Working with Mr. Wright

the long version

Working with Mr. Wright is a personal recollection by one of Frank Lloyd Wright's former apprentices of his years at the Taliesin Fellowship. Based on letters written by the author during his two stints at the Fellowship, from 1939 to 1955, Curtis Besinger provides a lively account of daily life in the community of architects established by Wright at its two locations, in Wisconsin and Arizona. Unlike standard architectural training, an apprenticeship with the fellowship entailed architectural tasks, such as drafting, designing, and overseeing projects, including the actual building of Taliesin West; as well as humbler assignments - from milking the cows to harvesting wheat - related to maintaining the farm that surrounded the Fellowship in Wisconsin. The social life of the Fellowship, which was filled with music and film, and planned in detail by Wright himself, is also recounted with wit and humor. Through these engaging recollections, illustrated with photographs, plans, and drawings made during Besinger's years at the fellowship, the eccentric personality of Wright, his working practices, and his unique creative vision emerge, along with a host of personalities who were key to creating the unique character of the Taliesin experience.