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Autumn 2025

President's Letter

Dear Fellow Wright Enthusiasts,

On Saturday, September 6, over 225 individuals had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience Taliesin. Our event, according to the survey results, was very well received. Thanks to all for making Wright and Like 2025 a huge success. Special thanks to Carrie Rodamaker, Executive Director of Taliesin Preservation and her team for all their hard work. It is much appreciated.

The evening before the tour, Ken Dahlin spoke in the Hillside Theater on the topic of his new book: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Path to Beauty. It was a very interesting and thought-provoking presentation. If you missed it, Ken will be presenting again on January 17, 2026, at the Museum of Wisconsin Art. Wright in Wisconsin is working to host a private tour of the current exhibit: Frank Lloyd Wright Modern Chair Design, conducted by the museum’s Associate Curator of Architecture & Design, Thomas Szolwinski, before Ken’s speech, followed by a private reception. Save the date and watch your email box for details.

Many past members and some new members purchased memberships before the 2025 Tour. If you did, thank you for the support. If you are not currently a member, please consider joining. We need you. Please click here to do so.

As I noted in the last newsletter, the Board is a small but dedicated group comprised of George Hall, Ken Dahlin, Henry St Maurice, Trish Dulka, Anne Hasse, and me. Assisting the Board are Jill Hartmann, who maintains the books, and Bill Swan, who runs the office. Thanks to all for their dedication. We are looking for new Board members, so if you are willing to help us out, please let me know.

John P. Macy

President, Wright in Wisconsin

jmacy@ammr.net

All Wright: A Day Like No Other 
Lived Up To Its Name!

Visitors go to Joe's Cottage, with the Romeo & Juliet Windmill in the background.

This year, Wright in Wisconsin took a bold step beyond its beloved Wright and Like regional tours. Partnering with Taliesin Preservation and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, we created a new kind of immersive experience at Wright’s most iconic Wisconsin property—his home, studio, and laboratory of ideas: Taliesin in Spring Green.

On September 5 and 6, guests explored the Taliesin estate as few ever have—witnessing its evolving beauty from morning to moonrise over the valley. From the play of morning sun across the Hillside drafting studio to the amber glow of the drafting studio at twilight, visitors experienced how Wright’s architecture and the Wisconsin landscape merge in perfect harmony.

At Friday night's event, Heidi Agnew, a UW–Madison engineering student, was named the winner of our inaugural

Wright Now design competition.

The weekend began Friday evening at the Hillside Theater and Drafting Studio, where guests enjoyed an inspiring showcase of the next generation of designers. Project boards from fifth graders from Menomonie’s Wakanda Elementary School displayed their imaginative “Breaking the Box” projects, guided by program lead and Wright in Wisconsin board member Anne Hasse. We also celebrated Heidi Agnew, a UW–Madison engineering student and winner of our inaugural Wright Now design competition, for her Wright-inspired home concept along the Crawfish River. The evening concluded with a presentation and book signing by author, architect, and Wright in Wisconsin board member Ken Dahlin, whose new work Frank Lloyd Wright & the Path to Beauty explores Wright’s search for harmony through form and nature. After Ken's presentation, guests enjoyed coffee, desserts, and conversation, surrounded by the architecture that inspired generations.

WiW staff member Bill Swan checks visitors in on Friday night.

Architect and author Ken Dahlin's Friday night presentation started in the drafting room.

Saturday brought the main event: an unprecedented day of access across the over 800 acres of Taliesin grounds. 200-plus guests roamed the estate with expert docents stationed throughout, offering rare insights into spaces often closed to the public. Special presentations included Dr. Adam Dachman performing Wright’s favorite piano pieces in the Hillside Theater; Ryan Hewson, Director of Preservation at Taliesin, on recent restoration efforts; Allen DeSchepper of Westbrook Engineering on the dam rehabilitation; Emily Butler of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation on Preserving Midway Barn; Abbie Lehman, Taliesin’s kitchen gardener, leading a sensory tour of the gardens; and a conversation between former Taliesin apprentice Floyd Hamblen and Wright in Wisconsin president John Macy.

As the sun began to set, guests traveled to nearby Unity Chapel—rarely open to the public—where the young Frank Lloyd Wright likely contributed interior details, a fitting reflection of the master’s early inspiration.

The weekend culminated with an event put on by Taliesin Preservation, jazz musicians Ben and Leo Sidran’s Music Is Architecture Thawed concert and conversation, in the Hillside Theater—an evocative tribute linking sound and structure, emotion and design.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Wright in Wisconsin board members John Macy, George Hall, Henry St. Maurice, and Bill Swan, whose dedication made this event possible, and to the staff at Taliesin for their tireless support. The response from attendees has been extraordinary—proof that Wright’s vision continues to inspire awe, curiosity, and connection among those who cherish great design.

Attendees saw some spots rarely open to the public, including several apprentice apartments, such as Cornelia Brierly's, as shown here.

Taliesin preservationists gave presentations throughout the day on various ongoing projects.

Former Taliesin apprentice Floyd Hamblen entertained attendees with tales of living and working on the grounds as both a student and now, with his family.

The Unity Chapel was also open for visitors to get a rare inside glimpse at one of the first sites a young Frank got his start.

Student project boards from the Wakanda Elementary 5th-grade "Breaking the Box" project were on display in Wright's Drafting Studio the whole weekend.

Ryan Hewson, Taliesin Director of Preservation, and Allen DeSchepper, Senior Engineer at Westbrook Engineering, gave a presentation on the Taliesin dam preservation project.

Frank Lloyd Wright Exhibition Challenges Notion that Furniture Design Was Secondary to Architectural Work

Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend presents Frank Lloyd Wright: Modern Chair Design, a pioneering exhibition that reveals the designer’s innovative and groundbreaking approach to furniture design. Framing his furniture within a broader context of design history and American modernism, this exhibition highlights Wright’s visionary belief that chairs must be understood as living designs in addition to being extensions of the built environments for which they were created. Presenting over forty of Wright’s most significant domestic furniture pieces—many on view for the first time—as well as working sketches, archival photographs, and animated renderings shed new light on Wright’s holistic approach to design. The exhibition is open through January 25, 2026.

The exhibition is based on the original research of architectural historian Eric Vogel, scholar-in-residence at the Taliesin Institute whose deep-dive into the archives revealed new connections that challenge the common perception that Wright’s furniture was secondary to his architectural work. “When Wright rebuilt Taliesin after two major fires, he paired the new architecture with significant new and unprecedented furniture forms that were rejected by his clients at the time for their unconventionality,” said Vogel. “MOWA has recreated several of these lost or never-produced works, offering the viewer a unique opportunity to experience these bold forms in person.”

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, January 17

Wright in Wisconsin members are invited to attend MOWA for a special event with a private tour of this exhibit along with a presentation by Ken Dahlin and a cocktail reception. Watch your email inboxes for more details coming soon.

2026 marks the 75^th anniversary of the opening of this beloved Madison landmark. To commemorate this milestone, the Friends of the Meeting House will host a series of public events highlighting the building’s architectural significance, the role the entire FLW community has played in preserving it, and Wright’s enduring impact on Madison.  

SAVE THESE DATES:

JANUARY 13, 6:30 - Kick-Off Celebration featuring Aaron Betsky, noted FLW expert and author of the beautiful book 50 Lessons to Learn from FLW, speaking on “The Wright Stuff: Lessons from FLW.” This ticketed event includes an opening reception, a new building exhibit, and a book signing.  

MAY 9-10 - Madison Bach Musicians presents “The Princely Architects: Bach, Beethoven and Frank Lloyd Wright” in the Landmark Auditorium. Tickets are available on MBM’s website.

JUNE 5-7 - Anniversary weekend, including a Saturday night gala at Monona Terrace, tours and lectures involving various preservation and Wright groups and experts, as well as free tours of the Landmark building. Details to be announced soon.

For event details, updates, and ticket reservations, visit www.unitarianmeetinghouse.org.

Are you curious to explore more Frank Lloyd Wright sites in Wisconsin? Wright in Wisconsin is here to help! Below is a list of sites with public access. Check their websites for details. Many sites also have occasional events, so even though the links below take you to tour information, feel free to click around to see what events the various sites might offer.

FLWT indicates that the site is on the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail

• A. D. German Warehouse, Richland Center (FLWT)
• Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Wauwatosa
• Frank Lloyd Wright’s Burnham Block, Milwaukee (FLWT)
• Monona Terrace, Madison (FLWT)
• SC Johnson, Racine (FLWT)
• Still Bend (Schwartz House), Two Rivers
• Seth Peterson Cottage, Mirror Lake
• Taliesin, Spring Green (FLWT)
• Unitarian Meeting House, Madison (FLWT)
• Wingspread, Wind Point (FLWT)
• Wyoming Valley School, Spring Green (FLWT)

Frank Lloyd Wright Trail The Frank Lloyd Wright Trail connects 9 different sites across southern Wisconsin – from Racine to Richland Center.