Mill Run, Pa. – April 14 – Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterwork, is accepting applications from high school and college students and K-12 educators for its one-week summer residency programs.
The programs offer two sessions at different skill levels for high school students, a design-build project for college students and one session for K-12 teachers.
“I found my inner draftsman…the satisfaction I found in completing a new project using skills I’d never used before was immeasurable,” said Bonnie Collins, a 2013 teacher resident.
Guest instructors teach these weeklong programs in an open-air studio onsite at Fallingwater, studying in the midst of this historic building located in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. Housing is provided in a new nearby education facility called High Meadow. During their time in the program, students and teacher residents examine the principles of organic architecture and learn through creative problem-solving and collaboration.
“Participants in the summer residency programs are inspired by their time spent in and around Fallingwater to design and build projects in our studio,” said Roy Young, director of operations and visitor experience at Fallingwater. “We use an engaging and informal learning environment to explore the themes of organic architecture, elements and principles of design and critical thinking in the context of the house and its surroundings.”
All applications are due before May 7. For more information or to apply, visit www.fallingwater.org/learn or call 724-329-7829.
High School Residencies
Architecture Camp: Studio 1
This program, held from July 17 to July 23, focuses on architecture, environment and design in the context of Fallingwater for students who have completed his or her sophomore or junior year in high school. Led by Peter Goldstein, certified through American Institute of Architects (AIA), educator and licensed architect from Dallas, this program allows students to examine and explore a host of Frank Lloyd Wright’s ideas about nature and organic architecture.
Students will engage in hands-on exercises focusing on space, light, structure and materials, with emphasis on creative problem solving. Program activities include individual and collaborative projects, drawing and model-making exercises and daily working sessions. Tuition, room and board for this program is $1,200.
Architecture Camp: Studio 2
Held from July 24 to 30, Studio 2 is designed to assist students age 17 and older in their preparation for admission to an architecture or design college. This learning opportunity is perfect for students wanting to explore the fields of architecture and design or seeking a gap-year opportunity to broaden their personal experience.
The students in this program will be exposed to traditional elements of the first-year studio foundation, typical of courses required in architecture, design and the visual arts. Tuition, room and board for this program is $1,200.
College Studio Residency
New this year, college students who are studying design, visual arts, architecture or other majors are invited to apply for a weeklong design-build residency program, held August 7 to August 14. The college residency is designed as an intensive retreat for students who would like to explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterwork, Fallingwater, while also looking to the future and how principles in this remarkable building can inform contemporary design practice.
This learning opportunity is perfect for students in the fields of architecture and design, but also non-designers seeking an opportunity to broaden their personal experience. The instructors for this course are Aron Temkin, dean and professor of architecture at Norwich University and Eyrich Stauffer, awarded woodworker, furniture designer and treehouse builder.Tuition, room and board for this program is $1,200.
Teacher Residency
K-12 teachers are invited to learn how architecture and design can help students gain 21st-century thinking skills. The Fallingwater teacher residency, held from July 8 to July 15, introduces the concepts of activity-based inquiry and problem solving through architecture.
Within the context of Fallingwater, participants will explore the visual arts, history, architecture, sustainability and the relationship of architecture and nature. This course will be taught by Andrew Phillips, co-chair of the design department at the Charter High School for Architecture and Design (CHAD). Tuition, room and board for this program is $1,000. Enrollment is limited.
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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region’s quality of life by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped to establish ten state parks, conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands and protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams. The Conservancy owns and operates Fallingwater, which symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces that are planted with the help of about 12,500 volunteers. The work of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org.
Media Contact:
Kristen Blevins
Communications Specialist
412-586-2328
kblevins@paconserve.org