Graciously aligning with Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture, the arts, land stewardship, and education, Taliesin Plein Air is a celebration of beauty under the umbrella of Wright’s design, bringing together 29 regional artists from the Midwest including Wisconsin and Iowa.
Building upon prior Taliesin plein air events and workshops over the past decade, Taliesin Preservation will host regional artists renowned for their work en plein air, for a week-long painting event on the 800-acre Taliesin estate. During the week, artists will be free to paint any outdoor subject or setting within the boundaries established on the private estate, culminating with a Buyers’ Reception and Quick Paint Off-the-Easel Sale for artists to showcase a selection of paintings for purchase. Income generated from the week-long event will directly support the artistic, cultural, and educational programs that breathe life into the buildings.
Why Plein Air at Taliesin?
With more than 500 completed works credited to Frank Lloyd Wright, none were more personal to him than Taliesin. While the architectural accolades attributed to Wright and Taliesin are profound, the cultural and agricultural history is integral, and steadfast today. Fused with the iconic architecture are patchworks of organic farmland, restored prairies, intimate waterways, stunning oak trees, orchards, gardens, artifacts, and a newly-established trail in the “Welsh Hills,” named by Wright himself. It’s a place of beauty, sustainability, artistic exploration, and study. Taliesin Plein Air is conceived as a celebration of art under the umbrella of Wright’s design.
Taliesin Preservation’s director of programs, Caroline Hamblen, notes that “Plein air painting is an interpretive approach to learning from nature, which was also at the root of inspiration for Frank Lloyd Wright.”
About the Taliesin Plein Air Event
On the evening of Friday, September 21, the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center will be transformed into an art gallery overlooking the Wisconsin River. Art lovers and collectors meet and mingle with the Taliesin Plein Air artists, and enjoy the first opportunity to purchase paintings created by each artist. All artwork is for sale and ready to go home that evening. The evening includes hors d’oeuvres, desserts, a cash bar, and an Artists’ Choice Award.
The following morning artists will participate in a two-hour Quick Paint Celebration. This free event for all ages invites art enthusiasts to watch the featured artists paint on the Taliesin estate, followed by an Off-the-Easel Sale beginning at noon and a People’s Choice Award, where the public will vote on their favorite painting.
Taliesin Plein Air takes place September 16–22, 2018 in Spring Green, Wisconsin. For more information, please visit www.taliesinpreservation.org.
