Customer Reviews

Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin Fellowship

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Myron and Shirlet Marty have given us a book that tells the story of the Taliesin Fellowship through the words of its members who have remained in what the Martys describe as "intentional community." Many of these apprentices knew and had worked with Wright before his death in 1959, most of the rest were members during the 26 years that Mrs. Wright directed the Fellowship until her death. Students of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture since that time give a hint of the future for Taliesin. The Martys interviewed these apprentices and arranged excerpts in what becomes an excellent description of life at Taliesin and the Fellowship experience from their point of view. What is needed now is a second volume, which Professor Marty has said he will consider. This would include interviews with apprentices who chose to leave Taliesin after various periods of time and for various reasons, including the feeling that Mrs. Wrights agenda varied considerably from that of Mr. Wright.

FLW's Taliesin Fellowship is a fascinating study of how an organization evolves as the people in it prosper, then age and die. The community is particularly significant because of Wright's architectural legacy, but there is so much more than the architecture involved. The stories that Fellowship members tell about the Wrights and their lives in the Taliesin community are truly compelling. If you're interested in communal societies, business development, and the creative process leading to many of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest works, this book is essential.

I thought I knew a lot about Frank Lloyd Wright after studying his work at length in college and beyond, but this book definitely opened my eyes to a lot of things about the man, his family, his apprentices, about other influencial people around him, and about how he was able to accomplish what he did with their help.

This is definitely a companion book that is good to read with other books about him, including his autobiography, as well as in concert with visiting FallingWater, which is a museum now, as well as other houses and famous structures such as the Guggenheim Museum.