In this lecture, Kevin Adkisson will introduce a brief history of bricks, and discuss the material’s manufacture and methods of bricklaying. The process of making a brick—procuring the clay, molding it into a form, and drying and firing the bricks—gives the material its visual and structural qualities. Once manufactured, the architect’s vision and the mason’s skill transform individual bricks into a building.

The focus of the talk will be on the multitude of creative and unique ways bricks have been used on Cranbrook’s campus. From brickyards in The Netherlands, Ohio, and Nebraska, an enormous variety of bricks were made-to-order for Cranbrook. Once the bricks were on site, Norwegian and American bricklayers executed with precision the careful patterns and structural acrobatics of the architects’ designs. Ultimately, the brick serves as the unit from which all of Cranbrook’s renowned architecture is composed.

The Uncovering Cranbrook Lecture Series give audiences an inside look at the many stories of Cranbrook from the staff of the Center for Collections and Research. The series highlights the people and personalities who helped shape our community and form the rich legacy of art, architecture, science, and education that define Cranbrook.

ABOUT KEVIN ADKISSON

Curator for Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research Kevin Adkisson works on preservation, interpretation, and programming across the many buildings and treasures of Cranbrook. He presents a popular History of American Architecture Lecture Series each winter, and has curated a variety of exhibitions within Cranbrook House, Saarinen House, and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Smith House. A native of Marietta, Georgia, Adkisson has his BA in Architecture from Yale and his MA from the University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, with a thesis examining the role of postmodernism in shopping mall architecture.