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First Exhibition of Wright Lightscreens

© Sue Kimbel McGhie

A very special exhibit of Frank Lloyd Wright's is traveling the country. This exhibition is the first ever devoted to the full range of the architect's work in leaded glass. I had the opportunity to see it at its second stop at the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan and I'm really glad I took the time. It was a very interesting and worthwhile learning opportunity for anyone interested in leaded stained glass. It was certainly well received by people in and around Grand Rapids. The exhibit included over 50 of Wright's windows and many drawings and photographs to demonstrate the evolution of the designs. It was so interesting to see windows representing such a variety of Wright's styles. An audio tour by Wright's grandson was available with the tour for an extra fee.

Highlights of the exhibit included a Sumac window from the Susan Lawrence Dana House in Springfield, Illinois, four panels from the Avery Coonley playhouse in Riverside, Illinois and a Hollyhock window from Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, California. There was also a set of bookcase door panels from the William R. Heath house in Buffalo, New York. The windows were on loan from many different sources and collectors.

The windows were displayed in what appeared to be, in many cases, the original wood frames. They were installed in front of white frosted back-lighted glass panels to give the effect of the outdoor light shining through. You can look at them close up and inspect the glass, construction and use of brass, zinc and copper cames.

Decorative leaded glass windows were an integral part of Wright buildings. He designed windows for about 160 building projects and 90 of those were completed. Wright's concept of the role of ornamental glass in buildings was very different from Tiffany and LaFarge. Rejecting the opalescent glass "pictures" of these artists Wright invented a new style that combined clear glass with touches of color and geometric shapes to create transparent glass "screens" to subtly link interior and exterior spaces.

Curator of the exhibition, Julie L. Sloan, has worked in the field of stained glass for 20 years. Her research on the leaded glass of Frank Lloyd Wright has taken 18 years to compile. Sloan is an adjunct professor of historic preservation at Columbia University where she has taught stained glass restoration since 1985.

There were copies of both exhibition books, Lights Screens: The Leaded Glass of Frank Lloyd Wright, by Julie Sloan available in the gift shop, as well as many other quality items featuring Wright's designs. The books are both very well done. The 160 page book includes 192 photographs. The 394 page book is a comprehensive discussion of all of Wright's window designs and represents the results of Sloan's 18 years of research.

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