SYNOPSIS
“Marion Mahony was the Frida Kahlo of the Chicago School. Everywhere and nowhere, forgotten then suddenly remembered, unique in her work.” Professor David Van Zanten.
Architect, artist, environmentalist, social observer, community builder and loyal wife, Marion Mahony Griffin was a woman who changed history. The second woman to graduate with an architecture degree from MIT and the first woman in America to become a licensed architect, Mahony was a woman in a man’s world, ahead of her time, energetic and creative, yet her role was overshadowed by the men in her life.
She was Frank Lloyd Wright’s first professional employee, working with him for more than a decade. Then she teamed up with fellow Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin, her drawings playing a crucial role in helping him to win the prize for the design of the Australian federal capital, Canberra. Her artistic work was sheer magic.
Making Magic aims to tell Marion’s story, a story which spans three continents, and puts the case for her recognition as an important figure who emerged from Chicago’s Prairie School of Architecture.
GLENDA KORPORAAL
About The Author
Glenda Korporaal is a journalist and writer based in Sydney, Australia. She has lived in Canberra and Washington, DC, and has a Master of Arts (Economics) from George Washington University, Washington, DC. The author of four books, she has a long time fascination with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and interest in the ties between Australia and America.
"What the gods have given us we are under obligation to share with humanity, with the world"
Marion Mahony Griffin
Paradise on Earth
Sydney Living Museums
Located throughout the Museum of Sydney, the exhibition explores Mahony’s architectural beginnings and aesthetic sensibility; her collaboration with Walter Burley Griffin; and key projects in Australia, including Canberra, the Capitol Theatre and Café Australia, with a special focus on the life and community of Castlecrag. A newly produced film examines Mahony’s ongoing impact and the experience of living in the experimental suburb of Castlecrag in more depth, through interviews with current and former owners of Griffin homes and a selection of architects and other experts in the field.
Bookings: sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/exhibitions/paradise-earth
Meeting Marion
Presented by the National Capital Authority
I was invited by the NCA to present a talk 'Meeting Marion' focussing on her Canberra plan to celebrate her 150th Birthday on 12.2.2021
You can watch the recording of the talk on the left hand side.
More on the NCA & Marion: nca.gov.au/marion