Ask 10 people on the street to name an architect -- any architect -- and there would likely be a consensus. Most people couldn't name more than one, but that one name would emerge, over and over again, Sean Malone believes.
That name would be Frank Lloyd Wright.
FYI
Wright Project
On Schedule
Officials at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville announced in January the acquisition of the Bachman-Wilson House. This Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home was taken apart and removed from its New Jersey location and will be rebuilt on museum property in Bentonville.
Beth Bobbitt, a spokeswoman for Crystal Bridges, says the project remains on schedule for a summer 2015 opening date. Currently, the foundation is being set, with wood framing to follow in January. Later this month, University of Arkansas students working on a viewing pavilion are scheduled to debut a model that will show both that pavilion and the house, providing a sense of how the project will fit on the museum grounds, Bobbitt says. The model will be placed in the museum’s south lobby.
The construction area is currently closed to the public for safety reasons.
FAQ
‘The Future of Frank Lloyd Wright’
Presentation By Sean Malone
WHEN — 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
WHERE — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville
COST — $10 or free for members
INFO — 657-2335
"He completely transformed the way we live our lives," says Malone, the chief executive officer of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which was founded by the late American architect himself.
Wright's name is tied to architecture the way that Shakespeare's is to the written word and Picasso's is to visual art, Malone says, and he has a theory why: "It's very clear there's something deeply accessible in Wright's artistry," Malone says.
Malone will discuss Frank Lloyd Wright's legacy during a presentation on Wednesday at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. More than just creating beauty -- and Malone will certainly show images of pretty Wright-designed homes -- the architect's work causes people to think about how they want to live and what is important to them.
"This isn't theoretical. It's about art and beauty and how it affects our lives," Malone says.
Indeed, there are two very tangible ways Wright has a lasting impact over the very museum where Malone will speak. One of Wright's proteges, E. Fay Jones, designed a home in Bentonville for the Walton family. Alice Walton, the Walmart heiress and founder of Crystal Bridges, brought architect Moshe Safdie to that home, and the design there influenced his work on the museum.
And there's the matter of an actual Frank Lloyd Wright house, too. Crystal Bridges officials announced early this year the acquisition of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home. The Bachman Wilson House was removed from its New Jersey location and now waits in storage while a place on the southern edge of the museum campus is readied for construction and reassembly.
The home is one of just a few examples of a type of home Wright called Usonian. These homes were typically designed for middle-income families, and they worked on Wright's notion "that great design was not for the wealthiest," Malone says.
During his presentation on Wednesday, Malone says he will explore five values that were important to Wright and his design: architecture as a cause, design for all, experimentation, public engagement and provocation and integrity.
Those values extend beyond architecture.
"You don't need to understand architecture to know integrity," Malone says.
And you don't need to know much about architecture to know Frank Lloyd Wright.
NAN What's Up on 12/05/2014