Break :: the :: box
challenge assumptions
undermine preconceptions
reject the norm

unity temple restoration foundation presents break :: the :: box
a lecture series exploring creative non-conformity across art, architecture and culture
9 intriguing events january through may 2008
at frank lloyd wright’s masterpiece of non-convention, unity temple

$15 members, $20 non-members
Receptions follow all events at Unity Temple.

January 18, 2008

phil allsopp :: great design and the creation of place: frank lloyd wright in the 21st century

February 15, 2008

vincent michael :: constructing architect: barry byrne and unity temple

March 1, 2008

paul kruty :: marion mahony and frank lloyd wright

March 12, 2008

sarah susanka :: not so big

March 28, 2008

jeanne gang :: recent work

April 5, 2008

the suburban :: unconventional creativity

April 18, 2008

timothy wittman :: when tradition gets radical

May 3, 2008

anthony alofsin :: rethinking wright: updating the jeremiad

May 29, 2008

visit chicago city hall’s green roof :: close to nature

phil allsopp :: great design and the creation of place: frank lloyd wright in the 21st century
Friday, January 18, 2008, 7:30 pm
Phil Allsopp, President and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, observes that “the arts, culture, and science of architecture—and in particular the heritage of Frank Lloyd Wright—actually matter in ways that the business and political worlds can now readily understand.” Presented in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust and the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.

vincent michael :: constructing architect: barry byrne and unity temple
Friday, Feb. 15, 7:30 pm
Barry Byrne joined Wright's office as an office boy and was supervising the construction of Unity Temple by age 24. Vincent Michael, John H. Bryan Chair of Historic Preservation at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, explores how Byrne used the lessons of Unity Temple to craft an entirely new and modern Catholic church architecture in the 1920s.

paul kruty :: marion mahony and frank lloyd wright
Saturday, March 1, 7:30 pm
Marion Mahony, America's first licensed woman architect, worked for Wright for fifteen years, creating the exquisite drawings that made him famous, enriching his architecture and producing a body of work all her own. Paul Kruty, Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has written extensively on Wright, Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin, and is the author of the recently published Marion Mahony and Millikin Place. Join us after the lecture for a book signing.

sarah susanka :: not so big
Wednesday, March 12, 7:30 pm
Bestselling author, architect and cultural visionary Sarah Susanka is leading a movement to redefine the American home and lifestyle. Her “build better, not bigger” approach to residential architecture has been embraced across the country and her “Not So Big” philosophy has evolved beyond habitat to the ways in which we inhabit our lives. Susanka has appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Charlie Rose” and HGTV, and is regularly profiled in leading shelter and lifestyle magazines and major newspapers. Join us after the lecture for a book signing.

jeanne gang :: recent work
Friday, March 28, 7:30 pm
Studio Gang’s focus on materials, technology and sustainability—supported by a combination of practice, teaching and research—has produced some of the most exciting architecture today. Architect Jeanne Gang will discuss recent projects, including the SOS community center and the Aqua tower, one of the largest projects ever awarded to an American firm headed by a woman.

the suburban :: unconventional creativity
Saturday, April 5, 2:00 pm
Michelle Grabner and Brad Killiam run an independent artist exhibition space in their Oak Park backyard. The success of The Suburban and its ability to draw internationally-known artists is due not to conventional methods such as marketing but to a uniquely unconventional approach: near-completion creative freedom for their artists. During our visit, we’ll view work by artists Lesley Vance and Ricky Swallow.
Limited to 20; registration required.

timothy wittman :: when tradition gets radical
Friday, April 18, 7:30 pm
Wright’s Unitarian Universalist tradition greatly influenced his design approach, says Timothy Wittman, Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Is the point of tradition merely to recycle the past? Or, is tradition the collective intellectual consciousness of the present? These questions and more will be entertainingly addressed by the dynamic Mr. Wittman.

anthony alofsin :: rethinking wright: updating the jeremiad
Saturday, May 3, 2008, 7:30 pm
In the manner of a jeremiad—a biblical or literary critique of society’s conditions—award-winning architect, author, curator, educator and Wright scholar Anthony Alofsin looks at current factors affecting architecture, society and Wright’s reputation. Dr. Alofsin, who teaches at the University of Texas at Austin, was the 2006 recipient of the Wright Spirit Award from the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.

visit chicago city hall’s green roof :: close to nature*
Thursday, May 29, 2:00 pm
Skyscrapers surrounding Chicago City Hall look down on a critical element in Mayor Richard M. Daley’s plan to make Chicago the greenest city in America: the first city-sponsored green roof in the U.S. Designed by William McDonough & Partners, this eco-friendly roof is rarely accessible to the public. Join UTRF on site for an exclusive tour led by the Department of Environment.
Limited to 20; registration required.

break :: the :: box is supported by a generous grant from the MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and is sponsored by the John Toomey Gallery.