Connections: Alden and Vada Dow and Marshall M. Fredericks
One of the most prolific sculptors of the 20th century, Marshall M. Fredericks is known in America and abroad for his monumental figurative sculpture, public memorials and fountains, portraits, and animal figures. He was born of Scandinavian descent in Illinois and grew up in Cleveland, where he graduated from the Cleveland School of Art in […]
Connections: Alden and Vada Dow and Yvonne Bannelier Lagier
Yvonne Bannelier Lagier met Alden and Vada Dow when they were among the charter members of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Fellowship in the spring of 1933. Ms. Lagier was an academically-trained artist in her native France and a multi-faceted painter, sculptor, illustrator, printmaker, and weaver. She first came to the United States in 1927. During […]
Connections: Alden and Vada Dow and Gertrud and Otto Natzler
Alden B. Dow made his debut as a young architect on the international stage when he was awarded the Grand Prize in residential architecture at the 1937 Paris Exposition for his designs of the John Whitman residence and his own studio. Architecture was just one of the many categories included in the Paris Exposition. Among […]
Connections: Alden and Vada Dow and Buckminster Fuller
It’s difficult to know for certain when Alden B. Dow and Buckminster Fuller first connected, but it must have been well before the letter Fuller sent to Mr. Dow in December 1951. In it he thanked Mr. Dow for his generous pledge of $1000 toward the production of his film, Energetic Geometry. He then proceeded […]
Connections: Alden and Vada Dow and Peters “Pat” Oppermann
Alden B. Dow and his friend Peters “Pat” Oppermann possessed many of the same personal qualities: an inquisitive mind, a love of travel, an appreciation of music, an innate creativity, and a joyful, playful sense of humor. Oppermann was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, the youngest of six boys and a girl. He displayed […]
Connections: Alden and Vada Dow and Hans and Florence Knoll Bassett
Born to a baker and orphaned at age 12, Florence Schust grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. She demonstrated an early interest in architecture and was enrolled at the Kingswood School for Girls, adjacent to the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. While at Kingswood, she befriended Eliel Saarinen, whom she would later study […]
Connections Exhibit
It has always been inspiring to learn about the passions and interests Alden B. Dow and Vada B. Dow explored throughout their lives. As inquisitive humans, their passion to learn, grow and understand the world around them only increased with time. This need to expand their thinking included interaction and connections with a wide range […]
