The Ohio awards totaled $650,000. When Westcott House executive director Marta Wojcik learned of the organization’s $20,000 award, it was a with a combination of joy and relief.
“I just try not to get my hopes high, there’s such fierce competition and it’s such a long process,” she said. “It’s wonderful as we think about the bottom line and reassurance that our work matters and we got our work on a national scene.”
The award will be used for programming, marketing and artist fees to teach. These programs will come later in the year.
The Westcott House was designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright and is not just a museum and tourist attraction, but also has an advocate for education about design and architecture. The organization offers numerous educational programs for students and adults.
Westcott House was one of the many organizations left scrambling to improvise with virtual programming and other interactive projects when the pandemic forced arts organizations to get creative. Wojcik found a silver lining among it.
“It started in a place of deep uncertainty and self-doubt. It was so nerve-wracking in the beginning but it generated adrenaline and we began to test things,” she said.
Wojcik and her team began producing videos during the lockdown period, working with other Wright museums nationally and internationally and taking the lead on virtual programs. She thinks that could’ve helped in earning the grant.
“People recognize you have passion and vision,” she said. “It’s too bad it took a pandemic to do it, but we’ll take it.”
The Westcott House reopened in summer 2020, but closed to the public in late November as pandemic numbers started rising again. Wojcik projects reopening in March, hoping volunteers will be vaccinated to help and that the public will be confident to return.
Virtual presentations will continue including a lecture series event on March 2 as well as a PechaKucha event in the future, a popular program Westcott House has taken a local lead on.
Wojcik hopes conditions will allow a socially-distanced live version of the annual celebration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday when it rolls around in June.
The grant money will be used for a series of fall workshops on design. The hope is to use the Solar House on the Westcott property as a classroom as it’s an intimate setting according to Wojcik, who said it’s important to do that type of program live as it’s harerd to reproduce in a virtual sphere.
“Our fingers are crossed,” she said. “We’re working on a long-term strategy for kids’ programs but not rushing it. Having the grant allows flexibility.”
Wojcik would also like the public to see receiving the grant as an eye-opener and a chance to continue educating the public on local and national levels about architecture and design. The Wright name is a good platform to bring in more attention to the subject, she said.
For more information on the Westcott House visit its website, westcotthouse.org, or social media platforms.
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