Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to launch institute based on iconic architect’s ideas, principles

PHOENIX — The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation announced Monday it plans to launch an institute that will educate students, professionals and the general public about the iconic architect’s ideas and principles through a collection of programs.

The Taliesin Institute will develop a consortium with architecture schools so that students can come study and get hands-on experience at the foundation’s Taliesin campuses in Scottsdale and Spring Green, Wisconsin, according to a press release.

People can also take part in public classes, symposia and workshops at the institute, with the focus being on the evolving nature of Wright’s principles of organic design and how it relates to today and the future, the foundation said.

“It is not enough to present Wright’s work through tours and museum engagement programs,” Stuart Graff, president and CEO of the Foundation, said in the release.

“Wright intended his foundation to perpetuate the field of organic architecture, including training architects in his principles of design. Those principles are constantly evolving and changing, because they are built around the way we live and embrace new materials, new technologies and a changing culture.”

Dr. Jennifer Gray, a noted Wright scholar who was responsible for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives and also co-curated an exhibition about the architect, was selected to lead the programs.

She said the early months will be used to focus on fleshing out the strategic plan for the institute prior to it starting up.

“I am very excited to be part of this new venture and look forward to exploring and advancing Wright’s ideas about architecture, education, community, the environment and more and how they remain relevant for us today,” Gray, who will begin her role full-time in the summer, said in the release.

“Everything will be done to start with small, focused programs that can be fine-tuned and scaled up as the opportunities allow.”

Officials with the foundation over the past two years have been meeting with leaders from architecture schools and design firms on how to best serve the profession and public interest while remaining true to Wright’s principles, according to the release.

Taliesin West in Scottsdale, which was the winter home of Wright, offers guided and self-guided tours, educational programs for adults and kids, as well as a store that has merchandise inspired by the architect and his designs.

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