Applications sought for Fallingwater programs

Staff report

Mill run, pa.

Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece, is taking applications from high school students and kindergarten through 12th-grade educators for its one-week summer residency programs.

The programs — two sessions at different skill levels for students and one session for teachers — allow participants to examine the principles of organic architecture and learn through creative problem solving and collaboration. Organizers teach the classes in an open-air studio and at Fallingwater, house the students at a nearby home and provide meals to participants.

“These summer programs offer participants the rare opportunity to explore one of the world’s most famous and architecturally important buildings independently and without the pressure of crowds,” said Roy Young, curator of education at Fallingwater. “They will have the opportunity to discuss and debate new concepts and to participate in hands-on design projects. Participants will examine how architecture and design can exist in harmony with nature.”

Early-admission applications must be postmarked by March 31. All applications are due before April 30. For information or to apply, visit www.Fallingwater.org/learn, or call 724-329-7826.

High School Residencies, Architecture Camp, Studio 1, a program that takes place Aug. 6-13, focuses on architecture, environment and design in the context of Fallingwater. Led by Peter Goldstein, an educator and licensed architect from Dallas, this program allows students to examine and explore a host of Wright’s ideas while living and studying in the midst of this historic building in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands.

Students will engage in hands-on exercises focusing on space, light, structure and materials, with emphasis on creative problem solving and Wright’s ideas about nature and organic architecture. Program activities include individual and collaborative projects, drawing and model-making exercises and daily working sessions. Tuition, room and board are $1,300, with an early-admission discount of $200.

Architecture Camp, Studio 2 is for high school students 17 and older who are considering an architecture or design undergraduate program and need to build a strong, college-bound portfolio of creative work. This program, from July 9-16, is ideal for students who are exploring the fields of architecture and design or seeking a gap-year opportunity.

The students will be exposed to traditional elements of the first-year studio foundation, typical of courses required in architecture, design and the visual arts. The intended outcome of this course is to assist students in the creation of three projects suitable for a college-bound portfolio. Students will explore 2-D and 3-D design problems and mediums, as well as craft and critique. Tuition, room and board are $1,300, with an early- admission discount of $200.

Students applying to this program will need to communicate through their application materials an existing base of skills in one or more art mediums. Digital (CD) or printed portfolios should be submitted with the application to this program. The instructor for this course is Aron Temkin, dean of Norwich University School of Architecture and Art.

Within the context of Fallingwater, participants will explore the visual arts, history, architecture, sustainability and the relationship of architecture and nature.