FLW SOA - SOAT CLOSES JUNE 2020
FLW SOA - SOAT CLOSES JUNE 2020
It is being reported and has been confirmed that in June of 2020, The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, AKA, the school of architecuture at Taliesin, will close operation after 88 years of continuous operation.
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Roderick Grant
- Posts: 11815
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
Official Statement from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
"SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (January 28, 2020) The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is preparing to expand educational programs for professionals and others in the wake of the announcement by the School of Architecture at Taliesin (SoAT) today that it will close at the end of its Spring semester.
In discussions between the organizations, SoAT Board leaders had communicated unequivocally to the Foundation that the School did not have a sustainable business model that would allow it to maintain its operation as an accredited program. As a result, leaders of the Boards of the two organizations had developed a proposal that would have allowed the school to continue operations on the Foundation’s two campuses�use of which was donated to SoAT by the Foundation since it became an independent organization�through the end of July, 2021. During that transition period, the organizations would have worked collaboratively to develop alternative programs for which accreditation was not needed. “The Foundation had reached an agreement with the leaders of the SoAT Board that would have allowed for second- and third-year students to complete their education at Taliesin and Taliesin West, and we are disappointed that it was not approved by the full SoAT Board. We continue to stand ready to assist in making sure that this change occurs in the best interests of the students,� said Stuart Graff, President and CEO of the Foundation.
In light of the SoAT announcement, the Foundation will maintain and expand its impact on the field of architecture and design by advancing Wright’s legacy through its educational programs, K-12 through adult ongoing education. The Foundation wants to ensure that it has the ability to work with a variety of partners to develop professional education programs for architects, preservation specialists, and design professionals that will keep the Taliesin campuses vital places for the development of organic architecture in the future.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has been experiencing substantial growth, with record numbers of visitors, expanded student participation in its education programs, added new arts programming and increased philanthropic support. Its campuses, Taliesin and Taliesin West, are National Historic Landmarks and are included in the Frank Lloyd Wright UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription.
As the Foundation makes plans to continue Wright’s legacy of general and professional education, new programs will permit it to invest its financial and physical resources in its core mission by developing more inclusive, broader opportunities for promoting and sharing the legacy of the iconic architect’s vision. Taliesin and Taliesin West remain open, welcoming visitors from around the world to experience Wright’s homes and working environment, and programming�including tours, events, arts, and K-12 education�carries on without interruption.
The Foundation will be consulting with many of its existing partners and expects to announce new programs and partnerships."
In discussions between the organizations, SoAT Board leaders had communicated unequivocally to the Foundation that the School did not have a sustainable business model that would allow it to maintain its operation as an accredited program. As a result, leaders of the Boards of the two organizations had developed a proposal that would have allowed the school to continue operations on the Foundation’s two campuses�use of which was donated to SoAT by the Foundation since it became an independent organization�through the end of July, 2021. During that transition period, the organizations would have worked collaboratively to develop alternative programs for which accreditation was not needed. “The Foundation had reached an agreement with the leaders of the SoAT Board that would have allowed for second- and third-year students to complete their education at Taliesin and Taliesin West, and we are disappointed that it was not approved by the full SoAT Board. We continue to stand ready to assist in making sure that this change occurs in the best interests of the students,� said Stuart Graff, President and CEO of the Foundation.
In light of the SoAT announcement, the Foundation will maintain and expand its impact on the field of architecture and design by advancing Wright’s legacy through its educational programs, K-12 through adult ongoing education. The Foundation wants to ensure that it has the ability to work with a variety of partners to develop professional education programs for architects, preservation specialists, and design professionals that will keep the Taliesin campuses vital places for the development of organic architecture in the future.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has been experiencing substantial growth, with record numbers of visitors, expanded student participation in its education programs, added new arts programming and increased philanthropic support. Its campuses, Taliesin and Taliesin West, are National Historic Landmarks and are included in the Frank Lloyd Wright UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription.
As the Foundation makes plans to continue Wright’s legacy of general and professional education, new programs will permit it to invest its financial and physical resources in its core mission by developing more inclusive, broader opportunities for promoting and sharing the legacy of the iconic architect’s vision. Taliesin and Taliesin West remain open, welcoming visitors from around the world to experience Wright’s homes and working environment, and programming�including tours, events, arts, and K-12 education�carries on without interruption.
The Foundation will be consulting with many of its existing partners and expects to announce new programs and partnerships."
Docent, Hollyhock House - Hollywood, CA
Humble student of the Master
"Youth is a circumstance you can't do anything about. The trick is to grow up without getting old." - Frank Lloyd Wright
Humble student of the Master
"Youth is a circumstance you can't do anything about. The trick is to grow up without getting old." - Frank Lloyd Wright
Message to School of Architecture at Taliesin Community
Inbox
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Alexandra Moquay
3:16 PM (1 minute ago)
to SoAT
January 28, 2020
Message to School of Architecture at Taliesin Community
Dear Friends,
Nothing makes us sadder than to report to you the School of Architecture at Taliesin will be closing this summer � after this semester. The gut-wrenching decision to close our hallowed school was by made by the Governing Board on Saturday.
We are disappointed we were unable to reach an agreement with other parties involved to keep this innovative and iconic pillar in the architecture world open. It was not without Herculean efforts. The School of Architecture at Taliesin is working out an agreement with The Design School at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts so our students can transfer credits and complete their degree programs. We will be communicating the logistics of those transfers as we have more information.
This is a sad and somber day for our school, our students and staff and the architecture community. We are saddened we could not reach an agreement with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to continue operating the architecture school. Our school and its mission were integral to Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision for connecting architecture to our natural world.
The closure of the school is very emotional for all of us who worked so hard for this one-of-a-kind institution and its important role in Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy. We did everything possible to fight for its survival but due to other forces it was not meant to be. No stone was left unturned in the effort to make sure this day never came.
The acclaimed architecture school was established in 1932. The school has been integral to Wright’s visionary architecture. Top architectural students from across the U.S. and the world have studied at the school.
The School of Architecture at Taliesin has been a pillar both in the architecture world as well as Arizona and Wisconsin where Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife Olgivanna invited architecture students to live and work with them and immerse themselves in ‘organic architecture’. Buildings are one legacy of Mr. Wright. But we always thought his living legacy, that of his school, to be as important.
The School of Architecture at Taliesin offered a unique experience for architecture apprentices and students who traveled to Wisconsin and Arizona to work with Frank Lloyd Wright and other esteemed designers. Our school presented a different way to become an architect. We focus not just on learning how to make pretty boxes, but our focus has been on how to change the world.
We design more than buildings.
In an age of so much turbulence, this school and its students provided so much peace. It breaks our hearts that all the parties could not come together to ensure the proper legacy of this great American. Your support for our school has been invaluable for helping carrying on Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision and legacy.
We will have more information on the closure of the school, and the ability to transfer credits in the coming days. Until then we insufficiently say thank you. For carrying on the legacy. For always being the shining beacon to carry on the legacy of the past 88 years. Please contact Jason Rose at [email protected].
Dan Schweiker, Governing Board Chairperson, School of Architecture at Taliesin.
Aaron Betsky, President, School of Architecture at Taliesin
Inbox
x
Alexandra Moquay
3:16 PM (1 minute ago)
to SoAT
January 28, 2020
Message to School of Architecture at Taliesin Community
Dear Friends,
Nothing makes us sadder than to report to you the School of Architecture at Taliesin will be closing this summer � after this semester. The gut-wrenching decision to close our hallowed school was by made by the Governing Board on Saturday.
We are disappointed we were unable to reach an agreement with other parties involved to keep this innovative and iconic pillar in the architecture world open. It was not without Herculean efforts. The School of Architecture at Taliesin is working out an agreement with The Design School at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts so our students can transfer credits and complete their degree programs. We will be communicating the logistics of those transfers as we have more information.
This is a sad and somber day for our school, our students and staff and the architecture community. We are saddened we could not reach an agreement with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to continue operating the architecture school. Our school and its mission were integral to Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision for connecting architecture to our natural world.
The closure of the school is very emotional for all of us who worked so hard for this one-of-a-kind institution and its important role in Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy. We did everything possible to fight for its survival but due to other forces it was not meant to be. No stone was left unturned in the effort to make sure this day never came.
The acclaimed architecture school was established in 1932. The school has been integral to Wright’s visionary architecture. Top architectural students from across the U.S. and the world have studied at the school.
The School of Architecture at Taliesin has been a pillar both in the architecture world as well as Arizona and Wisconsin where Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife Olgivanna invited architecture students to live and work with them and immerse themselves in ‘organic architecture’. Buildings are one legacy of Mr. Wright. But we always thought his living legacy, that of his school, to be as important.
The School of Architecture at Taliesin offered a unique experience for architecture apprentices and students who traveled to Wisconsin and Arizona to work with Frank Lloyd Wright and other esteemed designers. Our school presented a different way to become an architect. We focus not just on learning how to make pretty boxes, but our focus has been on how to change the world.
We design more than buildings.
In an age of so much turbulence, this school and its students provided so much peace. It breaks our hearts that all the parties could not come together to ensure the proper legacy of this great American. Your support for our school has been invaluable for helping carrying on Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision and legacy.
We will have more information on the closure of the school, and the ability to transfer credits in the coming days. Until then we insufficiently say thank you. For carrying on the legacy. For always being the shining beacon to carry on the legacy of the past 88 years. Please contact Jason Rose at [email protected].
Dan Schweiker, Governing Board Chairperson, School of Architecture at Taliesin.
Aaron Betsky, President, School of Architecture at Taliesin
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Mark Hertzberg
- Posts: 992
- Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2005 7:51 am
- Contact:
It is certainly understandable that an architectural icon would have gathered in his name any number of individuals and organizations, both during
and after his time on Earth, devoted in one way or another to his person and his work---built, drawn, written about by him before death, propagated,
promoted and extolled afterward.
This question will have been asked before; I haven't been privy to its answer---if there is one.
Did Mr Wright intend to operate a school ?
Was a "school of architecture" ever contemplated, announced, promoted by him, during his lifetime ?
Did he specifically disavow the categorization of Taliesin as a school ?
SDR
and after his time on Earth, devoted in one way or another to his person and his work---built, drawn, written about by him before death, propagated,
promoted and extolled afterward.
This question will have been asked before; I haven't been privy to its answer---if there is one.
Did Mr Wright intend to operate a school ?
Was a "school of architecture" ever contemplated, announced, promoted by him, during his lifetime ?
Did he specifically disavow the categorization of Taliesin as a school ?
SDR
It's doubtful Mr. Wright ever considered the Fellowship as a formal "school", as such, but after WWII and after the Vietnam War, the United States Government awarded financial benefits to former soldiers who applied for educational assistance, after they became members of the Fellowship.SDR wrote:It is certainly understandable that an architectural icon would have gathered in his name any number of individuals and organizations, both during and after his time on Earth, devoted in one way or another to his person and his work---built, drawn, written about by him before death, propagated, promoted and extolled afterward.
This question will have been asked before; I haven't been privy to its answer---if there is one.
Did Mr Wright intend to operate a school ?
Was a "school of architecture" ever contemplated, announced, promoted by him, during his lifetime ? Did he specifically disavow the categorization of Taliesin as a school ? SDR
Whatever Mr. Wright may have thought about the matter, the Fellowship, as a "school", was given the imprimatur of legitimacy by the United States Government. Mr. Wright didn't seem to object enough about the issue to refuse the Government's largess.
"We would like to emphasize our support for the students during this difficult transition..." = thank god we don't have to financially support that money losing endeavor anymore
"...and assure that Taliesin and Taliesin West remain open for tours, events, K-12 education programs and camps, live performances, and more." = and now we can monetize the profit making brand of this foundation like a hound from hell!!
"...and assure that Taliesin and Taliesin West remain open for tours, events, K-12 education programs and camps, live performances, and more." = and now we can monetize the profit making brand of this foundation like a hound from hell!!
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Roderick Grant
- Posts: 11815
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
Having lived in 2 Wright apprentice designed homes, (Noverre Musson Apprentice '35-'37; Tony Smith and Larry Cuneo '38-'39) I can't say how sorry I am that future architecture students will not have the opportunity to train in FLW's principles of organic architecture. It's such a travesty, especially now when biophilic design is needed to help connect people to the environment. Having lived in this type of design since January 1998, I believe it changes your life for the better and connects you to nature in a way I never experienced with other design.
Ryan Scavnicky, the author of the "Shame on the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation" op-ed, has a very biting and funny instagram account that comments on architecture for anyone interested, under Sssscavvvv
Ryan Scavnicky, the author of the "Shame on the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation" op-ed, has a very biting and funny instagram account that comments on architecture for anyone interested, under Sssscavvvv
It would interest me to know specifically what in the Taliesin curriculum differed from the "norm."
Indeed, every college or university architecture department reflects, in any given year or era, the experiences, beliefs and tastes of those in charge and
in the lecture halls and studios. Examples abound; try the Harvard Graduate School of Design in the Gropius years (and beyond; that was a particularly
influential curriculum), for example.
The principles and particulars of responsible building can, in any geologic era, be assumed to be widely shared; these would serve the Organicist and
the Internationalist (for instance) equally well. All must, after all, satisfy the prevailing building codes---at least. The same natural elements weigh on, and
weather, both Guggenheims !
But what makes Wright's work different and, we agree here, better, is the sort of thing that can be acquired "out of school," if the student is so inclined.
Of course, the Taliesin undergrad is surrounded by the example---drenched in it, I suppose---and so the influence would inarguably be stronger. But there
is nothing to stop the young designer from looking for inspiration outside the ivied walls, is there ? And we know that all the immersion in the world will be
wasted, on the student not capable of absorbing it.
Wright's influence is no longer confined to a small coterie of The Faithful; it is ever more widely available to all---and you may be sure that those likely to
move in that direction will do so regardless of the curriculum they find at their school of (second) choice. Did not Mr Wright say that he wished his way of
working to spread and grow, to flower and flourish abroad, as it were . . .?
S
Indeed, every college or university architecture department reflects, in any given year or era, the experiences, beliefs and tastes of those in charge and
in the lecture halls and studios. Examples abound; try the Harvard Graduate School of Design in the Gropius years (and beyond; that was a particularly
influential curriculum), for example.
The principles and particulars of responsible building can, in any geologic era, be assumed to be widely shared; these would serve the Organicist and
the Internationalist (for instance) equally well. All must, after all, satisfy the prevailing building codes---at least. The same natural elements weigh on, and
weather, both Guggenheims !
But what makes Wright's work different and, we agree here, better, is the sort of thing that can be acquired "out of school," if the student is so inclined.
Of course, the Taliesin undergrad is surrounded by the example---drenched in it, I suppose---and so the influence would inarguably be stronger. But there
is nothing to stop the young designer from looking for inspiration outside the ivied walls, is there ? And we know that all the immersion in the world will be
wasted, on the student not capable of absorbing it.
Wright's influence is no longer confined to a small coterie of The Faithful; it is ever more widely available to all---and you may be sure that those likely to
move in that direction will do so regardless of the curriculum they find at their school of (second) choice. Did not Mr Wright say that he wished his way of
working to spread and grow, to flower and flourish abroad, as it were . . .?
S
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wrightasrain
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2017 7:44 am
If these are some of the examples of what the School of Architecture at Taliesin is teaching as "organic architecture," then is it really a loss if it closes?
https://archpaper.com/2020/02/opinion-c ... yd-wright/
https://archpaper.com/2020/02/opinion-c ... yd-wright/