Frank Lloyd Wright's towering designs—and ideas—are imprinted all over the United States, including the Robie House in Chicago and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. His ambition, however, was far larger than the creation of beautiful and functional buildings. Like other modernist masters, he saw architecture as a way to transform individuals and society through the built environment. In this program, architect Jeanne Gang and Barry Bergdoll, chief curator of architecture and design at New York's Museum of Modern Art, embark on a discussion of Wright's legacy. Their conversation, moderated by University of Illinois architectural historian Dianne Harris, is informed by (and showcases) the newly available Wright archive, recently acquired by MoMA and Columbia University's Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library. The archive is enormous and rich: 23,000 architectural drawings, 44,000 historical photographs, large-scale presentation models, manuscripts, and extensive correspondence offer unparalleled access to Wright's broadly humanist vision and its relevance for contemporary architectural practice, themes Bergdoll and Gang plumb for us. This program is generously underwritten by Herman Miller and is presented in partnership with the Society of Architectural Historians and the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture at Columbia University. This program was recorded on November 10, 2013 as part of the 24th annual Chicago Humanities Festival, Animal: What Makes Us Human: http://chf.to/2013Animal

Comments

1. It's wonderful that the participants don't overly rely on the great views of Frank Lloyd Wright regarding Nature. His views are being looked at just as seriously as they should but with new efforts pertinent to our day. Thank you.
2. God bless individual architecture. Happy ego produces happy society, not vice versa. We always start as one unique unit, and this is the way it will always be. I hope the modern european architecture will die soon. It sucks so much I can't even say it, because it's not even bad. It's mediocre. The worst possible thing, complete grey mass.
   Nature will be fine, because we are part of nature. When we destroying it - we changing the nature, when we trying to "protect" nature - it's the same thing! We changing it again! Don't go crazy green, I hope we will get rid of waste and plastic etc, cause I can't stand plastic, personally (using it everyday), but nature doesn't give a shit, it's just we - people, who give shit. Everything else is just trying to survive and go on.
   So, please, stop talking about nature and ecology - what we trying to do, is mantain things the way we used to.
3. Frank Lloyd Wright one of the best Architect ever produce even he got divorce and married several times. He did design "Falling Water" to One mile high SKYSCRAPERS (which did not built but still possible current technology)
4. Lloyd Frank helped introduce the World to America's "Midwestern Prairie style ecological movement" by saving wild maturing Oak, Elm & Ash trees already growing on sites which influenced his architectural designs. Today as an Arborist and Chicagoland's community tree historian, I am proudly preserving the last surviving examples either utilized or installed by Wright over a century ago. Check out this one in Oak Park Il..  https://youtu.be/jXCurxYpNhA
5. Barry isn't as smart as he thinks he is.
6. Very informative. Thank you for sharing.