Features

RECALL :: Rare WPA-Era Zoo Guide Cover Artist Uncovered

THE STORY OF EDWARD KRIMSTON'S AWARD WINNING MODERNE MONKEY ILLUSTRATION

The internet is a pretty wonderful place. Months after I posted in August 2011 about finding a rare copy of the very first guide book published in 1936 for the newly-built Chicago Zoological Park in Brookfield, IL, I received an email from Leslie Magidsohn, the daughter of the cover's artist, Edward Krimston.

RECALL :: Architectural Season's Greetings

A SPECIAL LOOK AT HOLIDAY CARDS FROM THE WORLD OF ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Odds are you are starting to receive holiday cards in the mail from friends and family and sending your own warm wishes. Turns out, the same is true in the world of architecture and design. PrairieMod thought it would be fun to gather together some examples of architecture-related holiday cards throughout the years in honor of the season. Happy Holidays and enjoy!

RECALL :: Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple, The First & Next 100

AN ESSAY BY JORDAN MELNICK

More rain fell on Chicago on September 13th, 2008 than on any other day in more than 130 years. That evening in Oak Park, some 170 architecture lovers braved the historic downpour for a gala at Unity Temple, one of 25 Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the near Western suburb. In semi-formal attire, the attendees drank, ate and mingled with fellow contributors to the building’s restoration fund, the men eventually removing their jackets in the rain-steamed, unventilated interior. Later, all enjoyed the music of Chicago trumpeter Orbert Davis in the temple sanctuary, a bright, intricately designed space that Wright called his “little jewel box.”

RECALL :: Organic Art

JACK JUSTICE ON UNIVERSAL COMMUNICATION

Not many people are familiar with the life and work of artist Jack T. Justice. Working for only a few decades, his brightly colored and stylized geometric paintings do not surface on the market very often. There have also been few exhibits and no monographs showcasing his artwork. However, he did write down his thoughts on the nature of Organic Art and life for us to study along side his colorful paintings. The words are a fascinating look at how the same principles that governed the Organic Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright also related to Justice's own two-dimensional art.

RECALL :: Wright By Design

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT'S GRAND OLD FLAG

In a few weeks the Fourth of July will be here, and with it grand parades, booming fireworks, and — naturally — an abundance of American flags. The inspiring red, white, and blue design of our country’s flag has long been the subject of a countless number of songs, poems, drawings, paintings, books, and even fashion designs. So it stands to reason that the greatest symbol of American design also inspired our country’s greatest designer, Frank Lloyd Wright.