Led by noted Frank Lloyd Wright scholar Dr. Jennifer Gray, PhD, the newly created Taliesin Institute (franklloydwright.org) serves as a hub for all things related to the iconic site—and the man behind it. Here, Gray explains the inspiration behind the Institute, why Wright’s legacy and principles endure, and what’s on deck for 2022.
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What was the impetus for the creation of the Taliesin Institute?
The impetus behind the Taliesin Institute is to critically engage Wright’s ideas about architecture, nature, education and community, and to explore how they are relevant to our contemporary moment. Wright understood architecture as a way to advance social change, and his ideas can help us think about the current state of our cities, schools and environment, and how to improve them in the future.
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I know that Taliesin West used to have an architecture school, and that has been closed for quite a while. How does this new iteration compare?
The Taliesin Institute is not so much a new iteration of the architecture school as it is a contemporary distillation of Wright’s educational practice, which embraced a variety of topics, formats and audiences. To this end, the Institute aims to engage a broad public—students, professional architects, writers, artists and other creatives, as well as lifelong learners—in learning about and from his principles of organic architecture and how these might be useful today.
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How will the Scottsdale community benefit from the Institute? What types of programming can visitors enjoy?
We are in the process of crafting the strategic plan, but broadly speaking, the Institute will offer a variety of programs that appeal to different audiences and interests. Some of these will be university courses and student exchanges, others might be continuing education for licensed architects, as well as artist and writer residencies, study tours, public lectures, workshops and conferences. We hope to engage general audiences as well as architecture students and design professionals. Wright believed that organic architecture was integrated broadly with life and included social, economic and political systems as well as design, per se. The built environment is a vehicle for exploring pressing questions ranging from education to sustainability, and in this capacity, we think the Institute can make a positive impact on the community.
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In an ever-changing world, why do you think Wright’s principles continue to have so much influence and hold so much importance?
Wright was experimental, forever testing new materials, new structural systems and new technologies, and so he is evergreen in many ways. At the same time, his philosophy of organic architecture was enduring and integrated, allowing Wright to apply its principles to any number of contexts and particular conditions. Wright also lived and worked in a historical moment that resembles our own, when society was facing serious challenges with regard to social and economic inequality, lack of access to education and environmental degradation. I think this combination of future thinking, lasting principles and engagement with social questions is what makes Wright of continuing relevance.
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Can you tell us about the first time you encountered Wright’s work?
I remember entering one of his buildings for the first time. In college, I was an intern at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio and had the opportunity to spend many hours inside that space, often experiencing it in an informal and private way because I was working there rather than visiting. That building is unique in that Wright added to it incrementally over time, so you could see the various layers and changes. I have to admit that Wright was an acquired taste for me. As a historian, it is important for me to separate my personal taste in architecture from historical significance, but the more I learned about Wright’s practice and positions, which seem unending in their complexity and relevance, the more I gravitated toward his architecture.
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How do you see the Institute evolving over time?
The Institute will start with small, focused programs that can be fine-tuned and scaled up as opportunities allow. These will likely be local partnerships and programs that, over time, will expand to include national and international collaborations, given Wright’s renown and global practice.
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