2012 Annual Meeting of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy: Call for Papers and Panel Participants

2012 Annual Meeting: Frank Lloyd Wright and Midwest Modern
Mason City, Iowa
10-14 October 2012

While early in his career, Frank Lloyd Wright began to design buildings that would have an international influence and have long been considered internationally significant as well as quintessentially American, he can also be examined as first and foremost an architect of the Midwest. That region was not only his home and the setting for the majority of his work, it was a place to which he responded with particular acuity throughout his long career. The topography and climate of the Midwest, the natural materials suitable for building, the pervasiveness of its landscape of rural areas and small towns, and the individualism harbored by many of its residents – all are embodied in his designs. Moreover, the Midwest was where Wright had the greatest impact on colleagues, both those who had worked for him and others who were inspired by his example.

The Conservancy invites proposals for papers and for panelist participation in three areas central to the theme of “Frank Lloyd Wright and Midwest Modern”:
1) The work of Wright and his followers. Proposals should focus on attributes of design and/or practice that are particularly associated with or reflective of the Midwest and what aspects of this work render it “modern.”
2) The clients of Wright and his followers. Many projects benefited from exceptional clients. Proposals should focus their distinctiveness and how they may have had an impact on the work they commissioned.
3) Wright and related arts. Wright can be seen as part of a larger pursuit of modernity that was closely associated with the Midwest and entailed landscape design, painting, sculpture, the decorative arts, and literature. Proposals may address on any one of these or other pertinent artistic spheres, focusing on how the subject relates to the legacy of Wright as well as to the region.
Proposals should be submitted as an abstract of no more than one page, single-spaced, with the author’s name at the top. The text should concisely describe the focus and the scope of the presentation. The proposal should be accompanied by a one-page biography or curriculum vitae that includes: author’s full name, affiliation (if applicable), mailing address, email address, and telephone and fax numbers. Please also note audio-visual needs.
Proposals must be received no later than 1 February 2012. Material sent electronically is preferred. Notification will be sent by 5 March.

Please submit proposals and direct any questions to:

Richard Longstreth
rwl@gwu.edu
(American Studies Department, 2108 G Street, N.W., George Washington University
Washington, D.C. 20052, 202 994-6098, fax 202 994-8651)