“I look forward to continuing the tradition of experimental architecture he did so much to define.” — A/N
Betsky seems to be the man of the hour these days, writing popularly discussive articles in defense of architecture and participating in social media. Congratulations and looking forward to seeing what becomes of the heavily branded institution in need of a new life.
12 Comments
I KNEW IT!
I called this months ago, one month before Betsky left Cincinnati I predicted it was so he could go to Taliesin! Mimi Zeiger made a twitter joke that he should get out a poncho!
I posted most of this on TC, but after my initial shock here is what I think:
Taliesin School of Architecture is in a unique and exceptionally challenging place right now. The next few years could be a disaster no matter WHO is leading the school - if they can't get their financial situation in order sufficiently to get their accreditation in order, the school could very well fold or become a non-accredited archi-spa offering courses for dilettantes.
Betsky is without a doubt smart and strong enough to be a leader that is capable of taking the school to an entirely new and enviable place. I'm actually very excited at this and will be watching to see how it unfolds. I think Taliesin School could have been written off as some idiosyncratic and dorky collection of "true believers" previously (to those not paying close enough attention, that is), but with Betsky at the helm that won't be the case. I'm not sure where it will go, but I'm *certain* people will be paying attention.
Betsky could use a bit of training in how to not piss people off when trying to be persuasive. He's a genius, but every time I've tried to get into conversations with others about his writings, the first thing that comes out of people's minds is that he's just... kind of a dick. Great points, just horribly condescending delivery.
While that sort of attitude might be fitting in Taliesin (Wright as the no-fucks-given rebel myth), it's going to get really hard to open up Taliesin to a wider audience should the school hope to do that. I don't know if that's part of the plan to help Taliesin survive, or if there is even a plan, but Betsky is a very interesting choice.
He's definitely an interesting midpoint between the untactful, (at least appearing-ly) unworldly and autonomous FLW archetype, and current practice, where being plugged in and personable are keys to getting ahead, even in an academic setting.
nullpointer, I don't disagree, except that the one time I met Aaron Betsky in person he was absolutely delightful - charming and engaging and witty and all those things one wants a dean to be.
Genius? Strong leader? .um..sorry NO--not sure where on earth you people are getting this
And Donna, 'mafraid he's got you fooled: he's the classic kiss-up, kick down personality. Certainly, he's convinced of his own genius. And if the unfolding renaissance of Taliesin you're hoping to witness rides on him being persuasive with donors, you'll be witness to something else entirely.. You have to have conviction--and belief in a cause greater than yourself. Mr. Betsky never got that memo
"Genius" may be a strong word that shouldn't be tossed around lightly (FLW really was a genius), but Betsky is exceptionally smart, and I've known other exceptionally smart people who were also great leaders *because* they were so convinced of their own abilities that they didn't need to prove themselves to anyone - they could just get stuff done.
(Aside: I'm really curious who Itsme Yep is as s/he created that profile just to make the above comment. IMO it must be a regular who wants to be incognito....ooh, intrigue!)
much remains to be seen. there is a lot of potentials there.
A comment just spotted on the Taliesin Facebook page announcement of this:
"What a great addition to the FLW legacy!"
I wonder how Aaron Betsky feels about being absorbed into the FLW legacy LOL?!
But on a serious note, so many non-architects are deeply obsessed with FLW. Is this an opportunity for Betsky's voice, which is definitely pro contemporary architecture, to be heard by a huge new audience?
Donna Sink, your discussion here about the news that Mr. B finally found a new job after what happened at CAM is energetic so I thought I'd share this 2013 article with you in case you missed it:
http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/aaron-betsky-is-building-a-new-art-museum-aar1/
After the article came out, he apparently explained to employees in a all-staff meeting that CAM was working to hunt down staffers who would be disciplined for speaking to the journalist (though it seems only he and some townspeople talked to the journalist?). This article is rather kind to him, actually, possibly due to a lack of the inside sources he vowed to hunt down from a CAM auditorium stage? Is this what null pointer (above) meant by saying “kind of a dick”? Or is it what you meant by engaging and witty? Anyway, it's a big article about Mr B that you can read for yourself now that he returns to the spotlight as a public figure with this new job, in addition to his longtime public blogging work and role as an international and published critic writing about buildings, cities and people..
Donna, with regard to charm, Mr. B desired funds to build open-plan CAM offices in the museum’s old Art Academy wing. The charmed Board approved millions to build his now well-known vision of a workplace redesigned for staff camaraderie and open communication, a new modern world bringing the people IN art together, to paraphrase a CAM motto. CAM’s open-plan offices were built, though some curators expressed concern in planning meetings about lack of privacy and noise. When Mr. B got back to town (he missed the actual move as he must travel so much) he set about getting stuff done, as you say. By this I mean he immediately constructed little “privacy walls” around his own desk formed of books, shelves and other available scraps apparently (at least, per the optics he created) rejecting his own very brief immersion in the openness he campaigned for, and spoke about, and on which he spent finite CAM resources. See more here:
http://www.architectmagazine.com/architecture/cincinnati-art-museum-gets-an-open-office-plan.aspx?dfpzone=general
This private fortress rising up in the open floor plan was functional and smart, and showed genius: it seemed to block the sight of water dripping into a bucket in the hall when it rained.
This is amazing news!
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