The only upside of being sick this past weekend was that I was able to find some time on the couch watching some interesting shows on television. One such show is "The Genius of Design" from the Smithsonian Channel. As a designer, I found a series exploring the history and importance of design in our society fascinating. Find out more here.
Image via smithsonianchannel.com
If you missed seeing Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter on the PBS series, American Masters, last night, then follow the link to watch it online.
Image via firstrunfeatures.com
In other Wright film news: a new documentary titled "Frank Lloyd Wright's Boynton House: The Next Hundred Years" by WXXI, a Rochester, NY public broadcaster, will have a sneak preview this Wednesday, December 7, 2011. The full-length film is scheduled to broadcast in Spring 2012. Read more about it here.
Image via wxxi.org
Anyone who has seen the amazing documentary, Louis Sullivan: the Struggle for American Architecture, knows how wonderful it is. This labor of love by director Mark Smith now has a shot at being exposed to a larger audience by being aired on PBS stations nationwide for next spring.
But for that to happen, Mark has to raise a substantial amount of money to re-edit the film for an hour time slot and pay a hefty carriage fee for a national broadcast. Normally foundations underwrite this type of programming, but Mark is turning to a grass roots campaign on Kickstarter.com to raise the funds needed to make this broadcast of Louis Sullivan's legacy a reality.
Unfortunately, the deadline to help is a short one--pledges need to be made by October 6, 2011! If you're a fan of the film and Louis Sullivan, then please help out the cause here!
Image via kickstarter.com
You're not seeing things--Frank Lloyd Wright's Affleck House outside Detroit, MI makes it's television commercial debut as a backdrop to the 2012 Chrysler 300. Read and see more here.
Image via rbr.com
Curbed Chicago provided a sneak peek inside the Trump Tower condo that is HGTV's 2nd Urban Oasis giving away and lo-and-behold: Frank Lloyd Wright designs! Check out more photos here.
Image via Curbed Chicago
Tune-in your televisions to WTTW Channel 11 from 7:00—8:00pm CST to watch "Chicago Tonight." Park Ridge's Iannelli Studios will be featured during the "Art Beat" section of the program. More info on "Chicago Tonight" here.
Image via Tim Samuelson
Today is Earth Day, a time to reflect on our home planet and how to be better stewards of it. In an effort not to be gloom and doom about environmentalism, here's a link to a recent NOVA special called "Power Surge" which discusses the ways our own creativity and technology could help save us from ourselves. See it here.
Image via PBS.org
Chicago Tonight recently featured architect Harry Weese, who fought to save Chicago from urban blight. He gave the city some of its most famous buildings, and then was almost forgotten. Learn more about the life and work of Harry Weese in this new book and through this article in Chicago Magazine.
Image via Ryerson and Burnham Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago
A fan of Chicago history and bicycles? Then get ready to catch Geoffrey Baer's newest city-centric documentary "Biking the Boulevards" on Monday, November 29, at 7:30 p.m. on WTTW. Get all the details and a video preview here.
Image via www.wttw.com
Architecture meets Animation when Canberra's ACT Planning Minister, Andrew Barr, recently compared the reverence in ACT planning circles for Canberra's designer, Walter Burley Griffin, to the awe in which "The Simpsons" characters hold their town's founding father, Jebediah Springfield (who turns out to be a fraud and a pirate). And you thought American politics was absurd. Read more here.
Image copyright Matt Groening
Did you catch the documentary on Daniel Burnham titled "Make No Little Plans" last night on PBS? If not, then cruise over to the filmakers website to find out how you can catch a rebroadcast or better yet, order the DVD. Details here.
Image via Archimedia Workshop website
PBS stations will broadcast the documentary "Make No Little Plans; Daniel Burnham & The American City," on Monday, Sept. 6 at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. More details here.
Image via Wikipedia
Here's some video and lots of great images on the rehabbing of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ross House in Glencoe, IL that appeared on the WTTW program, Chicago Tonight. See it here.
Image via Chicago Tonight weblog
WTTW's nightly news program, Chicago Tonight will feature the recently-saved Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ross House in Glencoe, IL tonight. Tune in at 7:00 CST or watch the video clip tomorrow on their website.
Image via Chicago Tonight website
Frank Lloyd Wright's "Wingspread", the majestic home designed for the H.F. Johnson Jr. in 1937, will be featured in a special documentary as part of "Connections" MATC's Student
Operations Day, Saturday at 4 p.m. on Milwaukee Public Television
channel 36.1. More info here.
Image via Wikipedia
A presentation drawing and some vintage photos of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Benjamin Adelman House appeared on last night's Antiques Roadshow on PBS. See more here.
Image via Antiques Roadshow website
I caught an interesting episode of "Modern Marvels" all about chrome on the History Channel the other day. Featured in the episode was one of my all-time favorite works of architecture, the Chrysler Building. Apparently, it's chrome (and lots of it) that makes that Art Deco masterpiece shimmer so beautifully. Catch the episode or order the DVD to learn all about it.
Joe Kunkel, realtor for Don Erickson's home in Barrington, Illinois, says that the property will be shown March 14th on NBC at 10:30 am, repeating in the late evening (check local listings), on LX.TV Open House.
Image copyright VHT
The gardens at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wisconsin
home, Taliesin, near Spring Green, will be featured on the upcoming
Public Television Station broadcast “The Wisconsin Gardener.” Follow the link for details.
Image copyright Mark Hertzberg
Fallingwater almost lived up to its name and would have fallen down the waterfall it's perched over if an extensive restoration had not taken place in 2001. Follow the link to read about a new documentary on the amazing rescue of a beloved architectural icon.
A few weeks ago we posted that the Wisconsin Public Television program "In Wisconsin" would feature a segment on the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's American System-Built Homes, Model B1. That post had the wrong date for broadcast. The program will air in Madison on Wisconsin Public Television on Thursday, February 4th at 7:00 pm CST, with an encore presentation on Sunday, February 7th at 4:00 pm CST. Milwaukee Public Television, Channel 10, will also air the In Wisconsin program on Sunday, February 7th at 11:30 am CST. The program will also be available after air date at the Wright In Milwaukee website. Follow the link for more details.
Image via Wright In Wisconsin
If you don't know who the legendary Elbert Hubbard is, you need to see this promising documentary that airs November 23rd, 2009 at 9pm CST on you local PBS station. Learn more about this American Arts & Crafts leader here, plus video clips from the program.
Architecture critic and author, Paul Goldberger, was on the Colbert Report last night discussing his book Why Architecture Matters. At the end of the interview, the Guggenheim Museum got a shout-out and Stephen asked where the handle was to flush it. Hilarity ensued. The clip will eventually be up on this link...look for it.
Image via Colbert Nation.com
Image via The Vintage Plum
Image via PBS.org
Did you catch the new Sprint commercial during Sunday Night Football yesterday featuring CEO Dan Hesse in a certain spiraled NYC landmark? If not, see it here. Have we reached Guggenheim critical mass?
Image via YouTube
The Ennis House has been enjoying the spotlight recently. Case in point: The textile block design from the house made an appearance behind the musical act on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. See it here. Thanks to PrairieMod reader Scott T. for the heads-up!
Image copyright NBC
The Frank Lloyd Wright LEGOs are making the rounds! Apparently they appeared on the Early Show on CBS. You can watch the segment here.
Image copyright CBS
Last night marked the debut of Conan Obrien as the new host of the Tonight Show. As part of the show's opening, Conan appeared running his way from New York to Los Angeles, passing by a certain white, spiraled museum. Check it out here.
Image copyright NBC
Frank Lloyd Wright has been in the news like crazy with the major Guggenheim Museum exhibit and new LEGO's. He has also shown up in pop culture with mentions in last week's episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Greek. Both reference either Fallingwater or the Guggenheim.
According to a recent article from the online Liberator Magazine, the coming wave of DTV (digital television) will allow for the transmission of a two-way signal. This means that DTV shows can be interactive. According to the article, PBS has produced a documentary on
Frank Lloyd Wright that allows the viewer to choose from a list of
buildings designed by the architect, and then gives a virtual
"tour" of that property. Read more about the future by following the link.
Illustration by PrairieMod
Images courtesy of Wikipedia
Earlier this month on WTTW Chicago, "tour guide extrordanaire" Geoffery Baer presented Chicago's Lakefront. If you missed this spectacular show or are outside of the Chicago area, you can watch the entire 90 minute program here. I highly recommend it.
Also, for $350 you can purchase all 10 DVD programs that Baer has produced regarding Chicago's splendor.
If you're home tonight after Trick-or-Treating and looking to watch something informative while carving that pumpkin, then you might want to check out the History Channel's line-up of spooky programming. Then, cruise over to their website to download historical pumpkin stencils! Happy Halloween!
Image copyright History Channel
For all you type geeks who are fans of the hip AMC show "Mad Men," here's a blog bemoaning the unauthenticity of the use of Arial, introduced in the 1980's, as the font in the closing credits.
Continue reading after the jump...
Who knew watching Cartoon Network would mean running into Frank Lloyd Wright? The Venture Bros.
is an absolutely hilarious cartoon on Cartoon Networks [adult swim]
which spoofs Johnny Quest--only in a slightly off-color style.
I've heard about the coming Planet Green Network, but just caught one of its shows this evening on Discovery Home. Wa$ted! is a show from New Zealand that attacks a spectrum of environmentally unfriendly households auditing their waste, energy, water and transportation consumption. Not surprisingly, each episode unearths dozens of eco-horrors that are killing both the environment and the homeowner's bank account.
The show seems a bit campy, but I'm sure that is me just being a Yankee snob. However, when Planet Green officially launches on June 4th, 2008, you'll be able to catch a new Americanized version of the show. Check it out after the jump!
Postscript: I do have to admit that it was unusual watching Discovery Home and seeing several Treehugger commercials.
Image copyright Discover Networks
I caught the second episode tonight of Season 2 from the PBS series e2: Design. It truly looks brilliant in HD. The title was Greening the Federal Government, featuring Thom Mayne's San Francisco Federal Building. I've made this recommendation in the past, but I seriously suggest you get the series on DVD. You can pick up e2: Design Season 1, e2: Design Season 2, or e2: Energy Season 1.
Maybe a last minute holiday gift for yourself?
Image copyright PBS
If you missed e²: design, the economies of being environmentally conscious, a six part series about sustainable design and architecture that aired on PBS last summer.....you can buy the DVD or download episodes at www.e2-series.com. But, if you haven't heard....there is a new season of e2: design on the way, plus the addition of e2: energy!
The second season of e2: design - narrated again by Brad Pitt - features Thom Mayne, architect of the San Francisco Federal Building; Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia; and Adriaan Geuze, lead architect of the Borneo Sporenburg development in Amsterdam. 
View full episodes for free at www.e2-series.com (click on Webcasts), running continuously thru each week of the series. A full schedule of Webcasts is available on the site. Also, you can link to the series' YouTube page to view trailers, podcasts and more.
Images copyright e2-series.com
We received this news via our friends at CBB....
Saved from the Wrecking Ball
Farnsworth House
Hosted by Geoffrey Baer
Debuting on WTTW Channel 11
Thursday, September 13th at 8:00pm
The building might be beautiful, but it ruined the friendship between its owner and its architect. WTTW’s Geoffrey Baer tells the dramatic story of Farnsworth House by pioneering modern architect Mies Van Der Rohe. Nestled in a forest along the Fox River south of Aurora, it’s one of the most important works of 20th century architecture. It survived love affairs, law suits and natural disasters over half a century. But when its owner abruptly put it up for auction in 2003 it looked like it might be carted away as a trophy. This program tells the tale of daring design set against dramatic events. It culminates with a high-stakes auction where a grassroots group stakes everything to save the house.
For a preview clip, click here.
Image copyright WTTW Chicago
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
