Rollie A. Grandbois
Rollie A. Grandbois
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IN LOVING MEMORY
IN LOVING MEMORY
September 8, 1954 – May 5, 2016
About
About
Rollie Grandbois was born in Belcourt, North Dakota in the mid 1950’s, of Chippewa and French extraction. He was reared in a large and lively family in the Chippewa tradition. His grandmother taught him the Indian customs and a Catholic boarding school made a brief attempt to restrain his vigorous personality. After high school, Rollie enlisted in the Army and became a paratrooper. While at West Point, Rollie trained cadets of the 101st Airborne Division, also known as the “Screaming Eagles”.
In 1983, Rollie received an Associate of Fine Arts Degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He served as Student Body President in 1982-83 and graduated with a degree in three-dimensional art. Rollie is listed in Who’s Who in American Junior Colleges 1983.
Rollie moved to the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico in 1987 to pursue and expand a career as an artist. He established the Eagle Mountain Sculpture Studio and Gallery, which was situated between two giant mesas, overlooking the Village of Jemez Springs. The gallery featured Rollie’s stone, bronze and cast paper sculptures. Rollie especially enjoyed creating contemporary bronze sculptures blended realism with abstract forms which flow into amazing works of art. The Gallery also featured traditional and contemporary original art by other New Mexican and Native American artists.
Artist Statement
Artist Statement
“I consider myself a teacher of stone sculpture. My family, stone sculpture and teaching it are the three most important things in my life. My children Kody and Shayna Rose amaze me and inspire me with their creativity. They are both outstanding sculptors.”
“I had the good fortune to work, carve stone, and live with the “Shona Stone Sculptors” in Zimbabwe in 2007. To me, it was like coming home. There were over 200 stone sculptors in a village of 500 people – it felt as if we were all family. They told me that I was the first Native American sculptor to work with them and they offered me a home for as long as I wanted. The Shona sculptors live in a beautiful place and they are beautiful people. This cultural exchange experience was very powerful and it changed the rest of my life.”
The Jemez Mountains was home to Rollie where his studio, gallery and home were situated between two giant mesas, overlooking the village of Jemez Springs. In 2001, the Ministrie of Culture for the country of Luxembourg sponsored a one-man exhibition for Rollie at the Mertert-Wasserbillig Commune Gallery grand opening event. While there, Rollie carved a monumental sculpture at a nearby ancient castle and conducted stone carving workshops. Rollie is the founder of the Southwest Stone Carving Symposium, which was an annual event held at the Hummingbird Music Camp in Jemez Springs, NM from 1995—2007. It provided workshops for stone carving techniques for beginning and professional sculptors. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Southwest Association on Indian Arts (SWAIA 1985-88).
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