{"id":84,"date":"2020-08-20T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2020-08-20T09:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writeonwright.com\/?p=84"},"modified":"2021-01-15T19:01:08","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T19:01:08","slug":"the-wright-stuff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writeonwright.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/20\/the-wright-stuff\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wright Stuff"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: Unity Temple photo by James Caulfield. Right: Photo of the drafting studio at Taliesin West by Jill Richards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wright Virtual Visits Returns this Week with New Series of Weekly Tours<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Brian R. Hannan<\/p>\n

Phase 2 of\u00a0Wright Virtual Visits<\/a>\u00a0premieres at noon CDT today with a\u00a0Facebook Live collaboration between Taliesin West and Unity Temple<\/a>. Co-hosting the event are Unity Temple Restoration Foundation\u2019s Heidi Ruehle and Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation\u2019s Jeff Goodman, both of whom will discuss Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s use of natural light in his architecture.<\/p>\n

Phase 1 of the virtual visits project began at the end of April and continued through mid-July, growing from the dozen sites that initially signed on to participate to more than 20. Ruehle said her colleagues at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy were looking for an innovative way to continue their educational mission amid statewide travel restrictions and the global coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince all the sites were experiencing shutdowns, we thought it would be important to keep the sites open \u2013 virtually, if nothing else \u2013 to keep interest going,\u201d Ruehle said. \u201cThe whole world was thrown into this new, unusual way of living, and these visits were a nice break from all of the bad news. It has been a relief just to be able know that once a week you can tune in and get away for a few minutes through these experiential videos.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Ruehle describes the Phase 1 pairings as somewhat random \u2013 outside of the proof-of-concept pilot between Taliesin West and Unity Temple \u2013 she said the current series\u2019 matches are more deliberate, with themes determined in advance. So far, 20 sites \u2013 including new additions such as Burnham Block in Milwaukee and the Pope-Leighey House in Mount Vernon, Va. \u2013 have volunteered to provide online tours.<\/p>\n

When Monona Terrace Community Center and Hollyhock House present on Aug. 27, for example, they\u2019ll discus Wright\u2019s garden terraces and vistas.\u00a0More information about Phase 2 visits and links to Phase 1 visits are available on the\u00a0building conservancy’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For Ruehle, the project has been rewarding for myriad reasons \u2013 from the creativity and effort the various sites brought to the series to the opportunity to \u201cthink beyond the obvious\u201d and highlight areas of Unity Temple that only parishioners experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was challenging to rethink how to show certain spaces in the building that you don\u2019t typically focus on,\u201d she said, noting a library and the temple\u2019s kitchen. \u201cIt has been interesting to see the different approaches the sites have taken, from very casual walk-throughs to more scripted and produced efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upcoming Wright Virtual Visits<\/strong><\/p>\n