Vocabulary

ARCHITECT An individual who designs and oversees the construction of a building

ARCHITECTURE The art and science of planning and building a structure; the elements of a building

AVANT GARDE From a French military term meaning the “front line,” art that breaks with traditions and is considered radical and shocking when first introduced to the public

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION Phrase coined by architect Louis Sullivan, an early mentor of Frank Lloyd Wright. This principle states that the function, or utility, of a building should govern its design.

GEOMETRIC SHAPES Forms that look as though they were made with a ruler, compass, or other drawing tool, including circles, rectangles, triangles, and ovals

NON-OBJECTIVE ART Art that uses forms, shapes, and colors that are invented rather than observed

RECTILINEAR Consisting of straight lines

REINFORCED CONCRETE Concrete with steel rods embedded within to provide additional strength and support

ROTUNDA A circular room covered by a dome

SPIRAL A curve that winds around a fixed center point at a continuously increasing or decreasing distance from the point

ZIGGURAT A temple tower of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians, having the form of a terraced pyramid of successively receding stories

Books

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 1994

Krens, Thomas, and Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer. Art of This Century: The Guggenheim Museum and Its Collection. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1993

Newhouse, Victoria. Towards a New Museum. New York: Monacelli Press, Inc., 1998. Examines the role of architectural design in contemporary museums. (adult)

Thorne-Thomsen, Kathleen. Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1994. Biography and activity book. (middle grades)

Architecture in Education: A Resource of Imaginative Ideas and Tested Activities. Philadelphia: Foundation for Architecture, 1986.

Rubin, Susan Goldman. There Goes the Neighborhood: 10 Buildings People Loved to Hate.

Blossfeldt, Karl. Natural Art Forms: 120 Classic Photographs. (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

Video

Frank Lloyd Wright. A film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick, documentary, 160 minutes, available through http://www.pbs.org/flw