Historic House Museums as Learning Catalysts

By:

Using Fallingwater in Mill Run, PA, USA, the Gibson House in Boston, MA, USA, and the Westcott House in Springfield, OH, USA, this colloquium will examine ways that house museums can spark and nurture creative thinking in any subject area, while addressing various learning styles and multiple intelligence using an activity-based inquiry approach with an emphasis on problem solving. It will become clear that house museums offer an innate value of place that in themselves become valuable resources used by these programs.

Specific projects to be discussed include:

•Gibson House and Fallingwater Excavations: Contexts and Interpretations, Richard Griswold and Cara Armstrong •Fallingwater Teacher Residency Programs, Dr. Claire Gallagher and Cara Armstrong•Fallingwater High School Residency Programs, Aron Temkin and Cara Armstrong•The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright through the Eyes of a Child, Ty Fischer, Marta Wojcik, and Cara Armstrong•Towards New Conceptions of Organic Architecture: Learning from the Experience of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and Westcott Houses, John Reynolds and Cara Armstrong

Stream: Communications and Education

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

Tainted at birth by dint of her parents’ professions in architecture and education, Cara Armstrong is interested in helping people understand good design and recognize the relationships between the built and natural environments. Architecture speaks to us, evoking associations that touch us deeply and influence how we conduct our lives. As Fallingwater’s Curator of Education, she directs this landmark building’s education department, which includes the public tour program, interpretive staff training and public education programs. Formerly a project director for the Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio and preservation planner for the City of Key West, she believes in collaboration and has recently worked with students and children documenting the Ohler Farmstead in Historic American Building Survey (HABS) format, designing and installing furniture for Fallingwater’s Servants Sitting Room, developing a sustainable Master Plan for land adjacent to Fallingwater, and learning basic photography for exhibition. While serving as Fallingwater’s Curator of Building and Collections, she oversaw this building’s highly publicized structural restoration. She holds a Bachelor’s of Philosophy and a Bachelor’s of Environmental Design (both cum laude, Miami University) and a Master’s of Architecture (Columbia University).

Dr. Claire Gallagher is a trained architect who has dedicated her career in design to encouraging built environment awareness through architectural programs for children and adults. Her areas of expertise include children’s visual and spatial thinking skills and their perceptions of the concepts of cities, schools and learning environments; her research with children has taken her to many parts of the world including Central America, Eastern and Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout the US. Claire’s art is a reflection of her interest in the unique buildings and architectural details found in cities around the world.

Education: Bachelor of Science, University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida, 1976; Master of Arts, Monmouth University, W. Long Branch, New Jersey, 1981; Master of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991; Doctor of Arts Education, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1995

Professional Certifications: Comprehensive Certifications (K-12) in Mathematics and Science; Supervisors Certificate

Typical teaching responsibilities: General Education/Secondary; Interdisciplinary Instruction; Inquiry-based Learning; Problem-based Learning; Visual and Spatial Literacy; Arts and Science Integration

Aron Temkin came to Florida Atlantic University in 1999 and has been the Director of the School since 2005. Professor Temkin’s scholarly work examines the integration of digital media in the design process, pursuing methods for improved design quality and visual communication. He is also interested in the pedagogue of design foundation, developing coursework and research in support of beginning students. In practice since 1992, Prof. Temkin worked for several award winning design firms - studio d'ARC, Urban Design Associates, and Perfido Weiskopf Associates - before pursuing independent practice. His professional work includes graphic design, master planning, and architecture with an emphasis on sustainable place making. Through his built work he aspires to reconnect people to the variable conditions of their surroundings. His work has been included in several group exhibitions in Pennsylvania and Michigan including an award for "Best of Show" in the Pittsburgh Young Architects Exhibition in 1998.
Master of Architecture, Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1997 Bachelor of Architecture with University Honors, Carnegie Mellon University, 1992

John Reynolds currently leads the Miami University Graduate Program in Architecture that he has directed the since 2001. Reynolds’ research and writing has been presented at International, National, and Regional Meetings of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and The European Association for Architectural Education Association / Européene pour l'Enseignement de l'Architecture and has appeared in The Journal of Architectural Education. Reynolds is currently developing a book that explores European and American practices in Architectural Sustainability considering their links to Environmental Humanism, Democratic Design Ideals and Social Values that will include his internationally recognized research on the work of Behnisch & Partner and Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner Stuttgart.

Wojcik holds a Master’s Degree in Art History. She actively researches and interprets the history of The Westcott House, develops exhibits and educational programs, recruits and trains WHF docents. She formerly worked as a curatorial assistant in the Department of Architecture at the Art Institute of Chicago. Wojcik conducted tours of the Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio in Oak Park, Illinois and also served as a docent at the Chicago Architectural Foundation.

Ty is an artist, photographer, entrepreneur and the Founder, Executive Director of Eyes Wide Open Worldwide www.eyeswideopenworldwide.org. Ty studied Illustration and Computer Animation at The Columbus College of Art & Design and Sinclair Community College and is a graduate of Shawnee High School in Springfield, Ohio. Ty is a member of New Hope Church, certified in Comptia A+ computer repair & technology. He is currently attending correspondence school at the New York Institute of Photography.Ty is a life-long resident of Springfield, Ohio and is the proud father of two sons, Derek age 11 and Adam age 7.