his path and daily practices, Will invites readers to cultivate their Art Spirit as a source of knowledge for deepening their connections with others. As we develop who we are instead of who we think we are, our connections to our true selves and other humans both past and present deepens, opening the way toward the paradigm shift we need to make to live harmoniously on this planet Earth, our home.

Contributing art historian, photographer and author, Fred Sigman, writes of the book: "Handbook For A Burning Age is about igniting a fire within us all. Like fire, it is also about illuminating the darkness of a world shaped by a dominant culture that has blinded us to life’s possibilities and even its purpose. Before we can change or reverse our planet’s deteriorating climate, we must first change the climate within our souls". The book includes essays by Fred Sigman, a foreword by Chip Conley, and afterword by Rosa JH Berland. In the book, Will Roger presents his Manifesto for a Burning Age, Larry Harvey’s 10 Principles and the photography from his daily sunset walks and weekly labyrinth walks at Fly Ranch.

References

This article "Will Roger" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Will Roger. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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