The Martin House is welcoming seven original "light screens" from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Wednesday - the 152th anniversary of Darwin D. Martin - that have been in Canada for the last half-century.
Martin House officials say there are 16 site-specific patterns of art glass in the form of windows, doors, laylights and skylights, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright exclusively for the Martins and their multi-residential estate. The panels were removed when the estate laid vacant and in disrepair from 1937-1954.
Then in 1968, the panels were purchased by the University of Victoria's Legacy Art Galleries and have since been under their professional care. Officials say each glass pattern is "a stunning example of artisanship and fundamental to Wright's revolutionary 'total design' principles."
However, "in the spirit of long-held binational cooperation and friendship," the university has offered the "historic transfer" of the panels to the Martin House to mark the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation and the sesquicentennial of Frank Lloyd Wright's birth.
A "homecoming" reception and lecture - which are free and open to the public and will display the panels - will be held at the Martin House's Greatbatch Pavilion from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. The lecture will feature Stuart Graff, President and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Scottsdale, AZ.
