Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most visionary, influential architects of twentieth-century America, transforming the relationship of space to environment and building some of the country’s most revolutionary buildings. Much of what enabled him to realize his genius, however, despite his scandalous romantic choices, disastrous money management, combative interpersonal style, and fluctuating popularity, were his status as a white man and the women who supported him. This ELA lesson provides an intimate look at this phenomenon. It can be paired with excerpts from Virginia Woolf’s landmark essay, “A Room of One’s Own,” which catalogues male artists’ privilege from the female artist’s perspective, elucidating the obstacles that hampered creative women from developing intellectually and the stigma they often faced when trying to develop their art. 

Essential Questions

• How did Frank Lloyd Wright benefit from female support and male privilege in his career as an architect?
• How can we as future professionals take proactive steps for more equitable gender dynamics?