Of the approximately 800 students who joined Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Fellowship program (1932-1959), W. Kelly Oliver, 97, is one of its last surviving apprentices. Last month, Lawrence Modern’s Dennis Domer interviewed Oliver at the Pioneer Ridge assisted living facility, where Oliver recalled his decade working in the program and later efforts with Taliesin Associated Architects, the firm established after Wright’s death to maintain and further his legacy. One of the many interesting parts of the interview is Oliver’s recollection of KU architecture professor Curtis Besinger, a key figure at Taliesin who served for 15 years as the Fellowship’s de facto music director and left the studio penniless. Domer’s interview followed a documentary screening of an extended conversation between Oliver and Frank Baron, a fellow Pioneer Ridge resident and retired KU German professor. You can watch that video here. Fascinating stuff from a bygone era in architectural history that, thanks to Kelly Oliver, still captures our imagination. Special thanks to Tim Phillips for his videography.
—Tom, Bill, Dennis & Tim
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