Taliesin West

Tours take visitors through Wright’s living quarters, to the theater, his office and other buildings. Specialty tours are offered including tours of the desert shelters built by Taliesin Fellowship apprentices. 

Welcome to The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, established in 1940 by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of America’s most prolific architects whose life and career spanned the steam age to the space age.

As the only organization founded by Wright to be the repository of his life’s work and ideas and the first to bear his name, we are building upon our rich heritage to help 21st century society adopt a more innovative and humane approach to design and construction – one that better marries architecture with the arts, sciences, and the natural environment to create buildings and spaces that enrich the quality and dignity of everyday life

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Lots to do this fall in Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale is ready to wine and dine visitors preparing to make the trek to the Southwest this fall with these upcoming culinary events.

Kicking off the festivities is Arizona Restaurant Week, debuting Sept. 20-26. The event gives patrons the chance to experience Arizona’s finest fare at a variety of quality restaurants for a special rate. Nearly 100 restaurants, including some of Scottsdale’s best such as Digestif, Sol y Sombra, Roka Akor, Olive & Ivy, and Taggia, will offer a three-course menu for $29 per person or $58 per couple, excluding drinks, tax and tip. .

On Oct. 7 and 8, travelers can savor fresh, straight-from-the-farm food at the latest installment of Tapino Kitchen & Wine Bar’s dinner series, Locavore 4: Cultivation. Locavore is a term used to describe a person who only eats locally produced food, and every bite and sip of Tapino’s five-course dinner will come from an Arizona farmer, food producer, rancher or wine maker. For $65 a person, diners experience Chef James Porter’s globally-inspired creations while supporting local businesses. Locavore 5: The Hearth, will take place Dec. 1 and 2.

Savor Scottsdale, a group dedicated to increasing local pride and national recognition for the city’s culinary scene, is adding to the fall festivities with EATS³ Oct. 23-25. The event focuses on the three S’s – sizzle, sip and swizzle – and will showcase Scottsdale’s finest with a cocktail-infused ArtWalk, exclusive in-gallery dinners by famed Scottsdale chefs, a national Iron Bartender competition, a Grand Tasting featuring the finest chefs and wine makers, and the signature BBQ & Bubbles Finale. Among the event’s slated 40 chefs and special guests are Emmy award-winning Chef Ming Tsai and winner of Bravo’s Top Chef, Stephanie Izard. Arizona chefs will include James Beard award winners Nobuo Fukuda, Chris Bianco and Robert McGrath, and Iron Chef winning chefs Beau MacMillan and Mark Tarbell. Patrons may purchase tickets to individual events or buy the $500 Ultimate Savor Scottsdale Pass.

VISITORS EXPLORE THEIR ARTISTIC SIDE WITH NEW PUBLIC EXHIBITS
Since its inception in 1985, the Scottsdale Public Art Program has worked to bring new and creative artwork to the streets. The downtown area will soon be home to three new interactive exhibits that will allow visitors to take part in Scottsdale’s unique arts community.

Art lovers can enjoy beautiful fall evenings by taking a stroll downtown and experiencing a stunning light show at the Scottsdale Waterfront. Beginning in October, the collection’s new Night Lights exhibit, a premier music and interactive, light-based art installation, will be on display. Launching the attraction will be Tucson artist Mary Lucking whose light installation will grace the Waterfront every third Thursday from October through December, using the water of the nearby Arizona Canal as a canvas. Visitors can give the light show their own artistic touch by speaking into a microphone set up at the exhibit, which then triggers and changes the patterns projected onto the water.

A second all-new piece, Bell’e Art, will transform the bell tower adjacent to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts into an outdoor gallery. The first exhibition, on view Sept. 8 through Dec. 3, will feature New York-based artist Béatrice Coron’s series of papercuts inspired by Scottsdale landmarks, lifestyle, history and more. Coron’s piece will feature 24 iconic Scottsdale scenes hand cut on black and white Tyvek, a lightweight waterproof paper, suspended from the top of the tower. Each cutout image will serve as a window that invites passersby to peek through, invoking memories and dreams of Scottsdale and the Southwest. Visitors inspired by Coron’s piece will have the chance to create their own works of art when she hosts a workshop, Sharp Arts: The International Papercutting Scene, at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library on Nov. 1.

Crocheters get out your hooks and take part in Scottsdale Public Art’s crocheted exhibit at the Civic Center Library. In April 2009, the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Project, a globally touring exhibit of a crocheted coral reef ecosystem, will be on display at the library before heading to its next stop at the Smithsonian. The 2,000-square-foot reef has already made its rounds from London to Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Visitors eager to learn the art of crocheting can take part in organized workshops.

GOLF INITIATIVES PRESERVE NATURAL SONORAN DESERT SURROUNDINGS
Golf operators in Scottsdale are making strides to preserve the city’s Sonoran Desert surroundings through modern technology, innovative practices and a commitment to environmental stewardship. The golf industry’s efforts not only ensure a protected environment for generations of future visitors, but also help put Scottsdale on the forefront of eco-friendly golf destinations.

Water Use – Because Scottsdale is in a desert environment, conservation and efficient use of water is always top-of-mind for the city’s golf industry. Nearly 75 percent of Scottsdale’s golf courses use sophisticated computerized irrigation systems and weather monitoring stations to maximize the efficiency of their water use. These systems apply the minimum amount of water required to maintain the health of individual plants in addition to minimizing evaporation and maximizing transpiration.
Maintenance – Scottsdale golf courses also have modified their regular maintenance practices to increase the sustainability of their properties. Efforts include using organic fertilizer rather than petroleum-based fertilizer, switching gas-powered equipment from two-stroke engines to four-stroke in order to reduce emissions, and frequent testing of soil conditions to ensure proper application using the minimum amount of product to ensure the plants’ health.
Environmental Stewards – Scottsdale golf properties like Sanctuary Golf Course at West World, TPC

Scottsdale and Camelback Golf Club continue to look for new eco-friendly opportunities to ensure that golf maintains its overall positive impact on the city and state. The courses have all achieved, or are achieving, certification in the Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary Program, a program that requires golf facilities to protect the Earth by enhancing precious natural areas and wildlife habitats. In addition, Scottsdale-based Troon Golf Management has made the commitment to have its entire portfolio of 190 golf properties worldwide certified through the Audubon initiative.

TURNDOWN IS AN EXPERIENCE WITH SCOTTSDALE’S UNIQUE AMENITIES
Scottsdale’s resorts are committed to providing a luxurious, unforgettable experience for their guests. Beginning at the moment of check-in, guests are welcomed by hospitable service and world-class amenities that extend to the tiniest of details. Even Scottsdale’s turndown programs go above and beyond, greeting guests with more than just folded over sheets and pillow mints. The following is just a sampling of Scottsdale’s unique turndown amenities.

The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North looks to the stars for its turndown amenity that includes a constellation chart calibrated to the Arizona night sky. Every Friday evening, the property plays host to astronomer Richard Allen who leads stargazing sessions using state-of-the-art telescopes and charts. Guests can bring their constellation chart to the free session and navigate the nighttime sky alongside Allen, discovering different celestial bodies like Jupiter, Saturn and Mars depending on the time of year. 

Turndown service at FireSky Resort & Spa relays the property’s theme of earth, air, fire and water to guests with each day of the week corresponding to a particular element. The program is filled with unique turndown items such as Fire Balls candy, organic sweet chocolate, and bottles of bubbles. Each amenity is accompanied by a turndown card tailored to the specific theme. 

Guests at The Boulders Resort can enjoy a mini Golden Door Spa experience at turndown with the resort’s complimentary skin care amenities. Each new day brings a different sample like the Botanical Body Oil, which is a potent remedy for dry, sun-damaged skin, or the lavender cream that promotes the grown of new skin cells and whose scent can be helpful with headaches and nervous tension.

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For years, artist Doug Tharalson searched for the Bohemian lifestyle enjoyed by his idols, Picasso, Braque and Modigliani.

“It’s the only art history I’ve ever studied,” the self-taught Tharalson said from his home near Malibu in California’s San Fernando Valley. “It was fascinating to me. I have an affinity for the way they lived.”

Now at 60, the Cubist believes he has found that same turn-of-the-20th-century Paris sensibility in the itinerant artist colony that mushrooms in Scottsdale annually for the Celebration of Fine Art, now in its 18th year.

‘Celebration’ a place to hand out

For 10 weeks, artists from across the nation inhabit white tents transformed into studios along Scottsdale Road.

Artists work on paintings, glass, stoneware, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture and other media in a 40,000-square-foot space.

You might see Tharalson barbecuing ribs for his artist friends and photographing the scene for posterity.

“It’s a family of artists who leave their homes, come to this event for 70 straight days,” he said, “and create a little Montparnasse.”

Each artist hauls work to the site and tricks out his or her own studio. Art lovers from all over swarm to the Celebration of Fine Art, often coming back again and again. Tharalson makes two-thirds of his yearly income at the show, which runs Jan. 12-March 23.

Arizona Fine Art Expo nearby

Shows of this type are rarely seen outside the Southwest, said Judith Combs, who four years ago created a second 10-week art show in response to artists’ demands.

“For 10 years, the artists asked me to do something,” said Combs, who also founded the Thunderbird Artists almost three decades ago. She persuaded her brother, Dennis Long, and his wife, Judy, to travel from Michigan every winter to help stage the Arizona Fine Art Expo.

Today, the two shows are friendly competitors, each boasting more than 100 artists.

Libby Ritter is one of those artists getting ready to pack up and move to Arizona for the expo. Ritter, a sculptor specializing in raku, will bring her mobile studio, table, kiln and her artwork in a trailer and bunk with friends in Chandler for 10 weeks.

“I’m so excited,” she said from her home in LaMonte, Mo.

A high-school art teacher for more than 30 years, Ritter now has time to produce her own work in bronze and raku, a Japanese technique that dates to the late-16th century.

Raku is a firing process in which the piece is removed from the kiln still fiery hot and is placed in a vessel filled with combustible material such as newspaper, sawdust or straw. The burning of that material gives the artwork a distinctive blackened appearance.

“Raku has been very good to me,” Ritter said. “It has allowed me to win competitions I didn’t think I’d ever be in.”

Few artists, she said, create raku pieces as large as hers. Each is different from the next, with the results unpredictable. See her work at www.rittersculptures.com.

‘Like being in an art gallery’

At the Fine Art Expo, artists arrive to find their studios already constructed. The floors of the tents are carpeted, the backgrounds a neutral black. Inside are 44,000 square feet of space. Outdoors is a sculpture garden.

“It’s like being in an art gallery,” Long said.

In addition to working and selling her pieces, Ritter will offer sculpture classes. On Feb. 18, Presidents’ Day, she’ll give free classes to veterans and will especially welcome vets disabled in Iraq. She was inspired by a television program on the virtues of art as therapy.

“I’m not just going to show them how to push mud around,” she said. “I’m going to put the idea in their heads that they could make this part of their living.”

Such kindness has endeared Combs to the artists she works with.

“I’m very close to all of them,” she said. “It’s like a family. After it’s over, they’re exhausted. They can’t wait for it to be over, but when it’s over some of them start to cry.”

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For years, artist Doug Tharalson searched for the Bohemian lifestyle enjoyed by his idols, Picasso, Braque and Modigliani.

“It’s the only art history I’ve ever studied,” the self-taught Tharalson said from his home near Malibu in California’s San Fernando Valley. “It was fascinating to me. I have an affinity for the way they lived.”

Now at 60, the Cubist believes he has found that same turn-of-the-20th-century Paris sensibility in the itinerant artist colony that mushrooms in Scottsdale annually for the Celebration of Fine Art, now in its 18th year.

‘Celebration’ a place to hand out

For 10 weeks, artists from across the nation inhabit white tents transformed into studios along Scottsdale Road.

Artists work on paintings, glass, stoneware, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture and other media in a 40,000-square-foot space.

You might see Tharalson barbecuing ribs for his artist friends and photographing the scene for posterity.

“It’s a family of artists who leave their homes, come to this event for 70 straight days,” he said, “and create a little Montparnasse.”

Each artist hauls work to the site and tricks out his or her own studio. Art lovers from all over swarm to the Celebration of Fine Art, often coming back again and again. Tharalson makes two-thirds of his yearly income at the show, which runs Jan. 12-March 23.

Arizona Fine Art Expo nearby

Shows of this type are rarely seen outside the Southwest, said Judith Combs, who four years ago created a second 10-week art show in response to artists’ demands.

“For 10 years, the artists asked me to do something,” said Combs, who also founded the Thunderbird Artists almost three decades ago. She persuaded her brother, Dennis Long, and his wife, Judy, to travel from Michigan every winter to help stage the Arizona Fine Art Expo.

Today, the two shows are friendly competitors, each boasting more than 100 artists.

Libby Ritter is one of those artists getting ready to pack up and move to Arizona for the expo. Ritter, a sculptor specializing in raku, will bring her mobile studio, table, kiln and her artwork in a trailer and bunk with friends in Chandler for 10 weeks.

“I’m so excited,” she said from her home in LaMonte, Mo.

A high-school art teacher for more than 30 years, Ritter now has time to produce her own work in bronze and raku, a Japanese technique that dates to the late-16th century.

Raku is a firing process in which the piece is removed from the kiln still fiery hot and is placed in a vessel filled with combustible material such as newspaper, sawdust or straw. The burning of that material gives the artwork a distinctive blackened appearance.

“Raku has been very good to me,” Ritter said. “It has allowed me to win competitions I didn’t think I’d ever be in.”

Few artists, she said, create raku pieces as large as hers. Each is different from the next, with the results unpredictable. See her work at

‘Like being in an art gallery’

At the Fine Art Expo, artists arrive to find their studios already constructed. The floors of the tents are carpeted, the backgrounds a neutral black. Inside are 44,000 square feet of space. Outdoors is a sculpture garden.

“It’s like being in an art gallery,” Long said.

In addition to working and selling her pieces, Ritter will offer sculpture classes. On Feb. 18, Presidents’ Day, she’ll give free classes to veterans and will especially welcome vets disabled in Iraq. She was inspired by a television program on the virtues of art as therapy.

“I’m not just going to show them how to push mud around,” she said. “I’m going to put the idea in their heads that they could make this part of their living.”

Such kindness has endeared Combs to the artists she works with.

“I’m very close to all of them,” she said. “It’s like a family. After it’s over, they’re exhausted. They can’t wait for it to be over, but when it’s over some of them start to cry.”

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