Remembering the Future with Architect Herb Greene

Since LIFE magazine published his 1961 “Prairie House” in Norman, OK, Herb Greene has been a touchstone for the ongoing influence of Organic architecture in America. The Prairie House is a shingled hulk rising from the Oklahoma prairie, evoking both nature and high tech futurism. Partly an observatory, partly a poignant evocation of a buffalo or a wounded bird, Greene’s family house embodies a blend of nature, history, memory, and psychology that is central to his architecture. This presentation includes clips of the documentary currently in production on his career and his colleagues, including Mickey Muennig (1935-2021) whose organic designs along the Big Sur coast echo the influence of their teacher, Bruce Goff.

The film project is a look at the mid-20th century onward when emerging technologies and competing ideas in architecture were being offered with Organic Architecture on one end of the spectrum striving for diversity and individuality. The Organic Modernist movement that shined (particularly in the Midwest) eventually vanished before achieving its potential. The film looks at a future that didn’t happen, the search to discover why, and a discovery of renewed interest today in those ideas and buildings.

A panel including producer Lila Cohen, historian Alan Hess, Art Institute of Chicago curator Craig Lee, moderated by George Smart, will follow the film.

$12

Things to Know
This event is for ages 12 and older.
Ample free public parking is available. Enter at Hyatt on Palm Canyon Drive or in the multi-level public garage across from the Palm Springs Art Museum.
Handicap parking is available. This event is wheelchair accessible.
The organizer of this event is Modernism Week.

Event Check-in Location 
CAMP Theater, Hyatt Palm Springs, 285 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262
View Map 

Photo Credits: Alan Bowlby, © Julius Shulman. Source: Julius Shulman Archive, J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles.