The Closure of the Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum
Dear Museum Members,
Over the past several months, the Board of Directors of Virtual Museums, Inc., the RL company that has operated the museum have been in discussions with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Arizona working towards the renewal of our licensing agreement that has been in place since January of this year. Our representative, Ethos Erlanger, undertook the journey to Taliesin West in September and met in person with their representatives, discussed the museum, our goals and their goals for future development and growth and gave them an online tour of the museum campus while at their facility. The possibility of a new licensing agreement that would better fit the scope of a virtual world was also broached in the event that the current agreement could not be renegotiated.
It was our hope that we would be able to arrive at a mutually satisfactory consensus that would allow for several things to take place: first, that the license, either in its current form or a new one, would be renewed for 2011; second, that we would be able to receive guidance and assistance from the Foundation in helping us to maintain the absolute integrity required when dealing with Wright’s work and ensuring that we were able to follow, to the letter, the requirements set forth in the licensing agreement and; third, that we would become an asset to the Foundation by being a virtual representation of Wright’s work in an educational environment, the end result of which would have brought awareness of his works of architecture to a whole new generation of devoted appreciators of his architectural works.
We have waited patiently while the Foundation discussed and deliberated the museum, what it could be used for, the time by Foundation staff that would be necessary to devote to this project and ultimately, its potential for royalty revenues for the Foundation. On November 29th, we received a communication from the Director of Licensing informing us in amiable terms that they had reached the conclusion not to continue with the program or license agreement.
We were later notified by their legal counsel that our license agreement, which would have expired at the end of 2010, had been terminated. The termination of the licensing agreement removes all rights we may have had to use the name of Wright, trademarked materials, protected designs such as buildings, furnishings and so forth-in essence, everything that made the Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum what it was and is.
Without the assistance of the Wright Foundation and the authorization of their licensing department to operate our museum under their guidance, without access to materials that allow for the most realistic builds possible and without a positive and productive working relationship in the future, the Board of Directors of Virtual Museums, Inc. feel that it is no longer possible to continue operation of the museum at the present time.
We have been given a set of directives in accordance with the ending of our license that we will do our utmost to fulfill prior to a deadline of December 10th, 2010.
The things I could write about our dedicated staff, both past and present, would fill a book and I cannot do so here but suffice to say that I have never worked with a more dedicated, passionate, talented and inspiring group of individuals who have given so much to this endeavor. They are professionals from all walks of life brought together by a mutual admiration for a legendary architect and without their constant and vigilant attention to the project, we would never have made it a year and a half.
To the members of the board, I say the same and add that your input, advice and guidance have been invaluable. More than that, the time you have given, which has been considerable, is greatly appreciated. Your contributions of materials, designs, ideas, expertise and service can never be underestimated.
Finally, to you our members, please know that without your support, not just financially but in your participation, your love for the museum, your spreading the word of it and all you have done, you have our gratitude and our thanks. I hope you will take the opportunity to come by the museum in the next few days and spend a little time with it revisiting and remembering something special that we are all a part of. Furthermore, in honor of all the members of the Museum, we will be holding our final event this Friday night, December 3rd, with the Winter Ball. More information on this will be coming from staff.
Each of you should take pride in the museum and knowing that you were part of something groundbreaking that was probably just a little ahead of its time. Other museums may come after us, even other Wright museums in a virtual environment, but always know that we were the first and take pride in that fact. In closing, let me say again, thank you to all of you. Virtual Museums will continue and hopefully find a new direction that we can focus our energies and creative talent in. Our thanks to each and every one of you and we hope to see you Friday night for the Winter Ball.
With best wishes to you
Ethan Westland, Chairman
Virtual Musuems, Inc