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2019 Annual Report

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2019 Annual Report ANNUAL REPORT January 1 - December 31, 2019 flwright.org MISSION The mission of the Trust is to engage, educate and inspire the public through interpretation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s design legacy and preservation of his original sites for future generations. CORE VALUES ENGAGEMENT Engaging a broad and diverse local, regional, national and international audience through a dynamic cultural tourism program, a comprehensive and interactive website, and consistent marketing and communications initiatives. EDUCATION Affirming the contemporary relevance of Wright’s design legacy by educating K-12 students through innovative design programs that nurture individual vision; by presenting quality adult enrichment programs, national/international travel programs; and by producing electronic/print publications. INSPIRATION Inspiring our audience through powerful aesthetic experiences of authentic Wright sites, preserved to Wright’s original design vision. FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS Sculptural panel (detail), Richard Bock, ca. 1898, Developing the Trust’s resources and maintaining the Trust’s financial stability in order to sustain Frank Lloyd Wright Studio entrance. Photo: Matt Soria Wright’s original sites for future generations and ensure a lasting and secure future for the Trust, supported by strong community and business relationships and by dynamic Board engagement. PAGE 2 Mission and Core Values ....................................................................... 2 Letter from the Chairman of the Board .................................................. 4 Report of the President & CEO .............................................................. 5 2019 Wright Night ................................................................................. 8 2019 Wright Plus Housewalk ................................................................ 9 Staff ......................................................................................................... 10 Internship Program ................................................................................. 11 Audience Information ............................................................................ 12 Foundation and Business Contributors ................................................. 13 Donors .................................................................................................... 14 Donors and Society Level Members .................................................... 16 Volunteering at the Trust ........................................................................ 28 Financial Statements .............................................................................. 36 Cover Image: Entry hall, Robie House. Image (left): Drafting Room, Wright’s Home and Studio. Photos: James Caulfield TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 3 DEAR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2020 As a longtime resident of Oak Park, I appreciate the unique contribution the Trust makes to the ROBERT MILLER, CHAIRMAN community, a center of Frank Lloyd Wright’s built work. And as Chairman of the Trust Board, I JOHN M. RAFKIN, VICE CHAIRMAN have an even deeper appreciation of the devoted spirit of our volunteers, staff, and my fellow Board AND EXECUTIVE CHAIR members. Two new Board members from our community bring special new talents to us. KURT NEUMANN, TREASURER GRAHAM J. RARITY, SECRETARY Dr. Carol Kelley, superintendent of Oak Park Elementary School District 97, has already made a significant contribution to education in Oak Park, and we anticipate her engagement with our Teaching by Design educator programs and future learning center. Arthur Vogt, an architect and PETER R. GEORGE DAVID HERNANDEZ owner of Wright’s Winslow House in River Forest, brings expertise in preservation architecture PATRICIA HUNT based on a lifetime career in that practice. His participation in the Trust’s architectural planning ROBERT PASIN and development ensures thoughtful and informed resolution of historical sites issues. DON ROSENWINKEL KELLY SMALL RANDALL S. THORNE During our 45-year history, the Trust has evolved as an organization. But our strength still resides ARTHUR VOGT in the grassroots movement of our founding, when our community came together to save Wright’s DR. CAROL KELLEY, ADVISORY MEMBER Home and Studio and create a museum where the public can learn about the place where American architecture was born. Wright’s contribution to architecture, design, and cultural life is a legacy the Trust perpetuates. Today we continue to measure our success by the combined work of all who support our mission to engage, educate and inspire. My gratitude extends to every member of our Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and to our growing and diverse audience, whom we warmly welcome to our sites year-round. Robert Miller Robert Miller, Chairman, Board of Directors Chairman, Board of Directors LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD PAGE 4 With the completion of the Robie House interior restoration this year, the Trust concluded a major long-term conservation project. In conjunction with the late March reopening, an April 5 lecture event in partnership with the Art Institute in their historic Fullerton Hall drew an audience of over 500. Speaker and author Kathryn Smith explored Wright’s architectural exhibitions at the museum and the significance of Robie House in his career. Photo: James Caulfield In July, Robie House was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list along with seven other Wright sites. This group inscription recognized Wright’s lifetime achievement and his unique contribution to international architecture of the modern era. With Robie House recognized on a global stage and resuming full operations in 2019, an expanded vision for our future began to form. The Trust’s cultural travel program, Travel Wright introduced two new destinations: The Netherlands, where Wright’s work had a direct impact on Dutch expressionist architects and the De Stijl movement, and Mexico, whose ancient sites inspired Wright’s textile block houses in Los Angeles. Teaching by Design, a program for educators piloted by the Trust in 2017-18, received Temple of the Magician, Uxmal, Mexico. grants from the Institute of Library and Museum Services and from the Terra Foundation Courtesy of the Secretaría de Fomento Turístico de Yucatán for American Art to further develop our important work with teachers over the next three years. The Trust retained Chicago architect John Ronan to begin concept development of a Learning Center adjacent to Wright’s Oak Park Home and Studio. A professor of architecture, Ronan designed Chicago’s Poetry Foundation and IIT’s recently opened Innovation Center. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT & CEO Students from Louis Pasteur Elementary School at Robie House. PAGE 5 The Trust Education department presented Building Story through Design, in a series of week-long Summer Design Camps for Kids. Design Studios for High School Students offered the opportunity to work with Chicago area professional artists and designers to create works for an exhibition. On completion of the Robie House interior restoration, a grant from the Society of Architectural Historians supported field trips for over 250 Southside public school students to Robie House to investigate the impact of Wright’s local design Teachers attend professional development. legacy on Chicago’s physical landscape. On return to their schools, students created their own architectural designs. During 2019, 143,000 people visited the five historic sites where the Trust operates tours and programs. Visitors from across the country and around the world constitute 40% of all guests. California, New York and Texas were among the leading states in 2019, while Canada, UK, France, and Australia account for half of our international visitors. The Trust’s website attracted 630,000 unique visitors with 2.6 million-page views. Social media atten- dance totals included: Facebook 46,920, Twitter 4,290, and Instagram 11,470. Wright Plus 2019, co-chaired by Tim Bennett and Corinne Lettier, brought together over 300 volunteers for this signature annual event and welcomed 2,000 guests to Oak Park on a beautiful spring day. An experience like no other, the annual Housewalk is able to share the architectural treasure of the community because of the exceptional generosity of local home- owners. We thank everyone involved for a uniquely educational and immersive architectural event. Home and Studio summer camp participants. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT & CEO PAGE 6 As the Trust expands its vision, diversity, equity, and inclusion will continue to guide the development of our Board, staff, and audience. This year, members of the governing Board of Directors made exceptional contributions to the Trust in professional services, personal Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio donations, fundraising, and advocacy. Over 600 Trust volunteers have donated their time and unique talents at Trust historic sites. This report comprises the record of all those contributions, which are each invaluable. 2020 marks the 10-year conclusion of the AAM accreditation term of our two museums: Frederick C. Robie House Robie House and Wright’s Home and Studio. The process for reaccreditation by the Alliance of American Museums has begun and will continue in the year ahead as the Trust reviews its progress over the past ten years and looks to the decade ahead. Through the combined dedication of everyone involved with the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, 2019 has been a year of culminating achievement and expansive future vision. Unity
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