Artist portrays right Wright for SE
by Amanda Leduc
se news editor

An architectural legend came back to life for students and community members last week on SE Campus.

Lyman Shepard portrayed the famous architect in An Evening with Frank Lloyd Wright presented by SE student activities and the department of architectural technologies.

Shepard lives in Oak Park, Ill., near the largest concentration of Wright structures in the world.

The artist has spent much of his life studying Wright and capturing his persona.

Shepard is a founding board member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation and has been a tour guide and lecturer-historian since its inception.

Since 1973, Shepard, has devoted over 8,000 hours to historic preservation, architectural tour guiding and cultural community affairs.

Shepard has appeared as Wright throughout the world and performed his one-man show in many of Wright’s structures.

Shepard outlined Wright’s life from birth to death and while the emphasis was on Wright’s contributions to the architectural world, Shepard included notes of Wright’s personal life.

Wright was born in Wisconsin to extraordinary parents: his mother was a teacher and his father was a Baptist preacher who later converted to Unitarianism and pursued music.

Wright studied architecture under Louis Sullivan in 1867 and two years later married his first wife Catherine, with whom he had six children, Shepard said.

Wright began designing structures on his own and gained the attention of many influential architects.

The architect designed more than 25 structures in the Oak Park area between 1889 and 1909.

He left his family in 1909 for a woman named Mamah Cheney.

“ Wright was 50 years ahead of the architectural world and 75 years ahead of extramarital affairs,” Shepard said.

Wright’s career and personal life took off from there.

Wright began to travel throughout the world with Cheney and started work on his famous home, Taliesin.

Taliesin was set on fire by one of Wright’s servants in 1914. Cheney and her two children among the seven killed, Shepard said.

Wright was comforted after the tragedy by the company and purse of Miriam Noel, Shepard said.

Wright’s relationship with Noel was short lived because of the woman’s mental instability, Shepard said.

Wright continued his designing and rebuilt Taliesin.

Taliesin burned again in 1925 when struck by lightening, but Wright rebuilt again.

He continued construction on Taliesin and numerous other projects until his death in 1959.

Wright was known for saying, “The reality of the vessel is the void within.”

Last Updated: 4/21/2004
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