PrairieMod

FLWPT Wins Grant

The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust in Oak Park, IL was the only Wright-related site out of 178 organizations country-wide that received grant money from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for 2010. The grant will go towards developing and sustaining a trained group of education program providers who will enable the Preservation Trust to maintain its current level of high quality youth and family programming and, going forward, to expand its menu offerings and outreach to an even more diverse audience. Read more and see all the grant recipients here.

Image via IMLS website

A School Desk for the 21st Century: Steelcase's Node

The PrairieMod Squad had a chance to see the unveiling of a stellar new product from Steelcase as part of the NeoCon festivities starting this week.

Plain and simple, Node (pictured at left) is the redefinition of the school desk. A truly intuitive and amazingly comfortable chair/desk, Node brings this standard piece of school furniture into the 21st Century.

Spend a few minutes checking out the details of this sure-to-be award-winning design if you enjoy innovative solutions.

Image courtesy Steelcase

Guggenheim Archive Online

Interested in learning more about the founding of the famous Guggenheim Museum in New York? Then follow this link to see everything from photographs and letters to catalog inscriptions and lecture transcripts, providing unique insight into the shaping of the Guggenheim Foundation and its evolution throughout the first fifty years of its history. Read more here and see it here.

Chicago Architecture 101: From Skyscrapers To Bungalows And Beyond

Don’t miss an exciting opportunity to continue your architecture education Thursdays, April 1-29, 6-8pm with the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Explore Chicago’s rich architectural history with experts in the field as they discuss topics ranging from Prairie School to Postmodern architecture and everything in-between. This informal, discussion-based course is designed for adults with busy schedules and inquiring minds. Join us for one session or for all five sessions. Follow the link to get details and sign-up!

Image via CAF

Plan On Checking Out These Toys

I stumbled across some very cool, very Mod wooden toys on a recent trip to Whole Foods. I searched on the web to find out more about the company that made them, Plan Toys. Turns out Plan Toys is not only about responsible toys for childhood growth, but also being responsible to the environment. Follow the link to learn more.

Image copyright Plan Toys

Learn Your Leaves

Here's a really fun way to teach kids about identifying different leaves in advance of Spring. This wooden leaf puzzle by Etsy user justhatched contains six leaf shapes - Oak, Beech, Ivy, Dogwood, Maple and Cottonwood. Beneath each piece is the name of the leaf. See more here.

Image copyright justhatched

Magnet Master

Following-up on my recent post about relatively unknown Chicago Modernist architect, Arthur A. Carrara: here's a link to a short article on a toy he designed called Magnet Master. As described in the story, Magnet Master’s colorful planes were perforated for building with the rods and magnets, allowing an infinite variety of forms and giving the child a lesson in both construction and free expression. Read more here.

Image via cca.qc.ca

Be A Block Head

Froebel Blocks, that is! PrairieMod Reader, Kevin B., sent a link to information about the upcoming Froebel Block conference to be held in Grand Rapids, MI. Touring the nearby Meyer May House would be an excellent tip-of-the-hat to Froebel-user Frank Lloyd Wright. Get more info here.

Image via playanddesign.org

Make Your Own Gingerbread Usonians

Live near the Price Tower in Bartlesville, OK? Then take your kids tonight (or your adults tomorrow) to make gingerbread Usonian houses and learn a thing or two about Organic Architecture. More info here.

Image via pricetower.org

A Little Bit Of Oak Park In Arizona

If you can't go to Oak Park, then bring Oak Park to you! The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, stewards of the Oak Park Wright Home and Studio (and Robie House) are offering one of their Froebel Block workshops at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel—the first time outside of the OP. Read all about it here.

Image via Wikipedia

Organic Philosophy For The Young At Art

Area youth will display their multi-media creations, rooted in Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic architectural philosophy, at the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, September 27th through October 31st. Read more info after the jump...

Trash for Teaching

I just read about this great not for profit organization Trash for Teaching on The Scout blog in the L.A. Times. They collect donations of what they affectionately call “dumpster diamonds”. These are discarded materials from various manufacturers such as empty cardboard tubes and scraps of holographic paper. The beauty comes when these materials are put into the hands of children to use as art supplies. They do this through different services such as their Treasure Truck visits, school programs and even birthday parties.

Continue reading after the jump...

Architecturally-Inspired Summer Camp

Are you looking for an alternative to burnt marshmallows and mosquito bites for your kids summer camp experience? Then check out Unity Temple Restoration Foundation's Prairie School Adventures. Kids can participate in printmaking, learning about Frank Lloyd Wright, design and much more. There's still time to enroll, so follow the link and sign 'em up for an unforgettable summer!

Image via UTRF/copyright Prairie Design Group

Power House for Learning

I had to write more about the Power House by Thames & Kosmos, which was featured in the Smart Home. The kit was designed by physicist Uwe Wandrey and cleverly combines science and adventure. Instead of a regular instruction booklet on how to build the house, you get a manual that follows the story of a “group of island dwellers who must learn to live sustainably using the resources available to them.” You then build models based on entry journals of the islanders. There are more than 20 projects to make life comfortable on the island, some of which include building a solar cooker and a sail car.

Photo by Allison Coffee

ecoMOD Lecture & Exhibit at Knowlton School of Architecture

John Quale, an architect overseeing the development of small, prefabricated houses for affordable-housing groups will speak about the ecoMOD project this Monday at the Knowlton School of Architecture at Ohio State University at 5:30 p.m. in the Banvard Gallery at Knowlton.

New Design High School

New Design High isn't an intoxicating feeling that designers get when nailing a project layout. It is a real high school in NYC that's a bit more special than the rest. If I could have picked a high school to attend, it might have been this one. New Design High School sounds like a totally creative, cool environment that is a rigorous college prep design high school. Their mission is to empower students with skills, tools and capacities to create attainable life plans....a design for life.

Research Done Wright

Are you wondering what the inside of the Robie House looked like after it was built? Want a look at rare copies of books about Japanese prints? Curious about original art created by Prairie School artists? Then you need to check out one of the coolest places east of the Rockies!

FLW School of Architecture Earns Continuing Accreditation by NAAB

The PrairieMod Squad received word yesterday that the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture has been granted a renewal for their academic accreditation. Some interesting quotes follow below regarding this news....

“We are very pleased that the NAAB has renewed the school’s continuing accreditation, just as the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools granted the school continuing accreditation last month,” Sidy said. “These affirmative decisions from the school’s two accrediting bodies underscore the relevance, quality, uniqueness and success of our academic program to educate professionals in the architectural discipline as well as our contemporary interpretation of the ideas of Frank Lloyd Wright.”    

Joseph Giattina, Jr., FAIA, chair of the NAAB’s visiting team, asserted, “The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture is building on the positive foundation of Wright’s legacy and moving into the next level of growth.  The students and faculty are motivated, intelligent, energetic and engaged. It’s clear that the school has the right leadership in place. I feel strongly that they are pursing a long-term vision to increase the breadth of the school, and I look to good things from them.”

Learning At Fallingwater

Have you ever wanted to spend a summer experiencing a masterpiece of naturally inspired architectural design? Well, 2007 could be your lucky year to make it happen! Applications are now being accepted for three summer residency study programs at Fallingwater--one for high school students, one for college undergraduate students enrolled in an architectural degree program, and one for teachers of any subject, at any grade level.