Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum of Second Life

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The Frank Lloyd Wright Museum of Second Life celebrated an immensely successful Grand Opening this past weekend. The museum is a spectacularly ambitious project bringing to Second Life the life and work of Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), the person recognized by the American Institute of Architects as "the greatest American architect of all time." The project is being overseen by the museum's director, who is a long-time friend of mine, Frey Brevin.

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The Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum of Second Life.

In a long and prolific career that spanned almost three quarters of a century, Frank Lloyd Wright designed over 1,000 buildings of which nearly 500 were built. A romantic and social visionary, he was one of the founders of modern architecture in the United States. His legacy is a distinctively American style of architecture that eschewed European influences and one that embraces the idea that buildings can be in harmony with their natural surroundings. Wright opposed the rote imposition of standardized styles, but believed that form must flow perfectly from function, and that structures should ultimately blend into the terrain to achieve a close relationship between the building and its setting. He created many of the 20th century’s most influential and iconic buildings.

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The Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum of Second Life celebrates Wright's creative genius and accomplishments. The museum building contains several galleries which tell Wright's life story, show photos of many examples of his work, and display some of his architectural plans. On the museum roof there will be a display of photographs of Wright buildings in chronological order. But the most exciting exhibits are the are full scale replicas of five Wright buildings on the grounds in back of the museum building. Visitors to the museum can walk around the exteriors and explore the interiors of the buildings. We can gain a sense of the buildings and of Wright's innovative genius. This is a wonderful demonstration of the potential of virtual worlds to illuminate and educate. It certainly is a significant step toward fulfilling the promises of Second Life.
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Robi House, University of Chicago (1909)

.........................Fallingwater, Bear Run, Pennsylvania (1937)

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Robi House Windows - an abstract pattern of colored and clear glass using Wright's favorite 30 and 60-degress angles

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Perhaps the most noteworthy houses reproduced at the museum are the Robi House and Fallingwater. Robi House in Chicago is a masterpiece of Wright's late period Prairie Style. The house features low sloping roofs with cantilevered eaves, over hangs and terraces, and the use of unfinished materials for their natural colors and textures. The interior is noted for its sense of spaciousness created by an open plan in which the living and dining areas form a single uninterrupted space. The highly influential Robi House has been called 'the cornerstone of modernism.' Fallingwater, located outside Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, is Wright’s most dramatic design where cantilevered, interlocked terraces are posed over a picturesque waterfall. The building’s integration with the striking natural setting is the finest example of Wrights philosophy of organic architecture, which holds that buildings should develop out of their natural surroundings. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects named Fallingwater the "best all-time work of American architecture."
. A Grand Opening crowd awaiting a night of fireworks and dancing.

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The museum’s grand opening events and festivities were held over three days, Friday through Sunday, and attracted over 1600 visitors. The major events were scheduled for Saturday which began with the official ribbon cutting ceremony at which Frey delivered an excellent welcoming speech. And the event that everyone was waiting for was the evening’s Black Tie Gala. It was the social event of the summer in Second Life. The Gala was kicked off with a super fireworks display followed by a live performance by CelticMaiden Warrior and dancing into the evening at Club Breeze. Jaysun was my date for the night. I wore a lovely black and white formal that Jaysun had given me as a gift to wear tonight. And Jay was so strikingly handsome in his tuxedo. It was the beginning to a great evening.

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The Frank Lloyd Wright Museum of Second Life is a 'must see' attraction in Second Life. A visionary like his idol, Frey Brevin must be given a round of applause for what has been accomplished in this monument honoring America's greatest architect.

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..The Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum of Second Life:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Usonia/10/9/22

On YouTube:
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