Those looking to become volunteer guides at the home and studio of one of Oak Park’s most famous residents will have an opportunity in the coming weeks.
Training cycles for guides at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio and at Robie House in Chicago are typically held in the fall and spring, and fall 2016 orientation information sessions have been scheduled for next week, said Linda Bonifas-Guzmán, volunteer resource manager with the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.
Volunteer guides are referred to as interpreters, Bonifas-Guzmán said, because Wright’s sons said they would like their father’s work interpreted, “so we have stayed true to that.”
Those interested in becoming interpreters should attend an orientation session or schedule a personal interview, Bonifas-Guzmán said.
Orientation sessions are scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Wright’s home and studio, 951 Chicago Ave. in Oak Park, and 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at Robie House, 5757 S. Woodlawn Ave. in Chicago. The upcoming training session for those volunteering at Wright’s home and studio begins Oct. 4 and runs through Oct. 20.
Because it’s a higher level of volunteering involving public speaking and group management skills, Bonifas-Guzmán said training includes lectures on the architecture of the site and the history of Oak Park, and working with mentors, to whom trainees give mock tours.
Plus, they need interpreters to be reliable, she said, so they put people through their paces to make sure they’re serious about the commitment. There are about 650 volunteers at all Frank Lloyd Wright Trust sites; Bonifas-Guzmán hopes to have 20 to 30 students in each training session this fall.
“Training itself is a pretty intense, three-week process,” Bonifas-Guzmán said. “It’s something that’s either a good fit or it’s not.”
The interpreter role is unique in that volunteers are given necessary information but not a script; they are able to create their own tours.
“It really allows the tour to be influenced by that specific interpreter and what spoke to them,” she said.
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Bonifas-Guzmán said volunteers range in age from older high school students to young retirees looking for an intellectual pursuit.
“Or they live in Oak Park and it’s part of their DNA and they want to give back in some way,” she added. “The one common denominator that we see in all, all volunteers is that they are lifelong learners and they have some interest in arts or history.”
Debra Hruby, who volunteered at the home and studio for five years before moving to Robie House in Chicago, said her interest in the subject matter flourished as she became involved. She said she’s enjoyed meeting people from around the world and sharing that specific part of Oak Park with them. She touted the interpreter opportunity as a confidence boost for her, and said it’s launched her into other guide roles in Chicago.
“It’s just so much fun to be recreating your tours on a constant basis,” she said. “I think it’s impossible not to develop the interest once you’re involved in that.”
For more information, visit www.flwright.org/joingive/volunteer.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.