Fred H. Roster (June 27, 1944 – December 19, 2017) was an American sculptor known for his

mixed media In visual art, mixed media describes artwork in which more than one medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different media. Materials used to create mixed media art incl ...

narrative sculptures.

Biography

Roster was born in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

, and grew up on a farm. He received an

MA degree A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in ceramics from

San José State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

in 1968.Yoshihara, Lisa A., p. 144 He came to Hawaii in 1969 on his honeymoon and decided to stay. In 1970, he earned an MFA degree in sculpture from the

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, and joined the university's faculty in 1971. He retired as professor and chair of the sculpture program in 2016.Nelson, Shane, p. 41 Roster sculpted in rough-hewn wood, clay, and stone, often combining these materials in a single work. With the help of his students, he cast many of his own wood and clay sculptures in bronze. Moveable wheels were incorporated into many sculptures. Others included dogs, especially miniature schnauzers, which his mother raised. ''Untitled'' in the collection of the

Honolulu Museum of Art The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. The museum has one of the largest single co ...

is typical of his mixed-media sculptures. The Hawaii State Art Museum also holds work by Roster.Wu, Nina, "Sculptor, Beloved Mentor Influenced Many Generations of Artists", ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser'', January 11, 2018, p. B7 Roster died in December 2017, aged 73; he was survived by his wife, and a son from a prior marriage.

Sources

* Clarke, Joan and Diane Dods, ''Artists/Hawaii'', Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 1996, 68-73 * Hartwell, Patricia L. (editor), ''Retrospective 1967-1987'',

Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts The Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts was established by the Hawaii State Legislature in 1965 to "promote, perpetuate, preserve, and encourage culture and the arts, history and the humanities as central to the quality of life of th ...

, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1987, p. 141 * International Art Society of Hawai'i, ''Kuilima Kākou, Hawai’i-Japan Joint Exhibition'', Honolulu, International Art Society of Hawai'i, 2004, p. 41 * Maui Arts & Cultural Center, ''Schaefer Portrait Challenge, 2003'', Maui Arts & Cultural Center, 2003, p. 50 * Morse, Marcia, ''It Seemed Like the Future, Works by Fred Roster 1969-2010'', Honolulu, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2010 * Morse, Marcia and Allison Wong, ''10 Years: The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center'', The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, 2006, , p. 98 * Nelson, Shane, In Good Form, Renowned Sculptor Fred Roster and Rising Star Aaron Padilla Share a Common Thread, ''HiLuxury'', June/July 2013, Vol 7, Issue 1, pp 40–42 * Yoshihara, Lisa A., Fred Roster, Portfolio in ''Bamboo Ridge: Journal of Hawai'i Literature and Arts'', Vol. 94, Fall 2008, 135-145

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roster, Fred H. 1944 births 2017 deaths People from Palo Alto, California San Jose State University alumni University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni Sculptors from Hawaii Assemblage artists