Clinton House Museum Opens Exhibit of Fay Jones’ Architecture, 'Outside the Pale'

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Thorncrown Chapel, outside Eureka Springs, was designed by Fay Jones. An exhibit about Jones’ architecture, “Outside the Pale,” will open Friday at the Clinton House Museum in Fayetteville. (Photo by Don Shreve)

An exhibit exploring the architecture of E. Fay Jones, titled “Outside the Pale,” will open Friday, Sept. 14, at the Clinton House Museum in Fayetteville.

Internationally renowned, Jones was honored with numerous design awards for his professional work and inspired generations of students during his years as a professor at the University of Arkansas. A love for nature permeated his work, and his unique style reflected modern elements such as broad roofs, clerestory windows, and skylights to develop energy conscious designs infused with natural light. The exhibit is a magnificent retrospective of the life and work of this disciple and prodigy of Frank Lloyd Wright.

“Fay Jones’ architecture begins in order and ends in mystery,” said Robert Adams Ivy Jr., former editor-in-chief of Architectural Record and currently the chief executive officer/executive vice president of the American Institute of Architects. “His role can perhaps best be understood as mediator, a human consciousness that has arisen from the Arkansas soil and scoured the cosmos, then spoken through the voices of stone and wood, steel and glass. Art, philosophy, craft, and human aspiration coalesce in his masterworks, transformed from acts of will into harmonies: Jones lets space sing.”

Many examples of masterpieces by Jones grace Fayetteville, where he lived and worked for more than 50 years. Following his death in 2004, his legacy was remembered by the New York Times, the Washington Post and ABC News, as well as Architectural Record, Dwell, ArchitectureWeek and many other publications. The School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas was named in his honor in 2009, thanks to a generous gift from Don and Ellen Edmondson, friends and clients of Jones.

“Outside the Pale” will be on exhibit until Dec. 15.

A site guide of selected designs by Fay Jones will be available at the exhibit, courtesy of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotions Commission.

Information for the exhibit was provided by the Fay Jones School of Architecture, Special Collections of the University of Arkansas Libraries, and the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in January 2010, the Clinton House Museum was the one-time home of both former President William Jefferson Clinton and current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Clintons were married in the living room of the house in October 1975. They lived in the home while Bill Clinton reorganized from a failed political campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives and while he operated an ultimately successful campaign for Attorney General of Arkansas.

The Clinton House Museum is located at 930 W. Clinton Drive. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is $5. Group rates are available.

For more information about the exhibit, contact Kate Johnson, Clinton House Museum, at 479-444-0066 or director@clintonhousemuseum.org.