Frank Lloyd Wright
A Film By Ken Burns & Lynn Novick
A General Motors Mark of Excellence Presenation.
He was a master builder, a rebel and a worshipper of nature.
Explore the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright, divided
here into 10 periods spanning his 70-year career.
Learn about the man and his buildings, map a trip to see his work,
participate in our K-12 contest and classroom activities, and meet
the filmmakers who chronicled the story of this uniquely American
spirit.
Frank Lloyd Wright: Life & Work
For more than 70 years, Frank
Lloyd Wright showed his
countrymen new ways to build
their homes and see the world
around them. He created some of
the most monumental, and some
of the most intimate spaces in
America. He designed everything:
banks and businesses, resorts and
churches, a filling station and a
synagogue, a beer garden and an art
museum. From his first house to
his final masterpiece, chronical
Frank Lloyd Wrights extraordinary
career, his life, and 20th century
American architecture.
Legacy
I dont think its unfair to say that there is no American architect who has ever
lived who has done as much to touch the world, who has done as much to
realize his vision of what a perfect architecture might be than Frank Lloyd
Wright. William cronon
Frank Lloyd Wright left behind a rich legacy of beautiful houses and buildings, a
truly American style of architecture and an example of what it means to live life
based on your own convictions. Find out more about organic architecture, what
fueled Wrights passion, and how Wrights work impacted architecture, America
and mankind.
The best way to experience Frank Lloyd Wrights
architecture is to view it first-hand, seeing it up close and
taking in its dimensions. Out of the more than 500 Frank
Lloyd Wright buildings still standing, more than 60 are
open to the public, and many of these buildingsif you
know where to find themare closer to you than you
might think. Let our database help you plan your next
road trip or weekend getaway.
Select from one of the searches to create your customized
list of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. Your list will
include building names, locations, photographs; and
customized maps and driving instructions.
Filmmakers
Frank Lloyd Wright follows Thomas Jefferson and Lewis & Clark: The Corps of
Discovery as the third in a series of five biographies Ken Burns is producing and directing.
Having made a name for himself through epics like The Civil War and Baseball, Burns
turned to biography because it represents a different entryway to history. The beginning of my
interest in history, the beginning of anyones interest in history is in some ways about other
people I want to know, Burns says. That is called biography, and in fact, Thomas Carlyle,
the great British historian, said that history is biography. The way we come to terms with our
common past is through a doorway that is the lives of other people. There could be no more
interesting person than Frank Lloyd Wright.
Burns shares this films directing credit with longtime colleague Lynn Novick, who calls the
film a wonderful collaboration. She reflects, At every step along the way, Ken really knows
what he wants and where he wants the film to go. It is quite inspiring to see that focus and
direction able to marshall all these forces...working on ÔBaseball, we could do a lot of back
and forth really in the editing room...I wont say were interchangeable because that is not
really right....in the end we each have slightly different sensibilities and that is what made the
film what it is.
Burns and Novick talked with PBSs Eric Yeater in May 1998 about the making of Frank
Lloyd Wright. Learn more about the film, their reaction to Wright, and their plans for the
future through text and video excerpts from this interview.
Resources
Teachers, researchers, and learners of all ages will enjoy
the resources and educational activities included in the
PBS Frank Lloyd Wright Web site.
Explore haiku, Emerson, and Zen philosophy in our
Language Arts lesson plans; submit your own haiku
and read what others are writing in the haiku gallery.
Math lessons encourage students to examine geometry
in their communitys architecture, build bridges in an
interactive online demonstration, and estimate
supplies needed for different types of construction.
[social studies will go here]
The K-12 contest invites students to apply Frank Lloyd
Wrights architectural principles in an original urban
plan while they learn about technology, geography, and
city zoning. A bibliography of books and articles and an
annotated list of Web links enable you to learn more
about Wrights life and work.
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