The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Through the Eyes of a Child

Exhibit Opening at the Westcott House
Saturday, June 28, 2008
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Free Admission with a Cash Bar Available

The collaboration of four organizations resulted in a unique traveling exhibition, The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright through the Eyes of a Child, on display from June 28 to July 24, 2008 at The Westcott House. A public reception will be held from 7 to 10pm on Saturday, June 28, 2008. The event is free of charge. Organized by The Westcott House Foundation and Eyes Wide Open Worldwide (EWOW) in collaboration with Fallingwater and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, the program involved children photographing the Westcott House, Fallingwater and Unity Temple, three masterpieces designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

This joint project engaged children, eight to fourteen years old, from Springfield, Ohio, Mill Run, Pennsylvania and Oak Park, Illinois. Seventeen children from different paths of life discovered Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture through the lens of the camera. Some of the children used cameras for the first time, and for many, it was their first encounter with Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture. Through photography, the children gained an appreciation for the power of architecture and design and its implications in our everyday lives.

During the project students had a chance to get up close and personal with Wright and his architecture, learning about the history of the sites and their famous architect. Frank Lloyd Wright, the most celebrated architect in the history of American architecture, designed Unity Temple for Oak Park congregation in 1906 as his first major public building and one of the most significant projects of his lengthy career (www.unitytemple-utrf.org). In same year Wright worked on the Westcott House, his only Prairie style house in Ohio. Both masterpieces were featured in the first major publication on Wright's work known as the Wasmuth portfolio. Thirty years later Wright delivered a design that would later be claimed as "the best all-time work of American architecture," Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania (www.fallingwater.org). Today, all three structures remain as tributes to creative thinking and innovative design solutions.

This project has been acknowledged by the American Architectural Foundation as one of 42 top programs in the country for "Best Practices in Architectural Education." It made an impact on the young participants as well as the organizations involved. "Having Eyes Wide Open Worldwide at Fallingwater," says Cara Armstrong, Curator of Education at Fallingwater, "reminded me that we all respond to beauty. The kids' responses to Fallingwater, their photographs, remind me of the building and setting themselves - each combine subtlety, serendipity, simplicity, and surprise." "I think the best part was watching how the kids approached the creative process," says Emily Roth, Interim Director of Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, "The younger children jumped right in without reservation; the older children were more hesitant. But both found themselves quickly absorbed by the process of making art."

The collaboration resulted in an exhibition featuring the best of the students' photographs printed on canvas. Since fall 2007 the exhibit has traveled to Oak Park, Illinois (Unity Temple), Mill Run, Pennsylvania (Fallingwater) and 2008 CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival, the largest photography event in the world. The exhibit in Oak Park coincided with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy's annual meeting, an event attracting hundreds of Frank Lloyd Wright aficionados. Springfield, Ohio is this exhibit's final destination.

This project was made possible through the generous support of Rittal, Inc., the Ruth B. and Thomas F. Mackey Charitable Trust, ThinkTV Network and Armstrong Instant Print.

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