Issue 41 April 19th 2017

Weekly Note

Easter has come and gone and April's showers are soon to bring May flowers (and architectural house walks!) We've got a bumper crop of Wright (and Wright-related) stories for you this week, so as always: Keep Calm and Wright On!

Announcements

Wright Society Subscribers Like You Make A Difference!

Katie Godrey, Director of Conventions & Tourism at the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, sent word this morning that Wells Fargo has killed the proposed idea to place banners on the Louis Sullivan-bank in Owatonna, Minnesota.

Many, many subscribers wrote letters expressing deep concern over this potential signage and your voice was heard! This is another example of how our community makes a difference.

Thank you—your passion and enthusiasm is inspiring.

The Headlines

32 Top Design Tips From Frank Lloyd Wright

Kathleen Kinney writes that in the mid-1950s, Frank Lloyd Wright tried to reach out directly to the building profession and the public through a series of freelance articles published in the main home and shelter publications of the day, including House Beautiful, House & Garden, and Life magazines. One editorial in particular, "32 Simple and Basic Design Ideas of Frank Lloyd Wright", very clearly states some of Wright's most frequently used design secrets. Read more.

Wright Documentary Screening At Rosenbaum House

If you are able to get to Florence, Alabama, the Florence Arts and Museum is excited to announce the film screening of Michael Miner’s latest Frank Lloyd Wright documentary, Masterpieces. The film emphasizes Frank Lloyd Wright designs of excellence, including the Rosenbaum House. The screening will take place on April 22 from 3-5 pm at the Rosenbaum House. There will be a free tour of the house and a question and answer session with Michael Miner will follow the screening. Read more.

Desert Laboratory: A Film on Life at Taliesin West

indiegogo features a group of artists that have come together to produce a documentary film portrait of life at Taliesin West, the winter home and architecture studio of legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The film Desert Laboratory will take you to Taliesin West and through its history, as told by the fascinating people who live there, including some of his former apprentices, in time for the June 2017 celebration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birthday. Follow the link and support the effort to get the film completed. Read more.

Dwell's Top 10 Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings

Dwell magazine has published a list of their ten favorite Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. It is difficult to get our list to just ten, and some of our favorites didn't make theirs. See what you think and make your own list! Read more.

Aaron Betsky on Learning at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation's Whirling Arrow has a clip from an interview Aaron Betsky, Dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, had with Interior Design magazine about the unique experience of learning in Taliesin West’s historically significant and innovative environment in Scottsdale, Arizona. View here.

House Industries Toasts 25 Years With New Book and Retrospective

Fans of great design will be interested in House Industries: The Process is the Inspiration, a 400-page journey through the firm’s creative processes. The release dovetails with “House Industries: A Type of Learning,” a retrospective opening May 27 at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan. Of special interest are the Eames Wire Base Low tables by Charles and Ray Eames with screen-printed tops by Herman Miller. Read more.

You Avoid Fake Designer Handbags and Watches, But What About Furniture?

The Washington Post has an interesting article in their Home and Garden section written by Noah Charney describing the ethical challenges of buying reproductive furniture designs. Using the iconic Eames DSW chair, also known as the Eiffel chair, as the example, we are shown the difficulties of owning quality furniture with our conscience intact. Read more.

Spotlight on Innovation: SC Johnson Administration Building

In their "Spotlight on Innovation" section, Yahoo Finance News highlights the campus of SC Johnson's world headquarters in Racine, WI, which is home to two buildings designed by celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the Administration Building and the Research Tower. Both are on the National Register of Historic Places and open to the public for free tours. Read more.

Check Out Neutra's Newly-Restored Petrified National Forest Oasis Building

Archinect wants us to check out the newly-restored Richard Neutra-designed Oasis Building in the Petrified National Forest. The Painted Desert Community Complex, designed by Richard Neutra and Robert Alexander, has just been restored in a joint effort between the Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Read more.

Storming the Castle: Touring the David Wright House

The David Wright House has been dubbed “a modern castle in the air”. It is one of Wright’s spiral designs and a precursor to New York's Guggenheim Museum. Frank Lloyd Wright finished the circular home in 1952 for his son and daughter-in-law, who lived there until their deaths. On the edge of being demolished, thanks to the efforts of preservationists, it still stands. Midwest Home magazine has provided a virtual tour for us. Read more.

Dana-Thomas House Wasmuth Portfolio Photographs: Then and Now

Published by Ernst Wasmuth in Berlin, Germany, 1911, the Ausgeführte Bauten und Entwürfe von Frank Lloyd Wright was a collection of the great architect’s early work, from his Prairie period. Longtime Dana-Thomas House volunteer and professional photographer, Doug Carr and preservation architect Mike Jackson, FAIA, have teamed up to create contemporary images matching the historic photographs from over 100 years ago for a new online album, WASMUTH PHOTOGRAPHS: THEN AND NOW recently published on www.dana-thomas.org. View here.

Wright on Exhibit: Frank Lloyd Wright's Architectural Exhibitions

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation's Whirling Arrow features an interview with author Kathryn Smith, where she discusses the creation of her book Wright on Exhibit: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Architectural Exhibitions. Citing more than one hundred exhibitions of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, between 1894 and his death in 1959, Smith notes that Wright organized the majority of these exhibitions himself and viewed them as important to his self-presentation as his extensive writings. She explains that he used them to introduce his new work, appeal to a wide audience, and persuade his detractors, and feels that Wright on Exhibit presents the first history of this neglected aspect of the architect’s influential career. Read more.

Barbara Gordon Named New Executive Director of the FLW Building Conservancy

The board of directors of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has announced that Barbara Gordon will be the organization's new executive director. With an impressive resume that includes being the Director of Adult Education and Volunteers and Vice President of Program Operations at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, she has also worked on program development for Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, and the Elmhurst History Museum, where she most recently designed programs for the exhibition In Her Own Right: Marion Mahony Griffin. We extend our congratulations! Read more.

About

This weekly Wright Society update is brought to you by Eric O'Malley with Bryan and Lisa Kelly from PrairieMod. If you enjoy these free, curated updates—please forward our sign-up page and/or share on Social Media.

If you’d like to submit content to be featured here, please reach out by emailing us at mail[at]wrightsociety.com.