Pratt Institute

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Education

Born in Paramaribo, Suriname 1939 Educated in Suriname, Holland, Switzerland and Germany Master of Fine Arts Art Academy of Hamburg 1964

Biography

The Artist

Roland Gebhardt is an internationally known sculptor whose work has been shown around the world and is in many prominent collections. He studied at the Art Academy of Hamburg where he earned a Master of Fine Arts. He also studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich. He is perhaps best known for his monolithic sculptures which explore the concept of the linear void. Some of these explorations were executed as large scale environmental sculptures (such as those shown at Wave Hill and Storm King in New York). Other explorations utilized “host volumes” as diverse as natural boulders, and fruit and vegetables. The latter were the subject of a series of highly acclaimed 8 one-day exhibits at the Kunstmuseum, Duesseldorf in 1982.

The Designer

Respected for his versatility and originality as a designer and knowledge of the retail industry, especially market positioning and visual communications, Mr. Gebhardt has designed and directed projects as a consultant for New York’s top design firms and was the Designer Director for Robert P. Gersin Associates. His particular strengths are in the areas of space planning, retail environments, exhibits, signage, product development and packaging. Drawing on his talents as an artist, he has also developed a line of sculptural furniture. He holds several mechanical and design product patents.

The Civic Participant

Mr. Gebhardt is a participant in many community related activities, including the Hudson River Waterfront, Community Board 1, and is a member of the steering committees for the Civic Alliance and Rebuild Downtown Our Town (R.Dot)*.

He is a contributor to the R.Dot White Paper and Position Papers on Managed Streets, Arts and Culture, and Neighborhood and Housing.

Roland Gebhardt is a founder and board member of the Tribeca Organization. He is a Fellow of The Institute for Urban Design. Recently he was a panelist on NY1Â’s Roundtable of civic leaders involved in rebuilding Lower Manhattan. Mr. Gebhardt was invited to deliver a paper on community revitalization in Halle, Germany and was a panelist for the Cultur/Bloc workshop concerning citizen participation in the urban design process.

He was also a member of the delegation of participants in the rebuilding effort for Lower Manhattan that visited Berlin, Munich, Copenhagen, Bologna and Barcelona.

Transposing his experience as a designer, Mr. GebhardtÂ’s contribution to the Lower Manhattan planning process has proved unique and innovative. This is particularly the case with regard to making planning for the future of Lower Manhattan people-centric rather than based on site and/or existing conditions and expectations. Arguments for this approach are now widely recognized in the planning and architectural community.

• R.Dot is a post 9/11 coalition of Lower Manhattan residents, businesses, representatives from community and business associations, artists, professionals, designers, architects and planners. Respected by policy makers in the City Council, the MayorÂ’s office, as well as City and State agencies, many of R.DotÂ’s recommendations have been adapted into policy for the development of Lower Manhattan.

Exhibits (One Man Shows, selected):

1971 The Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY 1972 – 1973 Wave Hill, Center for Environmental Studies, New York, NY 1973 Gallery 84, Inc., New York, NY 1974 and 1977 Carlton Gallery, New York, NY 1978 Robert Freidus Gallery (Sculpture of the Roof), New York, NY 1982 Kunstmuseum Duesseldorf, Germany

Exhibits (Group Shows, selected): 1972 Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY 1974 – 1975 Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY 1975 and 1978 Carlton Gallery, New York, NY 1978 P.S. 1 (Miniature Golf), Queens, NY 1978 – 1981 Wards Island, NY 1978 New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 1979 The Aldrich Museum (the Minimal Tradition), Ridgefield, CT 1980 AREA Creedmore, Queens, NY 1982 Portico Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Collectors (selected):

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY; Neuberger Museum, State University of New York, Purchase, NY; Brandeis University, Waltham, MA; Kunstsammlung of the City of Ludwigshafen, Germany; Wave Hill, Center for Enviromental Studies, Bronx, NY; Epstain Collection, Washington, D.C.; Best Products Collection, Ashland, Virginia; MD. Davidson, New Rochelle, NY; E. Schawrtz, New York City; E. Gerber, Great Neck, NY; S. Spector, New York, NY; J. Revson, Mt.Kisco, NY; R.P. Gersin, New York, NY; C.A. Willers, New York, NY; H. Hussey, New York, NY; Rehmann, Ratingen, Germany; K. Tweedy-Holmes, New York, NY; R. Spalten, New York, NY; Prof. Terance Moran, New York NY; Tanabe Corp. Tokyo, Japan.

Clients/Projects (selected):

Corporate Identity:

Sears, Roebuck and Co. Chicago, IL Tokyo Department Store (Eiko Ishioka Design), Japan Tanabe Corporation, Tokyo, Japan Santori Ltd., Tokyo, Japan (special projects) Toshiba EMI (music) Tokyo, Japan Traveler Corporation, Ltd. Tokyo Japan PICK Inc., Wayne, NJ Don Hill’s, New York, NY Earth’song Day (VPI) Tower Association, Seattle, WA. CoStyle (Coland Corp) Tokyo, Japan JCLL, New York, NY Tribeca Organization, New York, NY

Store Identity/Interiors

Kirin Beer (Beer Market IDO, KONA), Tokyo, Japan Mauve de Mau and Boutique Mauve, Tokyo, Japan A+P Supermarket (Future Store) Montvale, NJ Pasta Vera, Greenwich, CT Traveler Ltd., Tokyo, Japan Food Emporium, Patterson, NJ ACLU National Headquarters, New York, NY Comprehensive Development, Inc. New York, NY Michelle Sinai (showroom and studio), New York, NY

Signage

Burger King, Miami, FL Genuardi Supermarkets, Morristown, PA Nassau Street Mall, New York, NY LAOX, Tokyo, Japan 47th Street Photo, New York, NY Eckerd’s Drugstores, Miami, FL UPS (United Parcel Service), Atlanta, GA A+P Supermarkets, Montvale, NJ

Exhibition Design

USIA (Okinawa Worlds Fair) Japan COMSAT (Louisville Worlds Fair) Miles Pharmaceuticals (trade show booth) Hudson River Museum (20th century sculpture) Yonkers, NY NYC Host Committee for the UN (Monuments of symbols of New York) New York, NY JCLL (exhibit environment graphics) New, York, NY JFK International Airport Terminal 4 (photographic exhibition of immigration through New YorkÂ’s ports) Queens, NY John L. Loeb Visitor Center at Touro Synagogue (Concept) Newport, RI

Brand Identity/Packaging

Government of Jamaica Myojo Foods, Tokyo, Japan Bencheley Tea, Lakewood, NJ Mars Chocolates, Los Angeles, CA Premium Coffee, Lakewood, NJ Keio Department Stores (hosiery) Tokyo, Japan Communicash/PICK (prepaid telephone cards), Wayne, NJ RSL Com USA (prepaid telephone cards), New York, NY

Product Design

American Tourister, Providence, RI Boston Metal Products, Boston, MA Singer Co. (sewing machine), Stamford, CT McCue Corp. Salem, MA Hood Sail Maker, Marblehead, MA A+P Supermarkets (checkout development), Montvale, NJ

Awards (selected)

Chain Store Age, Retail Store of the Year 1992 Advertising Club of New York:“Andy” Award of Merit, Association of Graphic Arts: Certificate of Achievement American Corporate Identity: Award of Excellence American Planning Association, Lawrence M. Orton Award for Leadership in City Planning (R.Dot) Cleo for work on GE Answer Center

Films and Documentaries

“Roland Gebhardt, Sculptor” 16mm Documentary, 1971 “Linear Voids” Video, Arlene Krebs, 1979

Publications and Seminars (selected)

Roland Gebhardt is a recognized voice and advocate for Lower Manhattan. He has presented at press conferences for the introduction of R.Dot position papers. He was a representative for R.DotÂ’s position paper on Arts & Culture on the steps of City Hall.

Metropolis Magazine: “21 Great Design Ideas for the 21st Century: Experience Mapping” by Susan Szenasy August 2002

NY1 News: “What Next Downtown” Roundtable discussion with John Schiumo, September 2003

Presenter, R.Dot, Culture/Block, Halle Neustadt, Germany, July 2003

Delegate, Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York, Europe, November 2002

Presenter, DGI (Digital Printing Institute) World Conference, St. Paul, MN. 2001

Contributor/designer, R.Dot Position Papers, 2002 – 2004

Editorial contributor to the following PIE (Tokyo) design-related books: T-Shirt Art; Brochures and Pamphlets; Calendar Art; Letterheads; Poster Graphics; Retail Graphics; Advertising Graphics.

Lecture series at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, 2004 “Graphic Expression – a Language of its Own”

Contact Information

Roland Gebhardt Roland Gebhardt Design 67 Vestry Street, New York, NY 10013 Tel 212 925 4110 Fax 212 941 1719

Fax 212 941 1719