Issue 317 August 3rd 2022

The Headlines

Graycliff Estate, Buffalo AKG Partner To Bring Art Exhibit To Wright Complex

The Buffalo AKG is partnering with the Graycliff estate to bring a public art exhibit to the grounds, for the first time ever.

"This is an excellent opportunity for us to engage people with these spaces in a different way," said Anna Kaplan, Executive Director at Graycliff.

The exhibit, "Sarah Braman: Finding Room," will open to the public on Saturday, July 30 and run through March of 2023.

The exhibit features the work of artist Sarah Braman, a Tonawanda native now living in Massachusetts.

"I definitely am drawn to using found objects, I've always been a junk collector," Braman said. "I'm drawn to, I guess objects from around the house or things that other people discard."

For the exhibit, staff at the Graycliff and Buffalo AKG curators removed all the furniture from the newly remodeled main house of the estate. The living room, which Darwin Martin and his family once called their summer home, overlooks Lake Erie and is now filled with intricate works of wood and glass.

The lawn of the estate is adorned with concrete monoliths and colored glass.

"When we landed on Graycliff, the first thing that we did was really explore the site and how we could possibly include these large-scale works," said Zack Boehler, Public Art Project Coordinator for Buffalo AKG. "Some of these large works weigh upwards of 20,000 pounds."

Tickets for the exhibit can be purchased on the Graycliff website. There are specific tours for the exhibit, but you can see them on the regular tour as well. See more here.

Listen In: How To Save Wright

Barbara Gordon, executive director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, joins Lisa Dent on Chicago’s Afternoon News to discuss how they facilitate the preservation and stewardship of the remaining built works designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Listen to the conversation by clicking here.

American Architects Select The Country's 10 Most Influential Buildings

Philip Johnson's Glass House and a Frank Lloyd Wright home are among the buildings that leading American architects have selected as the USA's most significant pieces of architecture of all time.

Dezeen asked 10 American architects, including American Institute of Architects (AIA) president Kimberly Dowdell and veteran New York architect Robert AM Stern, to name the US building project that is most important to them and the history of America's architecture.

Among their choices are Philip Johnson's modernist Glass House, an airport designed by Eero Saarinen and homes by the godfather of American architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Click here for the full list.

Wright Lectures At Kirkland Museum

As part of Kirkland Museum’s celebration of the genius of American architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright in 2022, they will be presenting several lectures that will be held at the Denver Art Museum’s Sharp Auditorium. These lectures support two exhibitions: Returning Wright and Frank Lloyd Wright Inside the Walls. The next one, by Stuart Graff will be held August 3, 2022 from 6pm to 8pm. The next will be given by Julie Sloan on October 13, 2022. Get details and in-person or virtual tickets here.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fontana Boathouse Tour

It's your chance to tour the rowing boathouse that's based on Frank Lloyd Wright's design. Friday Aug. 5 + more dates between 10:00 am - 11:30 am.

Originally created by Wright in 1905 for the University of Wisconsin, the Boathouse was never built until its construction in 2007 in Buffalo along the shore of the Black Rock Channel. This was one of Wright’s favorite designs, as evidenced by his inclusion of the Boathouse in his now-famous Wasmuth Portfolio.

Today the boathouse is being used for its original purpose as an active rowing facility, providing a unique opportunity to see one of Wright’s designs being used as originally intended. On the tour, you’ll learn about why it was never constructed in Wisconsin, and how it came to be built in Buffalo.

The tour includes both the exterior and interior of the Boathouse, providing an in-depth look at a masterpiece of Prairie Style design. While on the tour, enjoy the spectacular views of Lake Erie, the Niagara River, and the Canadian shore from the Boathouse – be sure to bring your camera!

Meet at the Boathouse at 1 Rotary Row, Buffalo, NY 14201. Take Porter Avenue west, and immediately after crossing the I-190 expressway and off-ramp, turn right at the Fontana Boathouse sign. Follow the driveway back to the Boathouse, where there is ample on-site parking. This tour is 45 minutes to one hour in length. For information about tickets click here.

Unity Temple Basement Flooded

The basement of UNESCO World Heritage site Unity Temple flooded after a heavy early morning rainstorm, July 23. About two inches of contaminated water covered the floor of the church’s lower floor, but the historic character of the building was not compromised by the flooding nor was any of the extensive recent restoration work damaged.

“This is as though a finished basement got damaged,” said Heidi Ruehle, Unity Temple Restoration Foundation executive director. The damage done to the basement, however, is extensive, requiring high levels of expertise and refinishing, according to Ruehle. Restoration firm Green Water & Fire has been contracted to carry out the necessary work to fix the basement, which holds offices, storage, and a couple bathrooms. Green Water & Fire holds certification through the non-profit Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration. More here.

Help support Unity Temple Restoration Foundation by visiting the link here.

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