| Frank Lloyd Wright Fellowship 70th Year Reunion | |
| On
Friday morning, in a large tent connected to the rear of Hillside
studio, we heard reports from the various staff members and
others of what is going on at Taliesin with the Frank Lloyd Wright
Fellowship. The new leader of Taliesin, Jim Goulka, related something
of his background and then described Taliesin's state of affairs,
the work of the various divisions, their programs and the needs
of the Frank Lloyd Wright Fellowship. He requested help from the
outside in raising funds for the school (which at this time has only
nineteen students), procuring commissions for the architectural
division, recruiting new students, the need for the utilization
of apprentices in outside architectural offices and hiring
them after they receive their degree from Taliesin; for like the
rest of the economy, Taliesin has cut back in expenditures due to
the reduction in income from all its sources of revenue.
Tea and pastries were served in the theater foyer and out on the terrace, followed by a slide presentation in the theater on the life and works of former apprentice Nari Ghandi of India.Nari and I became friends when we were at Taliesin together, studying under Frank Lloyd Wright. I felt that Nari had a lot of talent, and I tried talking him into staying in America once he left Taliesin, instead of going back to India. |
"Nari,
you will probably only do six buildings in your whole life back in
India; whereas you will do many buildings here in America." He
answered me, "I know, Bop (he could not seem to pronounce Bob), but
you see, they vill be six gooda buildings. And that vill be
enough." Nari did do about six buildings, and they "were six
good buildings." He was killed a couple of years ago when a truck
ran over him in Bombay, India.
It was raining, so a buffet lunch was served in the dining room and balcony. These meals provided a forum for meeting and talking to new people and staff.Saturday morning was reserved for rehearsals and work in the garden, meeting tent, and kitchen. A slide program about Frank Lloyd Wright's design of the organic school in Japan was presented by Japanese students in the theater that morning. Lunch was served beside the large exterior court in front of the Hillside School main building, featuring old dishes of Taliesin. After lunch students presented their studies of various parts of the Hillside complex of buildings, outlining the deterioration of foundations, water intrusion, and roof frame distortions. It was obvious that these buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright needed much repair and maintenance.
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