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By Julie Rausch

It’s easy to think of music, dance and theater programs as offering series for paying patrons. Now the visual arts joins its performing arts partners in bringing the community the Arts and Architecture Series.

The series’ inaugural symposium Oct. 23 is "A Day with Frank Lloyd Wright," which includes tours of the Wright-designed Allen-Lambe House Museum.

Ronald Christ, professor of painting, was one of the first to conceptualize a seasonal visual arts series.

"I’ve long felt that the School of Art and Design should have some mechanism to offer the opportunity for lectures and symposia to investigate more thoroughly ideas related to the arts (and) linked with the already established subscription series within the college," Christ said.

Don Byrum, chair for the School of Art and Design, said the central theme for the series is for faculty to share with the community the enthusiasm they have for their respective research areas, their creative activities and accumulated knowledge within their disciplines.

For example, with the Frank Lloyd Wright symposium, "we hope to foster an appreciation of Wright’s work and to emphasize his importance to the field of architecture and our relationship to that," Byrum said.

As the art and design faculty developed ideas for lectures and symposia topics, the theme of art and architecture seemed appropriate within the talents and interests of the faculty.

This year, Christ said, the development committee selected established and traditional subjects. In the future, he said, they might go with riskier, more avant-garde topics.

"We’re hoping that each of the speakers can have fun with this, and it becomes sort of a soapbox to profess ideas and have great discussions," Christ said.

"A Day with Frank Lloyd Wright" Oct. 23 starts with morning tours of the Allen-Lambe House. From 1-5 p.m., at the Wichita Center for the Arts, several speakers will discuss the architectural development of Wright’s career and his vast influence on modern and contemporary architecture.

Considered the most influential architect of his time, Wright (1867-1959) designed about 1,000 structures, of which nearly 500 were built. They include the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, and the Johnson Wax Building in Racine, Wis., the state where Wright was born and raised. Wright also designed WSU’s Corbin Education Center.

"Wright the designer became a central figure of American architecture of the 20th century," said Fredrick Hemans, WSU associate professor of art history.

"After World War II, he became an icon of American architecture. He almost became a cult figure — his apprentices were almost like disciples."

At the symposium, Hemans will set the stage by describing the architectural context of the late 19th century and focusing on the work of Wright’s mentor Louis Sullivan. Other speakers will be Donald Hoffman, retired art critic for the Kansas City Star, who has written books on Wright’s Prairie Houses; and Sidney Robinson, professor of architecture, University of Illinois at Chicago, who has written extensively about Wright’s work.

The other symposia and lectures in the series are:

• "Preserving the Past for the Future," Nov. 6, will be about the preservation and restoration of sacred art and architecture. It will focus on the controversies of art restoration, the ecclesiastical treasures of Kansas, and ways to protect the artistic heritage through local, regional and national educational programs. Speakers will be Marilyn Chiat, director of the Center for the Documentation and Preservation of Places of Worship, University of Minnesota; Frank Coady, director of liturgy, Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina, Kan.; Diane Thomas Lincoln, WSU’s director of the decorative and ornamental painting and design certificate program; and Mira Pajes Merriman, WSU professor emeritus of art history.

• A slide lecture, "Contract with the Two-Dimensional: A Discussion on Pictorial Space," Nov. 20 with Christ will focus on both the artist’s construction of a picture and the viewer’s perception of it.

• During the slide lecture "The ‘Western’ Architectural Tradition" March 11, Hemans will share his experiences doing archaeological work at Isthmia, Greece, where the Archaic Temple of Poseidon was discovered.

• WSU’s Clark Britton, professor of graphic design who will retire from WSU in May after 41 years, will lead a symposium on painter Edward Hopper April 18.