Taliesin Fellows

Please check out this wonderful article by Fellow Nora Burba Trulsson in the current Phoenix Home & Garden magazine.
https://www.phgmag.com/preservation-dedication/
And we hope that you can join us at the special OA+D Archives event on November 6th at the Chandler Museum.

An interesting interview yesterday on NPR.

How architect Frank Lloyd Wright and painter Eric Fischl got New York elites to embrace Phoenix Art critic Jackson Arn grew up in Phoenix, but it took a cross-country move to really appreciate the region.

Please help us to support OA&D with an Ocatilla Evening. Tickets Now On Sale
Join the Organic Architecture + Design Archives on Friday, November 6, 2026, for An Ocatilla Evening, OA+D’s annual fundraising celebration and an unforgettable evening devoted to Frank Lloyd Wright’s remarkable lost desert masterpiece.

Hosted at the Chandler Museum, this special event will invite guests to experience Ocatilla: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Lost Desert Masterpiece in a festive and intimate setting. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, conversation with fellow admirers of architecture and design, and a silent auction featuring unique items and experiences.

At the center of the exhibition is a full-scale reconstruction of one of Wright’s 1929 Ocatilla cabins, accompanied by rare archival materials, historic photographs, original objects, drawings, and film footage. Together, these elements reveal how Wright’s brief desert encampment helped transform his ideas about architecture, landscape, and life in the American Southwest.

More than a memorable evening, this event is an opportunity to support the important work of OA+D. Proceeds will advance the organization’s ongoing efforts to preserve, protect, research, and share the history of organic architecture and design through archival stewardship, exhibitions, publications, and public programs.

Tickets are $75 per person,& availability is limited.

Friday, November 6, 2026

Hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and silent auction included

Do not miss your chance to experience this landmark exhibition after hours, connect with others who share a passion for architecture & design, and help ensure that important stories and materials are preserved for future generations. Reserve your tickets today and become part of an evening & a mission, that will leave a lasting legacy
https://www.oadarchives.org/events?utm_campaign=OA%2BD%2BNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=OA%2BD_Newsletter_61&fbclid=IwdGRjcATdBXtjbGNrBN0Fd2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHm95yPSxspdodN9i4pb1ziSzxxcC1Q6kjzeUy_UJM_gYHBllnepJGw4OfEzB_aem_fqKE3JDkGBoNrzORGg5v1A

We wish a very happy birthday to Kelly. Today marks the 100th birthday of former Taliesin apprentice Kelly Oliver, one of the last living apprentices to have worked directly with Frank Lloyd Wright from 1949-1959.
Kelly is our second oldest living Apprentice. Born 7/26/1926. Worked under FLLW 9/49-1956. From Denver Colorado. University of Wyoming 1946-48; Washington State College, 1948-49; University of Denver, Environmental Engineering, 1971.

Associate and staff Architect 1956-66, since 1966 Manager Colorado Office TAA / FLLWF; responsible for all Rocky Mountain regional jobs.

Since 1966, Oliver & Hellgren, Architects and Planners.

Early 1960's supervised construction of the Louisville Kentucky commissions including the Lincoln Life Tower and Liberty National Bank buildings, in 1967 worked with Wes on design for the Micro Kodesh Synagogue in Minneapolis (unbuilt); in 1978 assisted Tony Puttnam with design of Arapaho County Courthouse in Littleton Colorado.

Thank you to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation for allowing us continued access to Taliesin West.

It is with great sadness that we just learned about the passing of Vern Swaback. Our sincere condolences to the family and everyone who knew him.