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Art Excursions, Inc.

 

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Autumn at Fallingwater: The perfect blend of nature and architecture at the perfect time of year


Fallingwater is the only one of Smithsonian Magazines’s “28 Places to See Before you Die” built within the last century.

It has been named the all-time best example of American architecture in a poll of the American Institute of Architects.

It is THE Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home...even for those who don’t consider themselves Wright “fans.”

Completed in 1937, Fallingwater simultaneously expresses the modernist tradition while appearing to have forever been a part of its breathtaking Laurel Highlands setting.  

We have designed an anti-whirlwind experience -- a full day to explore two Frank Lloyd Wright homes. At Fallingwater, you will have ample time to reflect on the house’s design as well as contemplate its beautiful setting. (photos by Art Excursions)


Kentuck Knob: A Wright-designed Usonian home in the Laurel Highlands


Frank Lloyd Wright designed Kentuck Knob in the last decade of his career for I.N. and Bernardine Hagan. Completed in 1956, this deluxe Usonian home is nestled high in the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania, just seven miles from Fallingwater. Constructed of tidewater red cypress, glass, and 800 tons of native sandstone, with a copper roof, the home embodies Wright's principles of organic architecture. Whereas all our clients know they will love Fallingwater, this home has proven to be the “sleeper” hit on past trips. (photo from Kentuck Knob facebook)


Tour an installation of large scale sculptures within the stunning setting of Kentuck Knob


The wooded landscape surrounding “Kentuck Knob” features an installation of thirty-five works of large scale sculpture. Artists represented in the collection include Jim Dine, Andy Goldsworthy and Sir Anthony Caro (photo from Kentuck Knob facebook)

After our tour at "Kentuck Knob," you'll have chance to explore this collection on a self-guided tour. We will also arrange for you to have a box lunch at Kentuck Knob...prior to our tour at Frank Lloyd’s Fallingwater.


The Carnegie Museum of Art


While most art museums founded at the turn of the century focused on collections of old masters, Andrew Carnegie envisioned a museum collection consisting of the "Old Masters of tomorrow." In 1896 he initiated a series of exhibitions of contemporary art and proposed that the museum's paintings collection be formed through purchases from this series. Carnegie, thereby, founded what is arguably the first museum of modern art in the United States. Early acquisitions of works by such artists as Winslow Homer, James McNeill Whistler, and Camille Pissarro laid the foundation for a collection that today is distinguished in American art from the mid 19th century to the present, in French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, and in significant late-twentieth-century works.

Over the century, the museum has amplified its scope of interest to include European and American decorative arts from the late seventeenth century to the present. Architect-designed objects figure prominently among recent acquisitions and complement the Heinz Architectural Center. In addition, the museum's collection includes Asian art (notably Japanese prints) and African art.

Enjoy a private guided tour of highlights of the permanent collection.


The Andy Warhol Museum


Dedicated to Pittsburgh’s native son, The Andy Warhol Museum holds the largest collection of Warhol art and archives in the world. The artist’s work from the 1940s through to his death in 1987 is featured on five floors of the museum, as well as is the subject of focused exhibitions. The museum also has a permanent gallery designed specifically to feature Warhol film and video. 

Over the course of his career, Andy Warhol transformed contemporary art. Employing mass-production techniques to create works, Warhol challenged preconceived notions about the nature of art and erased traditional distinctions between fine art and popular culture.

On a private guided tour of highlights of the museum’s collection you’ll learn about Andy’s stellar career as a commercial artist working for I. Miller and Bonwit Teller, his role in the exciting Pop Art movement, and his collaborations with other personalities such as Dennis Hopper and Jean-Michel Basquiat.


Collaborate with artist-educators and design your own original creation at The Warhol Museum’s “Factory Studio”


These places where people could get together and exchange ideas were a lot like a party.”

Andy Warhol wrote the above in 1980 in his book Popism. He also wrote: “Pop Art is for everyone.” We agree! Therefore, we have arranged for our group to have access to “The Factory” at The Warhol Museum. Run by staff with backgrounds in art history, fine arts and art education, “The Factory” is a studio space designed to facilitate hands-on activities including watercolor painting, blotted-line drawing, acetate collage, silkscreen printing, and more.

You will have the opportunity to learn the silkscreen printing process and choose from a variety of stock images and colors to print on paper or fabric. Use your design to create a one-of-a-kind souvenir t-shirt or tote bag and we’ll cover the cost for doing so!


Clayton: The Henry Clay Frick Estate, Gardens and Car and Carriage Museum


Called "a triumph of restoration" in Architectural Digest, “Clayton” is the 1890s 23-room chateau-style mansion Henry Clay Frick lived in for 22 years before leaving Pittsburgh for Manhattan. Clayton is the last survivor of Pittsburgh's "Millionaire's Row."

An astonishing 93% of the artifacts in the house are original, making Clayton a home more than a house, and an eloquent evocation of the lives of the family who lived there.

The Frick Car and Carriage Museum displays carriages and horseless carriages in pristine condition including Frick's own 1914 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost and Howard Heinz's 1898 Panhard. The estate also features extensive gardens set inside a park-like setting as well as a conservatory.

Enjoy a private guided tour of the mansion.


The Helen Frick Art Museum on the Frick Estate


The Frick Art Museum at the Frick Art and Cultural Center displays the art collection of Helen Clay Frick (Henry's daughter). According to her wishes the Museum was designed to exhibit her collection in an atmosphere of intimacy. Paintings are displayed with porcelains, bronzes, and rare examples of 17th and 18th century furniture. Highlights of the permanent collection include a portrait by Rubens, a pastoral scene by Boucher, and Italian panel paintings by Giovanni de Paolo and Sassetta.


Private lecture about Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater and organic architecture


Tour director and art historian Jeff Mishur will provide a private lecture about Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture as developed during his years in northern Illinois and expressed so eloquently later on in his design for Fallingwater.


Accommodations in the heart of Pittsburgh

Art Excursions understands that our choice of accommodations contributes to the overall experience of the boutique tours we design and lead. Consequently, our clients have come to expect a high standard of hotel as well as a location that is ideal for walking to shops, galleries, museums, restaurants, theaters and concert venues.

Our bi-annual Fallingwater tour is based in a great location in downtown Pittsburgh.  Pittsburgh was the host city for the 2009 G20 Summit -- a signal of its renewal and transformation into a world-class destination.  The city has become an emblem of economic recovery due to its transition from a 19th century steel town into a 21st century center for healthcare and technology. The New York Times recently called Pittsburgh "a hip city ... (with) great restaurants, excellent shopping, breakthrough galleries and prestigious museums" and added that "the convergence of three rivers and surrounding green hills also make it a surprisingly pretty urban setting."  Frommers has named Pittsburgh "one of the world's top travel destinations."


Tour Study Leader and Host -- Art Historian Jeff Mishur

Art historian Jeff Mishur, co-owner of Art Excursions, hosts this tour. Jeff is a sought-after guide for private tours of architecture, public sculpture and museum collections. He is also a very popular lecturer on art and architecture.   Mishur has designed and directed tours that feature Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in Los Angeles, Alexandria (VA), New York City, Los Angeles and of course in Oak Park (IL), a Chicago-area suburb that features the world’s greatest concentration of Wright-designed homes.

Art Excursions is pleased to offer as part of this small group tour itinerary Jeff’s lecture about Frank Lloyd Wright.


TESTIMONIALS FROM CLIENTS WHO HAVE TAKEN THIS TOUR IN PAST YEARS

Still pinching myself that I enjoyed your wonderful Fallingwater Tour even more than I had anticipated.  Your tour included the total package to enjoy; the history of Pittsburgh and its fabulous downtown restoration, the Frick Mansion and the Carnegie Art Museum.  To think that my reason for going on the Fallingwater Tour was to see the FLW houses and that the other places on your itinerary were equally as enjoyable to me was a delightful surprise!  The fall colors traveling thru PA were a bonus and I hope one day I'll go back to the area.  Many thanks to Jeff for hosting this tour and to Michelle for behind the scenes work.


We just wanted to take a moment and tell you how much we enjoyed the Fallingwater tour to Pittsburgh. As always the venues were excellent and your planning and execution was flawless. It was a pleasure to spend time with people from previous tours and to talk with the new people. We were, of course, looking forward to the Fallingwater house tour and it was great - but Kentuck Knob turned out to be a very pleasant surprise - we enjoyed it very much.


What a delightful team you are and what a spectacular tour. Everything was just fantastic and I am definitely a fan!  I expected to enjoy Fallingwater. I did not expect to feel anything like the intensity of my reaction to its majesty. I can only compare it to standing next to Michelangelo’s David. It was a truly spiritual experience and I thank you so much for making it possible.


TOUR INCLUDES

  1. Accommodations for three nights in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh offering convenient access to performance venues, shopping, restaurants, galleries, and more

  2. Admissions and tours as highlighted above and detailed in the itinerary

  3. Private guided tours of “Clayton,” and at The Carnegie Museum of Art and The Warhol Museum

  4. Access to “The Factory” at The Warhol Museum

  5. A souvenir t-shirt or tote bag made at “The Factory” based on your own unique design

  6. A lecture on Frank Lloyd Wright provided by art historian and tour host Jeff Mishur

  7. Two lunches

  8. A welcome dinner

  9. Breakfast daily

  10. Free time to enjoy a performance by the Pittsburgh Symphony and/or explore additional art venues on your own

  11. Opportunity to add on nights at a special rate

  12. Transportation to all venues

  13. Driver gratuities

  14. Tour design, planning, hosting, commentaries and handouts provided by Art Excursions


TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE

Gratuities for tour leader, tour guides and hotel staff; incidentals at hotel; costs for items not specified above; Airfare and airport transfers. We can book airfare on your behalf if you prefer not to make your own arrangements.  We do charge a $45 per ticket booking fee for this service.

TOUR PRICING

$1,935 per person in a room with 1 bed (based on double occupancy)

$1,955 per person in a room with 2 separate beds (based on double occupancy)

$300 single supplement

QUESTIONS? NEW TO ART EXCURSIONS? TRAVELING AS A SINGLE?

Our boutique tours are ideal for anyone who enjoys art, architecture, travel and culture in a small group environment, including single travelers, singles traveling together, and couples. We typically have a mix of these types of travelers. If you are new to Art Excursions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about us. Feel free to explore our website as well.

TOUR RESERVATIONS

Group size is limited. Reservations accepted first-come, first-served. For more details please email artexcursions@yahoo.com or call 630/671-9745.

READY TO SIGN UP?

Great! Just email us at ae-news@artexcursions.com or artexcursions@yahoo.com and we’ll follow up with a tour application. Our phone number is 630.671.9745

 

Autumn Fallingwater Tour featuring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Edgar J. Kaufmann House (Fallingwater)

September 30-October 3, 2023

P.O. Box 92, Riverside, IL 60546 • 630.671.9745 • ae-news@artexcursions.comwww.artexcursions.com

© Art Excursions, Inc. 2019. All rights reserved.