Friday, September 22, 2023 (continued)
Manitoga, the house and property of Russel Wright, an industrial designer best known for affordable tableware in American Modern style. His ceramics were manufactured between 1939-1959 by Steubenville Pottery in Ohio. Manitoga was to be his home in nature away from New York City, but became his permanent home after his wife died. Having purchased an old quarry on land where trees had been cut for lumber, Wright essentially created the "nature" with trails through woodlands.
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Wright re-routed and dammed a stream, moved granite
boulders to construct a waterfall, then allowed the quarry
to fill as a pond; the house is tucked into the quarry wall |
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| The waterfall tumbles down the wooded hillside across the pond |
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| Zooming in on the waterfalls |
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| Ferns were planted to fill in under the trees |
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| Moss was also used to cover the shadiest areas |
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| Close up of the moss, with a bolete mushroom |
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| Handmade stone staircase (KSS) |
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Tall Tsuga canadensis/Eastern Hemlocks
planted by Wright are now dying of blight
caused by the the hemlock woolly adelgid,
an invasive insect |
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| Looking through the hemlocks across the pond to the house |
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| A moss-floored "room" along the trail (KSS) |
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The southeastern hillside was planted
with native Kalmia latifolia/mountain laurel |
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| A wooden plank bridge crossed the waterfalls |
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| The waterfalls below the plank bridge |
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The "green" roof of the studio, where modern technologies
have mitigated the tendency for leaks (KSS) |
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| Looking down at the roofs of the house |
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Another view of the roofs of the house
as seen through the pergola (KSS) |
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The pergola is covered with vines of
Aristolochia macrophylla/Dutchman's Pipe |
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The house (1941-1961) was designed by Russel Wright
in collaboration with David L Leavitt, both of whom were
influenced by Japanese architecture; top level living room |
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| Looking back toward the living room |
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Looking down toward the kitchen, with the
"flying saucer" lamp created by Wright and a
tree trunk used as a weight-bearing support |
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Mid-level area with 3Leg Platonic Love (2022,
by Julie Ngo, an artist-in-residence) on the brass tray table |
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| The boulder fireplace at mid-level (KSS) |
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Cabinets designed by Wright, and a chair that Wright
re-upholstered with a pony skin |
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Wright experiemented with wall and ceiling
textures by adding hemlock or pine needles |
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| Wright believed a kitchen should be efficient |
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Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookie Tin (2021,
by Stephanie H Shih, artist-in-residence) |
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Spun Aluminum Vegetable Bowl and Spoon (1933, by
Russel Wright), Streit's Passover Matzos and Red Cross
Iodized Salt (2022 and 2021, by Stephanie H Shih) |
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Due to the uneven flooring, Wright
changed the Eames fiberglass chairs to have
three legs, and reversed the Saarinen table base
from broad to smaller for more stability |
The house, studio and pond comprise an area called Dragon Rock, whereas the entire estate is named Manitoga.
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In the studio, which was also Wright's living area,
we see an experiment in wall design where a layer of
insulation is compressed in acrylic and light
passes through the honeycomb-like structure |
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Wright's bed is divided from his studio by open shelving
(see next photo) |
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| Scandinavian-designed valet chair |
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The door to the Moon Terrace. when open,
fits neatly in the space next to the shelving (KSS) |
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| A built-in sofa with Wright-designed lamp and table (KSS) |
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| Wright's desk in his studio |
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| The studio bathroom with a deep soaking tub |
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| The studio even had a guest bedroom |
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Sheets of real birch bark were stapled
onto the guest bedroom door |
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On the way to the design center, we passed an acrylic wall
created with thin slices of cardboard tubes, pinched at the ends |
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The Russel Wright Design Center, with a quote from
Andy Warhol: "The real reason I collect
Russel Wright is because Fiesta Ware is too expensive..."
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The design center is located in the bedroom wing used by the adopted daughter, Annie, and her governess. Wright's wife, Mary, died in 1952 when Annie was two years old. Russel Wright soon decided to retire to living full time at Manitoga.
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| American Modern tableware was available in many colors |
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Wright's glass tumblers were produced by Imperial
Glass Company of Ohio
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Wright initially worked with sterling silver and chrome,
but to reach a wider audience, he switched to the more
economical spun aluminum, which he rubbed with
emery cloth so that it resembled pewter |
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Magazine advertisement for Wright
tableware made by Iroquois China (KSS) |
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Advertisement for the American Modern
tableware by Russel Wright (KSS) |
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White Clover line by Harker China Company, where
nature (clover) was imbeded in the ceramic portotypes |
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| A bird faucet handle |
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| A view across the pond from the house |
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| Tamiko on the stepping stones across the top of the dam (KSS) |
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| Wright also created his own meadow on the property |
Manitoga is located near Garrison, NY in the Hudson River Valley.
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We had dinner at Pete's Famous Restaurant
in Rhinebeck, NY |
Next: The Clark Munch Exhibition.
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