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On Saturday, September 6th, Wright in Wisconsin, in collaboration with Taliesin Preservation and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, welcomed over 200 guests to Taliesin. 

Set across the sweeping 800-acre estate, the day unfolded through curated programs that explored how Taliesin’s story continues to evolve today. 

Friday, September 5th: Evening Event

Activities began on Friday evening with a welcome reception that brought together designers, educators, preservationists, and Wright enthusiasts. The event featured a book signing and lecture by architectural scholar Ken Dahlen, as well as the presentation of the Wright in Wisconsin Awards, honoring outstanding contributions to architecture, education, and design. 

Among the awardees was Heidi Agnew, recognized for her single-family dwelling. Her design, made of Milwaukee cream brick, features a hidden entrance, clerestory windows that bring in northern light, and a cantilevered deck that extends toward a river.

Anne Hasse, another honoree, represented the art education team at Wakanda Elementary School. For over 20 years, Anne and her colleagues have introduced 5th graders to Wright’s architectural principles through hands-on learning. Students play the role of young designers, interviewing “clients” they imagine with their school counselors, selecting architectural styles (like Prairie or Usonian), and crafting creative, functional designs through hand-drawn floor plans and digital renderings. The program culminates in Junior Wright Night, a gallery walk which was replicated for Friday night’s attendees in the Drafting Studio.

Saturday, September 6th: A Day Like No Other

Throughout Saturday, visitors explored the many layers of Taliesin’s world—music, agriculture, education, preservation, and design—each brought to life through intimate, story-driven experiences. 

The morning began with pastries and coffee at Riverview Terrace Cafe, followed by open explorations of the estate.

Shuttles guided visitors through the rolling Driftless terrain to spaces typically closed to the public, including Cornelia Brierly’s private quarters, the Hillside Drafting Studio dormitories, and Joe’s Cottage. 

At Hillside Theater, pianist Dr. Adam Dachman performed selections known to be Wright’s favorites, including a reimagined Star-Spangled Banner and a rendition of Beethoven’s Sonata, referenced on the theater’s walls. 

At the Taliesin Dam, Ryan Hewson, Director of Preservation at Taliesin for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and Allen DeSchepper, Senior Engineer at Westbrook Engineering, discussed recent restoration efforts. Their presentation covered the challenges of managing seepage, along with the pond’s history, from its role in early hydroelectric power generation to the original three-spigot water system that supplied hot, cold, and pond water (the latter once used for tasks like watering plants). In addition to discussing pond remediation and sharing historical images, they also reviewed the dredging project completed two winters ago and the subsequent pond bank revegetation efforts.

In the kitchen garden, Abbie Lehman led an interactive tour through rows of vegetables and herbs, with enthusiastic audience participation throughout. Guests eagerly joined in as she shared insights on companion planting, organic techniques, and the often-overlooked value of edible weeds. Her talk connected the garden’s history to Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophy of self-sufficiency and intentional living, as well as Wright’s aunts’ work at Hillside Home School.

At Hillside, Floyd Hamblen shared insights from his nearly 40-year journey with the Taliesin Fellowship, tracing his path from architectural apprentice to architect and senior fellow. He recounted stories of apprenticing under original Fellowship luminaries like William Wesley Peters and Charles Montooth while pursuing the principles of organic architecture. Hamblen also described a typical day for an apprentice, offering a glimpse into the daily rhythms and responsibilities of Fellowship life. He concluded with personal reflections on the unique experience of raising a family within the Taliesin community. 

At Midway Barn, Ryan Hewson and Emily Butler spoke about ongoing preservation efforts and invited guests to imagine new possibilities for the sprawling 20,000-square-foot structure. Outside, a spontaneous conversation emerged as guests debated butterfat content in Holstein vs. Guernsey cows and speculated that the barn’s retrofitted concrete silo was likely lined with cypress, which the team was able to confirm. Participants also had the opportunity to browse the Midway Historic Structures Report, produced by a group of University of Pennsylvania students, and view historic photographs that offered a glimpse of what the barn could look like once fully restored.

Later that afternoon, Kyle Dockery, Taliesin Collections Coordinator at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, showed a selection of rarely seen objects to a packed crowd in Mr. Wright’s Drafting Studio. He also discussed the recently completed conservation of a Japanese statue of Senju Kannon Boddhisattva and in-progress conservation work on the portrait of Anna Lloyd Wright, the Hillside Theater curtain, and a Chinese coromandel screen on display at Hillside Theater.

At Tan-y-Deri, visitors were welcomed by architect and scholar Ken Dahlin, who was on hand to sign copies of his newest book, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Path to Beauty. In it, Dahlin presents Wright’s organic architecture as a vital framework for restoring beauty to today’s often fragmented built environment. Blending architectural history, philosophical thought, and Wright’s own influences, from the House Beautiful movement to Japanese aesthetics, Dahlin outlines a “middle way” that balances tradition and innovation, offering a unified vision of design for the future.

Visitors were also given access to Unity Chapel, designed in 1886 by Joseph Lyman Silsbee for the Lloyd Jones family. Though the building is Silsbee’s work, a young Frank Lloyd Wright, then 18, contributed to the interior design. The chapel displays historic photographs throughout, offering insight into Wright’s family. Normally closed to the public, the chapel was opened for this event through the generosity of the Lloyd Jones family.

The event concluded with a ticketed evening performance at Hillside Theater: Music is Architecture Thawed. Jazz legend Ben Sidran, joined by his son Leo Sidran, and bassist John Christensen, explored the shared language of architecture and music—structure, rhythm, improvisation, and space.