SC Johnson to Exhibit Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Collection Centered Around Families and the Home
Long-Term Loan Agreement for Collection of Select Artifacts Highlights Wright’s Influence, Thought and Innovation
Jul 14, 2011 1:45 PM ET
(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Racine, Wis. - July 14, 2011 - Today SC Johnson and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation announce a long-term loan agreement for the company to display a collection of artifacts highlighting Frank Lloyd Wright’s influence on families and the home. The agreement marks a new chapter in the Johnson family’s long history with the visionary architect.
“We are thrilled to have this collection and open it up for exhibit,” said Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “We’re so pleased to bring this treasure to Racine and to continue our family’s long legacy with Wright.”
Beginning in spring 2012, the 125-year-old company will exhibit a collection of Wright’s objects and memorabilia including drawings, models, furniture, fixtures, photos, personal effects and more. The exhibit will be open to the public, free of charge and will be housed in Fortaleza Hall on SC Johnson’s global headquarters campus in Racine, Wis.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the meeting between H.F. Johnson Jr., third generation leader, and Frank Lloyd Wright, which resulted in the commission of the Administration building. Eight years later, Wright also designed the Research Tower. Fortaleza Hall, where this collection will be housed, features a Frank Lloyd Wright Library and Reading Room which houses a collection of more than 800 items including books on Wright and his career, drawings, blueprints, letters and photos. Currently, thousands of tourists and Wright enthusiasts visit SC Johnson’s headquarters each year to see Wright’s renowned designs.
“SC Johnson is a natural fit for such a robust exhibit on home and family, and this is a wonderful opportunity for the Foundation to continue educating the public about the works and legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright,” said Jeff Grip, chairman of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Board of Trustees. “From Taliesin to Wright’s Home and Studio, the Midwest has a wealth of opportunities to learn about Wright and be exposed to his work. The SC Johnson exhibit will be the next great stop on this pilgrimage.”
Sharing Heritage, Tradition, Innovation
The collection will provide opportunities for people to learn about the principle ideas embodied in Wright’s work and increase awareness of the impact of his architecture and design on families and the home.
Rather than simply reflecting one period of Wright’s work, the collection will explore Wright’s influence on the home throughout his career. It will include artifacts from Wright’s earliest exploration of the natural house in the early 1900s through his American System pre-cut housing venture of 1917 to his reinvention of the American home in 1940. The collection will also feature artifacts from the mid-1950s, when his work reached legendary scale.
The exhibit, to be curated by experts, will include pieces from Wright’s personal homes and studios in Wisconsin, Illinois and Arizona as well as homes he designed for clients across the country. Notable items include:
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Reception chair, Frank Lloyd Wright Studio, 1895, Oak Park, Ill.
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Library table, Edward C. Waller House, remodel, 1899, River Forest, Ill.
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Slant-back dining chair, Hillside Home School, 1902, Spring Green, Wis.
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Hanging lamp, William R. Heath House, 1905, Buffalo, N.Y.
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Windows, William R. Heath House, 1905, Buffalo, N.Y.
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Armchair, Taliesin West, 1946, Scottsdale, Ariz.
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Weed holder, 1895
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Pieces from Wright’s Plaza Hotel suite, which will be on display for the first time in history
Explore More Wright
This exhibit adds to a number of Frank Lloyd Wright landmarks across the Midwest. Racine, situated in the midst of a 220-mile span between Oak Park, Ill. and Spring Green, Wis., offers a unique look at Wright’s influence on both home and office. There is nowhere else where one can see masterpieces like Wingspread, the SC Johnson Administration Building and Research Tower in such close proximity.
Additional works of architectural importance that sit within the 220-mile area include:
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Taliesin, Wright’s home and architectural laboratory in Spring Green, Wis.
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The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, Ill.
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The Robie House in Chicago
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American System-Built homes in the Burnham Street Historic District, Milwaukee, Wis.
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The Jacobs House in Madison, Wis.
“We’re excited that these influential pieces will open for public display at SC Johnson’s headquarters in Racine, where they can educate and inspire visitors,” said Bob Hart, President-Elect of the Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program, Inc. “It’s a testament to the company’s long heritage with the architect and will give Racine visitors an intimate look at Wright’s work in his home state of Wisconsin.”
For more information on tours or to schedule a visit to the SC Johnson campus, please call (262) 260-2154 or email Rondelle@scj.com
The artifacts will be on loan from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to SC Johnson for educational and tourism purposes. Specific terms of the agreement will not be disclosed at this time.
About SC Johnson
SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, and pest control. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, and MR. MUSCLE®. The 125-year-old company, with more than $8 billion in sales, employs approximately 12,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com
About SC Johnson and Frank Lloyd Wright
The relationship between Frank Lloyd Wright and H.F. Johnson Jr. began 75 years ago. The first building Wright designed for the Johnson company was the Administration Building in 1936, followed by the Research Tower in 1944. Today, nearly 5,000 Wright enthusiasts and admirers visit the Administration Building and the SC Johnson campus each year to marvel at the still-modern architecture. From the miles of Pyrex glass tubing to the dendriform columns, the Administration Building, one of the few Wright commercial designs to continue to operate in its original state, is truly a unique work of art that reflects the innovation, creation and adventure that is still the spirit of SC Johnson today.
About the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1940 to be a cultural and educational institution and the primary conservator of his work. The Foundation owns two of Wright’s homes: Taliesin in Spring Green, Wis. and Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Ariz., both Historic National Landmarks. The Foundation also owns and manages the vast Frank Lloyd Wright Archives at Taliesin West and operates the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, a continuation of the apprenticeship program Wright established in 1932.
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