Merry ChristMOD!

Last weekend I had the wonderful experience of visiting Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum. Currently, there are several exhibits featured, and all are worth mentioning. The biggest attraction is the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit. It includes several drafts, pieces of furniture, and photographs of Frank’s architecture and homes. It was really quite impressive. A lot of the furniture was replicas, as some of the pieces were over one hundred years old. The replicas were beautiful and really accurate. The original pieces of furniture were clearly just that – original. Cracked and faded, it is upsetting to me that people did not cherish these works of art they way though should have.

I love all things FLW, but I must admit that, although the furniture looks awesome, it is likely some of the most uncomfortable furniture ever created. Frank must have had a back of steel, because I could feel my back spasm with fear just looking at his Taliesin West chairs. I have visited Taliesin West and tried out a lot of his furniture. Sitting in those chairs is comparable to begin kicked in the back. Lying in the tiny beds reminds me of sleeping on a street with the curb for a pillow. But, who cares? The furniture is so awesome and modern that comfort definitely takes a back seat to coolness. This exhibit is well worth the time and money.

Another exhibit currently taking place at Philbrook is the Festival of Trees. Each year, several clubs, organizations and charities decorate a tree and donate it to the museum. The trees are for sale and prices range anywhere from $25 to $2,500. The best things about the trees this year was the inspiration. Several trees were decorated in commemoration to Frank Lloyd Wright! It was really neat to see tree ornaments that were made to resemble his beautiful windows and doors. There was even a tree that was made to resemble Falling Waters. Most of the trees were already sold, so it made me happy to think that Frank would join so many peoples’ homes for Christmas this year.

The last featured exhibit was the gingerbread houses. Different classes and clubs had each decorated a gingerbread house. And most of them were? Yep, Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs! I would say about 80% of them were Falling Waters. I would have loved to have seen more variety. One of them was supposed to resemble one of the glass windows that so famously features Frank’s modern stained glass look. It was a wall of beautiful candy. It was my favorite piece because of the idea, and also because by the time I saw it, I was deliriously craving candy. Gum drops, Dots, Mike ‘N Ikes – could it have been any more delectable? I think not. I have attached pictures so you can understand.

All in all, it was a great time to visit Philbrook. It certainly gets one in the Christmas spirit, and even more so, the Modern spirit! Merry ChristMOD, everyone!