Taliesin Gardens and Asian Sculptures

Asian Sculpture in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Garden

Wright’s Crane Sculpture from Japan in Taliesin’s Garden

Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio in Spring Green, Wiscosnin, has several gardens also designed by Wright. (If you know much about FLW, perhaps you know that Wright designed everything connected with his homes. He was not only the architect, he also designed the furniture, rugs, and everyday house implements from dishes to lamps. And some of his clients even allowed him to design their clothing, including magnificent dresses, so that they would FIT into his vision of his perfect environment. (Susan Dana from Springfield IL was his favorite client because she agreed to any of his ideas AND funded them promptly!) Hmm. Maybe Frank was a bit of a control freak in addition to all his creativity and genius.

Anyway, Wright brought thousands of art objects and artifacts from Asia to the US, most notably from Japan, and used them throughout many of his homes, in his designs and in his gardens. These two cranes are in the garden near his bedroom in Taliesin. He could open his bedroom door which was set into a wall of framed windows, take a dip in his 8 foot deep plunge pool, and then wander a bit through his flowers and sculptures.

It really would have been an insomniac’s solution – a dip in a cool pool and then a midnight stroll in the gardens. I’d much prefer that option to the one I take nearly every night when I find myself awake, lying awake and watching the ceiling.

Do you think FLW would mind a new occupant?

Taliesin – Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio

Mr. Wright's View from his Bedroom

Frank Lloyd Wright grew up in these hills near Spring Green, Wisconsin, located about 30 minutes west of Madison. He worked on several of his uncles’ farms in the Spring Green area during his youth, and as he didn’t particularly enjoy farm chores, he often wandered up on this hill to enjoy the view. As an adult, he designed Taliesin, his famous home and studio, and nestled it into the same hillside.

Taliesin, where FLW lived and worked for nearly 50 years, has only recently been opened to the public. Seen only by guided tour, you are offered intimate glimpses of Wright’s home, studio and gardens, all designed by the architect who was one of the leaders of the Prairie School Architectural movement. The living spaces are decorated with furnishings of his design and Asian art which he collected and used as an integral part of his living environment.

Tours leave from the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitors’ Center, another nearby FLW building, and are available from May through October. Call 588-7900, area code 877, or visit Taliesin for more information.

— Bo Mackison is a Wisconsin photographer who totes her camera throughout the State. She loves Frank Lloyd Wright and his many architectural wonders and highly recommends the tour. To see other photos by Bo, visit her gallery at Seeded Earth Photography.