A Moment at Fallingwater Expressed
through Woodturning and Photography
Divergent Art Forms Converge in Exhibition Opening April 10 at Barn at Fallingwater     

(Pittsburgh and Mill Run, Pennsylvania, March 21, 2007)  Photographer Stephen Lai and Woodturner Tom Obourn bring their artistic skills together for an exhibition  that offers tangible reminders that Fallingwater, an architectural intermingling of nature and art, is a dynamic place that continuously renews itself.  Changes in weather, seasons, and the regenerating landscape are all part of the experience of Frank lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. Through two distinctive art forms, one is able to see and hold an ephemeral moment of that change in our minds and hands. The exhibition begins on April 10 and runs through June 10, 2007.

With more than 35 years of horticultural work with grapes, tree fruit and vegetables and 30 years as a vineyard owner, Tom Obourn has the fortitude of a farmer. Through his skillful hands and listening patience, forgotten wood posts and felled trees are given new life. 

After it became necessary to remove the oak tree that once stood between Fallingwater’s main house and the guest house, Obourn created a collection of wooden bowls and wine stoppers from the substantial trunk and branches of the tree.  These pieces are part of the Fallingwater landscape that have now entered the realm of art in their own right.

Photographer Stephen Lai’s work in research oncology has taught him to look at the details.  With his lens, he captures the fleeting details that activate Fallingwater.  The stones become the virtual cells that work together to create the body of Fallingwater; a fallen leaf reminds us that nature in its pure state has the power to heal, to refresh our eyes and our psyche.

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh, Fallingwater was to be a place for renewal, a house that made it easy for city people to relate to the outdoors.  Through the art of Lai and Obourn, the exhibition visitor can see that it still is.

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Directions:
The Barn at Fallingwater is located on the Bear Run Nature Reserve on PA Route 381, between Mill Run and Ohiopyle, just ¼ mile north of the Fallingwater entrance. Free parking is conveniently located behind the facility, and can be reached via the entry drive for Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's Bear Run Nature Reserve.

Additional Information:
For general information on the exhibit, the Bear Run Nature Reserve, or to purchase Fallingwater tour tickets, please telephone 724-329-8501, or visit our website at www.fallingwater.org

Interviews with the artists and images 
from the exhibition are available.

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About Fallingwater and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) preserves Fallingwater®, the masterpiece home designed in 1935 by Frank Lloyd Wright for Edgar J. Kaufmann in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. In 1963, Edgar Kaufmann jr. (sic) entrusted Fallingwater to the Conservancy.  As a symbol of living in harmony with nature, Fallingwater offers a wide variety of educational programs to its more than 135,000 annual visitors.   Since its founding in 1932, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has protected more than 212,000 acres of natural lands in Pennsylvania, restored watersheds and saved natural habitats for a diversity of life and uses.  Each year, WPC also partners with 5,000 volunteers and dozens of community organizations and businesses to plant and maintain 135 gardens and greening projects in 20 western Pennsylvania counties.