On this special (and very spontaneous) episode of Archinect Sessions we are joined with three members of the Taliesin community to help shed some light on the mysterious and disturbing sudden announcement of the closure of The School of Architecture at Taliesin. With us are Benjamin Aranda, partner at Aranda\Lasch with Chris Lasch, the Dean at The School of Architecture at Taliesin; Cruz Garcia co-director at WAI Architecture Think Tank and a previous visiting teaching fellow at The School of Architecture at Taliesin; and Ryan Scavnicky of Extra Office, and former visiting teaching fellow at The School of Architecture at Taliesin.
Our conversation shares our guest's experiences at the school, with insight into the questionable relationship between the foundation and the school. We talk about what happened this week, how these events conflict with Frank Lloyd Wright's wishes, as outlined in his will, about the direction of the foundation as an institution for learning, and the troubling lack of transparency from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation about the decisions that have been made.
Listen to episode 148 of Archinect Sessions, “What happened at The School of Architecture at Taliesin???”.
Cruz Garcia and Nathalie Frankowski have also shared a manifesto representing the perspective of several of the former faculty and former students of the School. It explains their disagreement with the current situation and states incidents they were experiencing since the transition from The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture to The School of Architecture at Taliesin.
Click here to download the entire manifesto in PDF format
This episode is completely unedited, so please excuse the audio quality. We decided to release this ASAP to move this discussion forward. I made a comment in the discussion that the student body at the school has sent us a statement. The students have informed me while it is not quite ready, it will be coming in the next day or so, so watch this space for updates.
Let the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation know this is not acceptable:
Mr. Stuart Graff, President and CEO, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
All 9 Comments
Closing of the school may well violate the Foundation's own by-laws and be illegal. It may also put the Foundation's tax free status at risk. In the case of Sweet Briar College in Virginia the alumni, faculty, and students had to sue that college's administration to prevent closure. Their overall effort was very successful, the school never closed and has turned the corner by offering engineering courses which have just received ABET accreditation. Anyone who wants to save the school of architecture here should read up on the Sweet Briar College story.
People, Fellows, who have lived at Taliesin most of their lives were pushed out because they were seen as *expenses*. The Foundation’s actions are appalling, gross, unfair.
The individuals with 'standing', (students, faculty, alumi, supporters), need to file an injunction to prevent closing while the situation, including an in-depth look at finances, is looked at very closely.
I don't understand the foundation's second option, continuing the school if they terminate accreditation. Obviously this is untenable for the school, but what are the foundation's motives? Would ridding it of accreditation help break the school's independence and give the foundation more control? But what kind of school does the foundation envision and what hope could it have for success?
I’m wondering if we are looking too hard at the Foundation instead of bigger issues of architecture education and practice. The FLW School jumped through all of these hoops to become accredited and now, two years later, they are kaput. Even if the Foundation has 15m or whatever, they can’t compete with Billion dollar universities.
The FLW school has more conflict with the University-Practice-AIA complex than anything. There is just no space for any alternative education in architecture, which just solidifies the power of the big institutions to dictate the practice. If FLW were alive today, he would never be able to do the work he did, or start that school.
Hey Aaron Betsky, yes you, why are you tucking tail? Why are you effectively the John Bolton in this issue? Come clean, fuck the NDA; tell the truth, or tell what you know.
wow that's harsh beta. you think he wont talk?
the interview was great. I would have loved to hear Betsky's take on the whole thing. He's probably the only one has a real clue.
The podcast made the foundation out to be pretty efed up and their own statements aren't helping matters. It all makes very little sense. I cant work out if its about money or culture.
Mostly I'm irritated with him because he seems like the kind of guy who has been around long enough not to be bullied, and this shit goes down, and chirp??
Let the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation know this is not acceptable:
Mr. Stuart Graff, President and CEO, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
sgraff@franklloydwright.org
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