Taliesin West
Frank Lloyd Wright, born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, established an architectural apprenticeship program in Spring Green, Wisconsin. In 1937, he started bringing the program for the winter months to northeast Scottsdale, Arizona in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains. Our “Insights Tour” leader told us that Wright required apprentices to bring three items to Taliesin West: a tux (or gown), sleeping bag, and musical instrument. This was, and is today, a “hands-on” educational program. The sand, gravel, and stone used for construction material organically integrates living space with the desert. Wright’s business office and the living room, called the “Garden Room,” are entered through a small room with a low ceiling. In both expansive rooms we sat in Wright-designed furniture and delighted in the natural light with canvas roof and open windows bringing in the blue sky. The Kiva, a closed square space (whereas most of the other spaces incorporate triangles or hexagons), serves as a classroom and movie viewing space during the winter and as storage space during the summer.
Affirmation
The partially underground Cabaret Theater features near perfect acoustics. Dramatic terraces, gardens, and walkways overlook the rugged Sonoran Desert. Art abounds throughout the grounds with one area featuring a garden of sculpture by Heloise Crista. Her work captures one’s inner freedom and the evolution of being. Touring Taliesin West provides an opportunity to experience the genius of Frank Lloyd Wright.
