Afforded a rare opportunity, gallery patrons enter the eye-opening world of Samara.
Exhibition Follows Wright-Designed Home From Imagination to Reality
A creative collaboration between an Indiana family and a world-renowned architect, perhaps as unprecedented as it was unlikely, is beautifully reflected in the latest exhibition in The Gallery at Penn College. “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Samara: A Mid-Century Dream Home” – an auspicious start to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s yearlong centennial celebration – will run through March 29. A well-attended reception, including a gallery talk by architectural historian Jack Quinan (who delivered a public lecture on campus earlier in the day) was held Thursday evening on the third floor of the college’s Madigan Library.
– Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel, writer/photo editor; and Marc T. Kaylor, student photographer
A beautiful exterior photograph of Samara is displayed on a gallery wall.
Drafting and construction/design photos from Williamsport Technical Institute, Williamsport Area Community College and Penn College provide an appropriate link between the gallery exhibit and the institution’s 2014 centennial observance.
Architectural historian Jack Quinan addresses an afternoon crowd in the Klump Academic Center Auditorium.
Personal details offering a glimpse into the Christian family’s life inside Samara include a family photo album …
… and film footage, such as this clip of daughter Linda at play in the yard.
Roger Shipley, whose work is displayed in Penn College’s Art on Campus initiative, pores over architectural drawings.
Wright’s winged-seed motif is echoed in this geometrical design for a Samara-themed area rug, created by apprentice Aris Georges.
Following his presentation in the ACC Auditorium, Quinan speaks to the opening reception’s crowd.
The backside of the front panel includes a 1960 photo of the Christian family, which enjoyed a uniquely communicative relationship with the famed architect.
Vintage tableware is among the details tucked along the exhibit’s pathways.
A guest is framed by a display panel.
A fitting sentiment in Wright’s own words
In the library gallery’s intimate setting, Quinan centers his conversation on the Samara rendering behind him – drawn by Wright’s “favorite draftsman” and indicative of the leeway that the architect allowed his apprentices.
An homage to nature: Visitors can lift the faux maple seed and watch it spin to the “ground.”
Faculty and students from the School of Construction & Design Technologies have a front-row seat in the ACC.
Colorful vertical walls stunningly accent the exhibition.
Fabric samples and drafting tables fill The Gallery at Penn College.
A patinated copper garden lantern and prototype of fascia roof ornament exemplify Samara’s exterior architectural elements.
The speaker discusses Wright’s Fallingwater, a national historic landmark in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The multimedia exhibition also offers an opportunity for visitors to watch videos about Frank Lloyd Wright.
Fabric swatches, artwork in and of themselves
Campus and community mix in the ACC audience.
Gallery manager Penny G. Lutz is interviewed by writer/video editor Thomas F. Speicher.
Quinan gestures toward the screen during his amply illustrated ACC lecture.
Gallery guests inspect end tables.
A student walks past a sign promoting Thursday’s lecture and the gallery exhibit.