Aline Barnsdall's Olive Hill Project

Aline Barnsdall’s Olive Hill Project, with drawings and sketches by Frank Lloyd Wright and photographs by Edmund Teske reinforces an intriguing association of artistic links. It begins with Barnsdall in Chicago, who envisions a theatre on Olive Hill and connects with Frank Lloyd Wright to create the commission. Much later, a young Teske, also from the Midwest, discovers and meets Wright, whose encouragement and work provide lifelong inspiration for him. The three converge, both literally and figuratively, on Olive Hill in Los Angeles, after Barnsdall brings Wright to fulfill the commission and Teske comes west to fulfill his artistic yearning. At that point, Teske connects with Barnsdall because of his admiration for Wright. She becomes his friend and, for a number of years, provides his housing in a building designed by Wright. Teske photographs Wright’s creations and Olive Hill making art of art. The juxtaposition of these two collections tells a fascinating story that reminds one of