Online Program

Adventures Online: Drawing the Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright

Program No. 24683RJ
Pencils ready! Improve your drawing skills as you join professor Mark Keane for an immersive, online look into the life and work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

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5 days
1
Early Years, Influences, Perspective, Unity Temple
From the comfort of your own home.
3
Usonian, Jacobs I
From the comfort of your own home.
4
Taliesin West, Fallingwater
From the comfort of your own home.
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At a Glance

At the turn of the 20th century, architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright was creating some of the most ingenious architecture America had ever seen. Immerse yourself in his life and works as you join architecture professor Mark Keane for a five day online adventure that examines Wright’s creations while providing drawing instruction to help improve your artistic abilities and strengthen your memory. With homes like Taliesin, Fallingwater and the Jacobs I House as your muse, gain insight into the styles that influenced Wright while also taking pencil to paper and drawing renditions of these homes yourself. Your home is your classroom during this online adventure, but you’ll enjoy time to meet your fellow Road Scholars and share your love for art and architecture together!
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

What You'll Learn

  • Get expert insight into the life and works of Frank Lloyd Wright during daily lectures and presentations by Professor Mark Keane.
  • Design your own Prairie or Usonian home and receive constructive feedback on your drawings from Professor Keane.
  • Learn how drawing can improve your memory and gain tips for using your new skills as a way of “exercising” your brain.

General Notes

For the drawing portion of this program, you’ll need blank white paper (either 11x17 or 8.5x11), six black colored pencils and a pencil sharpener. Please print out all base sheets for each draw along session from the files that will be included in the Handouts in your Road Scholar account for this program. You’ll enjoy 2-3 hours of daily instruction, discussion and/or field trips, which includes sufficient breaks throughout the program. This online program is through Zoom, an easy-to-use web video service that includes closed captioning. All you need is an Internet connection and your computer. We’ll provide a how-to guide to make sure you’ll have a hassle-free experience. This session is offered live only and will not be available on demand. Please review the daily itinerary for start and end times to ensure you won’t miss a minute of this live experience. All times are listed in the EASTERN time zone. If you live in a different time zone, please adjust your schedule accordingly.
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5 days
4 nights
0 meals
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DAY
1
Early Years, Influences, Perspective, Unity Temple
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today’s session will start at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time and end at 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: 1:00 p.m.: Orientation and Introductions (15 minutes). 1:15 p.m.: Lesson: Frank Lloyd Wright – The Early Years (15 minutes). From his youth in Richland Center, WI to his early architectural education to his work with Louis Sullivan in Chicago, we’ll explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s early influences. 1:30 p.m.: Draw–along Warm-Up Activity (30 minutes). Engaging in drawing not only stimulates your mind and enriches your life, but it also helps improve your memory. By practicing drawing, you can better retain information and enhance your cognitive abilities. In this drawing exercise, we will refresh our understanding of perspective by exploring three fundamental principles. 2:00 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 2:10 p.m.: Lesson: Frank Lloyd Wright Learning From Others – Influences Beyond the Midwest (20 minutes). Frank Lloyd Wright was heavily influenced by Japanese art and architecture, particularly during his “Prairie” period in the early 1900s. Josef Maria Olbrich was also an important influence on Wright’s work, particularly his use of modern materials and functional design principles. Wright was a voracious reader and was influenced by a wide range of authors throughout his life. We’ll discuss how each influenced and impacted him. 2:30 p.m.: Draw-along Activity Part II – Perspective (30 minutes). We’ll continue practicing the basics of perspective drawing and the principles of the Science of Drawing from the Renaissance: linear perspective, anatomy, proportion, light, and shadow. 3:00 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 3:10 p.m.: Draw-along Activity (50 minutes). Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1905, the architectural masterpiece of Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois is characterized by many as the first “Modern” building due to its unique concrete-based construction method. In this session, Professor Keane will lead us through the process of sketching this iconic structure.

DAY
2
Prairie Period, Wasmuth Portfolio, Robie House & Taliesin
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today’s session will start at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time and end at 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: 1:00-1:10 p.m.: Review Day 1, Itinerary for Day 2 (10 minutes). 1:10 p.m.: Lesson: Frank Lloyd Wright – the Prairie Period (20 minutes). During the Prairie Period, Frank Lloyd Wright established a unique architectural style that laid the foundation for Modern Architecture long before the movement emerged. This period can be considered as Wright’s most significant and influential phase. 1:30 p.m.: Draw-along Activity (30 minutes). We’ll explore the wide range of Prairie Principles – the site, nature, geometry, function, art and craftsmanship of the machine. 2:00 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 2:10 p.m.: Lesson: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Wasmuth Portfolio (20 minutes). The Wasmuth Portfolio, a collection of lithographs of Frank Lloyd Wright’s early works, was published in Germany in 1910 and helped trigger Modernism on the European continent. We’ll discuss the foundations of Modernism and the tenets formed across the 20th century. 2:30 p.m.: Draw-along Activity (35 minutes). We’ll explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s last major Prairie House, the Robie House, which he designed before leaving for Europe to collaborate on the Wasmuth Portfolio publication with Mamah Cheney. 3:05 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 3:15 p.m.: Lesson: Wrightian Architect Ken Dahlin (15 minutes). Ken Dahlin, an architect in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, will deliver a brief overview of his professional work through a prerecorded presentation. 3:30 p.m.: Lesson & Sketch – Taliesin (25 minutes). Taliesin, which translates to “Shining Brow,” was the former home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright until 1959. Considered one of the top five most significant American buildings located west of Madison in the driftless area of his native Wisconsin., we will collaboratively sketch the site of Taliesin. 3:55 p.m.: Wrap-up (5 minutes).

DAY
3
Usonian, Jacobs I
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today’s session will start at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time and end at 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: 1:00 p.m.: Lesson: Frank Lloyd Wright – the Usonian (20 minutes). We will explore the transformation of what Wright called the “United States of North America’s” post-depression middle-class housing vision, which progressed from the earlier prairie principles to the language of Mid-Century Modern design. 1:30 p.m.: Draw-along Activity (30 minutes). We’ll explore the wide range of Usonian principles, reduction of square footage, adapting wall sections, inventing new functions, addressing the automobile, and providing residential solutions for the masses. 2:00 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 2:10 p.m.: Draw-along Activity (50 minutes). In this draw-along activity, we’ll examine The Jacobs I House. Located in Madison, WI, it was the first Usonian home in the area, and despite its small size of only 1560 square feet, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with an exceptional amount of design packed into each square foot. 3:00 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 3:10 p.m.: Design Activity Part I (45 minutes). During the session, Professor Keane will present the design method for a small house. Following the presentation, you will create a schematic design for a Prairie or Usonian-style home of your own. Additionally, you may choose to submit your design to Professor Keane for feedback and evaluation. 3:55 p.m. Wrap-up (5 minutes).

DAY
4
Taliesin West, Fallingwater
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today’s session will start at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time and end at 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: 1:00 p.m.: Review Day 3, Itinerary for Day 4 (10 minutes). 1:10 p.m. Draw-along Activity (20 minutes). Taliesin West, situated on desert terrain in the Scottsdale foothills of Arizona, served as Wright’s winter retreat. During the session, we will draw along to Wright’s design and how it reflects the beauty of the desert. 1:30 p.m.: Lesson: Modern Architect Justin Racinowski (30 minutes). Modern architect Justin Racinowski, a leading resource and proponent for the restoration and preservation of mid-century modern architecture in the local community, will present an introductory overview of his professional work through a pre-recorded presentation. 2:00 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 2:10 p.m.: Draw-along Activity (50 minutes). Fallingwater, Edgar Kaufmann’s remarkable retreat that is situated “on” a waterfall instead of just overlooking it, was designed to fully embrace the natural wonder of the location. During the session, Professor Keane will lead us in a draw-along activity that explores the unique features of this stunning architectural masterpiece. 3:00 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 3:10 p.m.: Design Activity Part II (45 minutes). Professor Keane will conduct an architectural critique of our schematic small house designs by drawing directly into our submitted sketches. 3:55 p.m.: Wrap-up (5 minutes).

DAY
5
Projects, Seven Ages, Guggenheim Museum, Program Concludes
From the comfort of your own home.

Activity note: Today’s session will start at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time and end at 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: 1:00 p.m.: Review Day 4, Itinerary for Day 5 (10 minutes). 1:10 p.m.: Lesson: Frank Lloyd Wright – America’s Modern Master 1867-1959 (20 minutes). Frank Lloyd Wright was born shortly after the Civil War and passed away at the dawn of the Space Age. Despite the passage of time, he remained prolific throughout his career. We will look at samples of the more than 1,000 projects that Wright undertook during his lifetime. 1:30 p.m.: Draw-along Activity (30 minutes). Professor Keane will lead a drawing activity that will allow you to examine the Seven Ages of Wright, which refers to the geometric diagrams used to roughly interpret Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural evolution. 2:00 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 2:10 p.m.: Draw-along Activity (50 minutes). We will focus on the iconic Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The design for this masterpiece was originally inspired by a spiraling parking garage, which tapered towards the top. However, the final design inverts this concept by opening up the core of the building to the sky, celebrating the power of creativity. Professor Keane will lead us in a draw-along activity that explores the unique features of this world-renowned museum. 3:00 p.m.: Break (10 minutes). 3:10 p.m.: Design Activity Review (20 minutes). We’ll conclude our small home schematic design project by reviewing final designs. 3:30 p.m.: Discussion & Wrap-up (30 minutes). Professor Keane will share some of his own residential designs that incorporate the principles of the Wrightian architectural language. We hope that you will continue to nurture your creativity and keep your mind sharp. Make it a daily habit to draw in a journal, explore new interests, and travel the world with a pen or pencil in hand. After all, drawing and creating is an innate part of human nature that predates even the development of language. This concludes our program.






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