Have you been by the Richard Lloyd Jones house, "Westhope" in Tulsa, Eva? It's a FLW house and I think Jones' was Wright's cousin. I can't remember exactly where it is off the top of my head so let me see what I can find......
Here's some stuff:
http://www.steinerag.com/flw/Artifact%20Pages/RLJones1985.htm#0228.08
And I found the address: 3704 S Birmingham - that isn't too far from where you are!
Re: What have I gotten myself into now? (Help, Osso!)
Eva wrote:So...(stop rambling and get to the point, Eva!)...I picked up a printed schedule of public programs tied to the exhibit, and lo and behold, there was my name. On January 12, it says, I am supposed to give a gallery talk comparing the villa (the museum was originally a 1920s home designed after an Italian Renaissance villa) and Frank Lloyd Wright's 1920s residential designs.
Well there's your narrative "hook" right there: compare and contrast two very different residential designs from the 1920s. You may want to take one representative Wright design -- say, for instance, the
Robie House (a residence that is also now, in part, a museum) -- and point out the similarities and differences. Granted, the Robie House isn't a 1920s design (it was completed in 1910), but it is so famous that there is a lot of material available specifically on that building -- you can even
build your own!
I did know about Westhope, boomer, and I probably have some written information on it already, but your link has a lot more. It's a private residence, though. No tours. Still, it was built only two years after Villa Philbrook (where the museum is located,) so that would be a great example to use.
It is really wonderful of all of you to give me such great info and tips. I will use them all. I have a theme, I can get talking points together, and I can take it from there.
The thing that really gets to me, though, is that unlike most of the other docents who are retired, I have another job. I volunteered for something to begin with that I knew wouldn't eat up too much of my time researching. This is looking like exactly the type of research morass I need to avoid...especially for the next couple of months with the end of the semester, holidays & travel coming up. So...
I need to talk to them. I think I can do that calmly now that I've screamed and laughed and bitched about it here. I don't mind putting this together on my own, but if they're going to commit me to speak on a different subject without checking with me first, I really think the LEAST they can do is provide me with materials and direction. (An apology would be nice, too.)
I'll be up there on Thursday evening for the continuing ed session on FLW. I'll take it up with them then.
UPDATE: On Thursday evening, I found out that the head of the Education Department is gone. She walked out earlier this week with no warning...I don't know the issues. The museum hasn't issued a formal statement yet. According to those left in the department, when the subject of my gallery talk was shifted, she told them she would talk to me about it. They assumed she had done so long ago, and were extremely unhappy and apologetic. Bottom line: I can do pretty much whatever I like now, and they'll handle the revised publicity. We'll talk more in the coming few weeks and make definite plans.
