Happy New Year!

Wishing you and yours a very happy New Year!  







And if you haven't seen it yet, this new Graycliff video, just released yesterday:

Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays!

From: My Father Who Is On Earth, by John Lloyd Wright:

One Christmas Eve, after we no longer believed in Santa Claus, we waited eagerly for Papa's sprightly arrival with presents.  Into the house he pushed, a bundle of Oriental rugs under each arm.  He dropped them on the living room floor......

Frank Lloyd Wright and family in Oak Park

With warm wishes for a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Incredible History of Buffalo, NY In 5 Minutes

The Incredible History of Buffalo, NY In 5 Minutes

A short, charming and informative video created by 43North.

If you haven't seen this yet, take a look!


The Incredible History of Buffalo, NY In 5 Minutes

You Did It! Thank You!

This afternoon, the Erie County Legislature passed the budget, which includes a $20,000 increase in County funding for Graycliff, for a total in 2015 of $54,510.

This extra funding will be used to defray costs associated with preserving buildings and grounds that the Conservancy has already restored.  Because of the historic nature of the site, it often involves specialized labor, expensive materials and supplies, and the like to preserve our buildings and landscape.  This is an enormous help.

Thank you so much to  to each and everyone one of you who took the time to make a call or email your legislator.  And a big thank you to all Graycliff’s supporters---Board members, volunteers, Facebook friends, and Twitter followers, who also made calls and sent emails!  Last but not least, thank you to Buffalo’s Young Preservationists, who also supported this increase.

Special thanks go to Chairman John Mills and Legislator Lynne Dixon, who spearheaded this increase, the entire Erie County Legislature which voted unanimously, and County Executive Mark Polancarz.

All best--Reine

So You Hate Making Phone Calls....

Graycliff Volunteers –  It is Erie County budget time...can you please give us 2-3 minutes of time?  If you hate making phone calls, just send an email.

 It is super easy. Here's what to do:

FIRST: Find your legislator--look right here:  Find My Erie County Legislator

SECOND: Call or find your legislator's email there, and two or three others, if you can spare the extra 2-3 minutes. Legislative Chair John Mills and Legislator Lynne Dixon have received many calls, and are very supportive.  So please call or email others...they need to hear from you!

THIRD: If you are calling, Say, "I am (YOUR NAME) and I am calling to ask you to support an increase in funding for Graycliff Conservancy to $75,000." Say that Graycliff is an important part of our cultural tourism economy and should have its fair share of County funding. 

--OR--

Third: Send an email!  Here's something to write, or change it as you'd like.

Dear Legislator NAME

I write to ask you to support an increase in funding for Graycliff Conservancy to $75,000. Graycliff is an important part of our cultural tourism economy and an architectural masterpiece that the Conservancy is restoring and preserving for Western New Yorkers both now and for generations to come.

It should have its fair share of County funding, which will allow it advance preservation while completing restoration.

I ask that you consider an increase that would assist in this effort.

Thank you very much.  

Thank you,

YOUR NAME

street address

City, state. Zip

They Vote This Coming Tuesday, December 2nd...and offices are open only Monday...so time is of the essence!

LAST: Let us know on in the comments below that you called.

Numbers matter!  they will tack the number of phone calls and emails they get on this.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Your Help Needed...Really Easy!

We Need Your Help!

And It's Easy!

Graycliff Volunteers –  It is Erie County budget time...can you please give us 2-3 minutes of time to make a call?    It is super easy. Here's what to do:

FIRST: Find your legislator--look right here:  Find My Erie County Legislator

SECOND: Call your legislator, and two or three others, if you can spare the extra 2-3 minutes. Legislative Chair John Mills and Legislator Lynne Dixon have received many calls, and are very supportive.  So please call others...they need to hear from you!

THIRD: Say, "I am (YOUR NAME) and I am calling to ask you to support an increase in funding for Graycliff Conservancy to $75,000." Say that Graycliff is an important part of our cultural tourism economy and should have its fair share of County funding. 

They may ask for your zip code or street. 

Their staff gets lots of calls like this, all the time. Volume matters. Ask your partners, children, neighbors, and mom to do the same thing. They keep track of the number of calls received on any topic, so more calls means higher visibility/priority.

They Vote This Coming Tuesday, December 2nd...and offices are open only today and Monday...so time is of the essence!

LAST: Let us know on in the comments below that you called.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Good News!

Just in time for Thanksgiving Tours, new carpet runners arrived this afternoon.  Docents, NO MORE BOOTIES!

Special thanks to Board members Mike McGuigan and Larry Cobado for measuring, drawings floor plans, and getting estimates.

And kudos to Markarian Rugs, which managed to come thru before the holiday, despite delays in delivery of materials due to last week's storm...and for such a super product.  Thanks, Randy Markarian, for personally delivering them to make sure we had them before the holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We wanted to take a moment to reflect and give thanks to our volunteers and staff !

Thank you for welcoming and greeting our visitors.

Thank you for giving memorable and engaging tours to our visitors.

Thank you for educating our visitors through classes and programming.

Thank you for making the windows and complex sparkle and shine.

Thank you for pruning, cutting, planting and beautifying the gardens.

Thank you for supporting our Pavilion store with your purchases.

Thank you for keeping the Isabelle Martin House safe and protected.

Thank you for making our events lively and festive.

Thank you for assisting with various special projects.

Thank you for supporting our restoration efforts.

Thank you for choosing to share your time with us.

We are forever grateful for each and every one of YOU!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Graycliff Snow Conditions

Dear All:

Due to weather conditions in Derby, Graycliff will be closed again today, Friday, November 21st.  We hope to get staff to Graycliff tomorrow, if driving allows.  By early next week, we hope to be up and running again, 

When the storm began, we were in the midst of a major mailing....for the Annual Fund.  If you have time on Tuesday or Wednesday, assuming its safe to travel, please consider helping get the mailing out before Thanksgiving weekend, when (presumably) there will be many visitors in the Pavilion.

Please stay safe and warm yourselves.  Special thanks to Dick and Priscilla O'Brien, Joan Osborne and Kevin Hoffman for keeping an eye on Graycliff through this week.  And a shout out to Larry Cobado, who assisted with resolving a power outage in record time yesterday!

We hope to see you soon!

Videos on Line!

With the weather predicted to be just awful for the next few days, perhaps its time to take a look at a few videos on your computer, rather than braving the great outdoors.

CSPAN's BOOK TV has several videos related to Frank Lloyd Wright---here is a sampling:

Interview with Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer

The former director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives.  The Archives are now in the process of being moved to Columbia University in New York City. 
  Bruce Pfeiffer interview

20th Century Lives Panel

A panel discussion on “Biography: 20th Century Lives” was moderated by Mr. A. Scott Berg. The panelists talked about their books and responded to questions from the audience.

Anthony Arthur is the author of Radical Innocent: Upton Sinclair, published by Random House. Neal Gabler is the author of Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination, published by Knopf. Walter Isaacson is the author of Einstein: His Life and Universe, published by Simon and Schuster. Harold Zellman is the co-author of The Fellowship: The Untold Story of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Fellowship, published by Regan Books     20th Century Lives Panel Discussion

Book Discussion on Frank Lloyd Wright

Ada Louise Huxtable talked about her biography Frank Lloyd Wright, published by Viking Books. She described the late American architect’s work as well as his private life, including scandals, architectural masterpieces, and long professional life. After her presentation, Ms. Huxtable answered audience members' questions.

Ms. Huxtable was the Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic for The New York Times from 1963 to 1982. She is the author of The Tall Building Reconsidered: The Search For a Skyscraper, as well as The Unreal America: Architecture and Illusion. She is currently the architecture critic for the Wall Street Journal  Ada Louise Huxtable on Frank Lloyd Wright

More to come, the next time the weather merits a distraction!

Special Volunteer Discount Days!

Annual Special Volunteer Discount Days 

Graycliff Pavilion ShopSaturday and Sunday November 15th and 16th 9:30 am to 4:00 pm

20% discount (for volunteers only) is good on everything EXCEPT books, magazines,  wooden bowls, and sale merchandise.

  Do take advantage of this once-a-year special thank you to YOU, as a Graycliff volunteer.

Graycliff Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

Thank you for attending the 2014 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, and special tour of the Colored Musicians Club---what a warm and welcoming place!  A special thank you to former Board member and continuing volunteer Cheryl St. George for organizing this wonderful event.

See for yourself:

Barb Abbatoy and Maureen Meyer

Jeff and Joeleene Manhardt with Larry Cobado. Jeff and Larry are Board members.

Darice Hickey, Board member, with husband Michael

Terrific exhibits and lots of conviviality!

Colored Musicians Club President George Scott (on left) giving tour to Graycliffians  Gail and Dave Solowski, Maureen Meyers and Judy Smith, among others

(l. to r.) Cheryl St. George, Stephanie and Chris Merry, Alicia Meyers and Marion Schmidt

President Diane Schrenk with Colored Musicians Club President George Scott

Thank you for all you do for Graycliff!

Invitation to Graycliff Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

Got a Mini DVD Camcorder or Converter Equipment?

Do you happen to have a mini DVD Camcorder, or Converter Equipment? Graycliff has a few mini tapes that we need to convert to a DVD....they contain the lectures that Graycliff has been organizing over the last several years.

We'd really like to post them to our website, for all to see, but have no way to convert them.

If you have this equipment, please let us know!  

Save the Date---Graycliff Volunteer Dinner!

Please save the date for this year's Graycliff Volunteer Dinner in an exciting new location!

Saturday, November 8th
4 pm to 7 pm
The Colored Musicians Club of Buffalo

145 Broadway between Elm and Michigan Streets, in Downtown Buffalo

Join us for a fun evening, which will include a tour
of this historic site's new museum!

The Buffalo Colored Musicians Club at 145 Broadway is as endearing a place as it is historically significant. Upon entering the club you are met by an overwhelming presence which resonates from the club’s rich history. The club is like a home away from home for many Buffalo residents who are long time members. For them, the club holds memories of times past when it was nothing for jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Art Blakey, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald to be passing through. 

 unT

Dizzy Gillespie on piano; Miles Davis in doorway at the Colored Musicians Club, late 1940s

FLW Graphic Artist and House Beautiful

This is the last in a short three series look at Frank Lloyd Wright"Graphic Artist",.and "The House Beautiful"

In the 1950's Wright now believed in products that would work to integrate and have an unified effect that was characteristic of his "Organic Architecture"

He contacted . F. Schumacher & Co,to develop fabrics and wallpaper under the"Taliesin Line." In her article "Designing an American Way of Living", Virginia Boyd states,   "Patterns are all non-perspective, non pictorial geometric designs consistent with Wright's visionary vocabulary" (1)

Alas, by 1972 Schumacher Taliesin designs were phased out

Rugs by Karastan were also introduced. The 1957 rug for the Max Hoffman House living room area is one of my favorite.

The Taliesin palette in Martin -Senour Paints paints was selected and named by Wright and his wife Olgivanna. The 36 colors are coordinated with colors in the Schumacher textiles and wallpaper. 

For more information on paints, fabrics and furniture history, more information is available here.  

References:

1. FLW Quarterly Vol 17 #1 

Diane Schrenk

Roundtable and Martin Family Home Movies

Martin Family Home Movies

During their visit together in Texas last week, Margaret Foster and Darwin Martin Foster discovered home movies from the 1930s, many of which feature the grandchildren themselves.  Other family members in these movies are Isabelle Martin, Darwin Martin, daughter Dorothy Martin Foster and her husband, James Foster, Isabelle's mother Katherine Reidpath and even Aunt Polly (not to mention the family dog Mookie!)

Special thanks to Betsy Mudra and her husband Rick, who not only sent the movies, but also provided the following notes:

*Wonder who took the pictures and videos? It was Darwin R. Martin. Thank goodness he did.

* Katherine was always in black with a black choker necklace

*Forgive me....but, aunt Marmy (Margaret) was the not so pretty one with the big nose. Marmy is Isabelle's sister  (We believe she often stayed in the sun room in Darwin's suite.)

*The young nurse with black hair is Peggy- Dary 's nanny

*Miss King often called "king" was older and heavier. She was Margaret's nanny

Martin Family Home Movies

(At the bottom of the page)

Martin Family Grandchildren

There weren't just bluebonnets in Texas this past week.  Darwin Martin Foster joined his sister Margaret Foster for several days of fun and reminiscences.  With our Historic Furnishings Report under way, our consultants had many, many questions....and Isabelle and Darwin's grandchildren spent considerable time remembering their wonderful times at Graycliff as children.   We're eagerly looking forward to the answers to these questions, but in the meantime, here's a photo of the two of them together in Texas.  Don't they look just like the photographs displayed at Graycliff, just a lot taller?

Last Week for Graycliff Fleeces!

This is the last week to order your Graycliff fleece!

By pre-ordering and pre-paying this week, you will save about 50% off our new Graycliff fleece jackets.  Offer is good until s until 4 pm this coming Friday 9/26.  (After that, you’ll have to pay full price in the Pavilion)

They are available in both a women’s cut, and men’s (more flattering than unisex) and available in either black or gray, with the Graycliff logo embroidered in cream.  We have a few in the Pavilion, so please stop by and try them on!

 Women’s Cut Sizes:

Small - $35    Medium - $35

Large - $35    XL - $35

2XL - $38 

 

 Men’s Sizes:

Small - $35    Medium - $35

Large - $35    XL - $35

2XL - $36     3XL - $38

4XL - $38

Graycliff volunteer Doug Smith models the men's cut in gray

If you are interested, please stop by and let us know style, color and size.  Alternatively, you can place an order and pay via Mastercard or Visa by calling Ryan at 716/947-9217.

Graycliff volunteer Stacy Tuberdyke wearing the women's cut in black

Volunteers needed for Children's Event

On Saturday, October 4th from noon to 3 pm, the Buffalo Architecture Foundation is organizing a Family Fun Event for children and families, at the Martin House, and including about 15 other cultural organizations.

Graycliff will be participating, too!  We need the help of two volunteers to assist Diane Schrenk with this event.  We're planning a hands-on activity that includes crayons and templates...should be fun.

If you are willing to help out, please email Family Fun Volunteer

Thank!

Volunteers Needed

Graycliff will again have a table at the Larkin Square Marketplace on Thurs., Sept. 11th.  We are looking for two volunteers to man the table from 5:30 - 7:30 PM.  We are not selling any merchandise at this event.  We are only distributing literature and providing general information to the public about Graycliff (tours, volunteer opportunities, memberships, restoration, etc.).  Thanks to Nancy McNaughton and Denise O'Shei for volunteering to set up and take the early shift from 3:30 - 5:30.  If you can help out for the later shift, please send an email to one of the Volunteer Co-Chairs:
   
 Kathy Mehltretter Kathy
 Phyllis Spears Phyllis


Thanks!

Graycliff---FLW as Graphic Designer, Part II

(This is the second of a three part brief look at Frank Lloyd Wright's Graphic Artistry.)

     In Wright's Autobiography, he speaks of the smell of printer's ink and the small press he had as a boy in Wisconsin. His boyhood pursuits an an amateur printer in graphic designs development echoed his architectural vocation.

     One sees his early efforts to control every aspect in his life projects. In an article in the Frank Lloyd Wright  Quarterly (Winter 2006 issue) it states that "early evidence of Wright's interest in the "house beautiful" is the project he under took in the winter of 1896 with William Winslow -- the printing book form of  a sermon by William Gannet. The House Beautiful was printed by Auvergne Press of River Forest,IL,a private press in Winslow's house. Wright's contribution was the book's design, with distinctive elaborate linear patterns of geometric and conventionalized naturalistic motifs forming a deep frame around a relatively small area of text on each page."

In his early career, Wright designed his own letterhead/stationery.logo. Soon afterwards, his use of the red square logo, with many variations, was seen.

He also designed poster, programs , as well as many architectural presentations. Wright designed them using the latest technologies of the time, taking advantage of emerging trends.  By the 1920's he had developed a typeface distinctively his own.

Penny Fowler writes,"Wright's graphic artistry spanned a lifetime, demonstrating that his genius was not exclusive to architecture,but extended to bring his vision into every aspect of the printed arts" (1)

P22 Foundry, a Buffalo, NY firm, has developed several fonts based on Wright's graphic design.(2 ) These include Eaglefeather,  an open face type.   Eagle Feather was designed by Wright for a project entitled "Eagle Rock" in 1922. Although the project was never built,  the lettering used for the drawing was adapted by P22 to become Eaglefeather.

Chicago Midway Garden 1913 lettering shows his personality. with its decorative border elements and motifs. (See P22 Type Foundry for examples.)

Perhaps just us researching and reading more about Wright's intellectual thinking will help us to enter the zeitgeist of the time..

Footnotes

1)  Frank Lloyd Wright, Graphic Artist, Penny Fowler, Pomegranate Press, 2002,  page 124

2) P22 Foundry Eaglefeather

Guess Who Got Married? And Gardens Galore!

Newly Married

Long-time docent Antoinette Forth married Don Snyder over the weekend....and she brought her whole family to Graycliff for a tour!  Congratulations from all of us at Graycliff, Anton!

Gardens Galore

Marion Schmidt, who has been a volunteer leader at Graycliff in several capacities, and who remembers the OLD giftshop (now demolished) which featured visits from snakes as well as visitors, now has a major new accomplishment:  she created a tour specifically focusing on Graycliff's Historic Landscape.  After leading several practice tours for garden clubs and groups, she shared her knowledge with Carol and Jerry Wahlenmayer, and they all led a special tour created especially for the Buffalo Garden Walk by Sally Cunningham.

If you are interested in learning more about this, too, please let us know.

Graycliff News.....

All kinds of things have been happening at Graycliff....a big shout out to all volunteers, and especially docents, for leading tours during high season!

Tom Browne always goes above and beyond...thank you for repairing the light above the front entry, Tom!  (And that's in between leading tours, and as always, maintaining our vacuum cleaners!)

We'd like to introduce Dan Vucic, a new staff member, who is giving us much needed help with mowing and maintenance.  A resident of Angola, Dan brings many years of skilled experience with him to Graycliff.  (We'll take his photo soon!)

Winners of the Goya Beans raffle were:  Marion Schmidt and Kathy Mehltretter.  If you've ever wanted to tell them that they are full of beans, now is the time!

Last but not least, we have some good news to report...which will have an impact of many of you.  For many decades, there has been a gas well behind the two little sheds near the parking lot.  We believe it was installed by the Fathers.  The well has been capped, but not plugged.  With the cost of gas rising, we recently had the well checked out, and as it turns out, it produces enough gas to heat the Pavilion...and possibly more.  We'll see over this coming winter.  The gas well will be uncapped, and gas lines laid adjacent to the parking lot, running to the side of the Pavilion where gas enters the building.  This means that these areas will be torn up in the near future...but this should save us substantially this year and the years to come.  So please bear with us!

Thanks for all you do for Graycliff!

The Larkin Market

Some of Graycliff's volunteers will recall that, last year, Graycliff had a booth at a few of the Larkin Square Live at Larkin' concerts on Wednesday evenings.  Well, this year they are doing things a little differently.  Instead of competing with the music, the folks at Larkin Square have decided to have one evening (Thursdays) each week this summer dedicated to local vendors and community organizations.  The new Larkin Market will begin Thurs. this week, July 10th, and the market runs from 4 - 7:30 PM every Thurs. through Sept. 18th.  

Graycliff will have a booth at the Larkin Market on the following three Thursdays:
      July 17
     Aug. 14
     Sept. 11

We already have one volunteer for Aug. 14th (thank Nancy McNaughton!).  We are looking for volunteers for all three dates, for either the entire evening or for one of two shifts (3:30-5:30 or 5:30-7:30).  If you are available and interested, please contact the site or one of the Volunteer Co-Chairs.
     Graycliff Estate
     Phyllis Spears
     Kathy Mehltretter

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Career as a Graphic Artist

In addition to architecture, landscape architecture and furniture design, Frank Lloyd Wright's oeuvre also included innovative graphic work. This is the first in a series of 2 short articles on this career. I hope that it will encourage you to do further reading and research in this area.

Graycliffians are aware that funds were low for Wright in the mid 1920's. In 1927 Frank Lloyd Wright and his third wife, Olgivana, were  low on funds and living in New York City with Wright's sister Maginel. Maginel was working providing covers and illustrations for magazines and had some contacts. 

Liberty magazine had published an article previously for Wright,  and now he saw an opportunity for to provide designs for its covers. 

Wright  designed a series of 12 festive covers for Liberty Magazine.  Unfortunately, Liberty Magazine turned them all down, and they were not published. They were a a radical departure from the figurative norm of the time. Figurative drawings, such as those by Norman Rockwell were popular during this decade in American magazine publishing.

The acceptance of abstraction in graphic design had yet to be accepted for magazines, despite the popularity of the Art Deco style.  It was not until the July, 1937 issue of Town & Country that Wright’s design of  "July Fourth" was finally published, for the cover of the magazine.  It was the only one of his designs to grace the cover of a magazine.

In Penny Fowler’s book,  Frank Lloyd Wright , Graphic Artist  she notes that Wright  used basic draftsman's tools, the T square, triangle, and compass to plot the Liberty abstractions on a fundamental grid. This process went back to his early Froebel training, in which "natural" forms were reduced to their underlying geometric structure and arranged on the ever present grid of the kindergarten training. ¹

Looking at the cover of Town and Country for the July 1937 issue, we will go further in this discussion..  In his book, Decorative Designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, David A.Hanks notes that on the lower left corner of the graphic, it acknowledges the design by Wright.

Hanks goes on to describe The vertical repetition of the American flag, in reverse at the right and conventionally in the center, creates depth in the composition; and lines give the impression of a street within the large overall  design of a flag hanging at an angle.  You can see vertical grid patterns that create emphasis as well as variations onto red, white and blue color scheme." ²

Footnotes:

1)     Frank Lloyd Wright , Graphic Artist , Penny Fowler, Pomegranate Press, 2002;  pg. 80

2)     Decorative Designs of Frank Lloyd Wright,  David A. Hanks, Dutton, 1985, pg. 181

The first of two blog posts by Diane Schrenk