Visitors to Taliesin West Over the next few months, visitors will be able not only to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous winter home and studio in Scottsdale but also to view artistic photos of Wright’s other works from Arizona.

Professional photographer Andrew Pielage Phoenix is currently on a mission, to document all 430 Wright’s remaining structures. He’s now up to 115. The “Sacred Spaces” exhibit opened in October at Taliesin West and will be on display every day through January 29, 2023. It features 13 sites captured in 32 photos spread throughout the property.

Pielage, who has been living in Arizona since the age of 2, first visited Taliesin West in 2011 at the age of 34. He was inspired by Wright’s ability to combine his structures with the natural setting. The title of the show does not refer to Wright’s churches, synagogues and chapels. The architect also believes that the Earth is sacred and that people should respect it by building structures that enhance its beauty rather than destroy it.

Pielage states that the big takeaway was not architecture but the blending of both. It was amazing to me that someone would not try to control nature. He wanted to blur the lines between architecture and nature, which I hadn’t seen before.”

He recalls Wright’s famous quote, “I believe God, but only I spell it Nature.”

“Sacred Spaces” includes photos of First Christian Church in Phoenix.

Andrew Pielage

Pielage began teaching photography workshops at Taliesin West shortly after his first visit. He also took pictures of the property with the help of the — but not funding — locals. Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation . He began by taking photos of local landmarks like ASU Gammage and First Christian Church. Wright also built the David and Gladys Wright House for his son.

Lauren Gilger, KJZZ radio producer, interviewed Pielage in 2016 about his photographs of Wright structures. He recalls that the project was not created until she asked him his last question. “And she asked me, ‘How many Frank Lloyd Wright locations do you want to photograph?’ I answered that question with a single answer, and that was the birth of this project.

He adds that he didn’t know there were so many Frank Lloyd Wright sites when he agreed to take on the project.
Jeff Chabot” href=”https://media1.phoenixnewtimes.com/phx/imager/u/original/14937011/andrew_pielage_portrait.jpg” title=”Phoenix photographer Andrew Pielage’s “Sacred Spaces” exhibit is on display through January 29, 2023, at Taliesin West in Scottsdale. – Jeff Chabot

Andrew Pielage, a Phoenix photographer, has his “Sacred Spaces” exhibit on display at Taliesin West in Scottsdale until January 29, 2023.

Jeff Chabot

He has photographed many buildings throughout the country over the years including Taliesin in Wisconsin and the Guggenheim Museum New York City. It’s one of the reasons it takes so long: Pielage supports this project on his own dime. He often helps to offset travel expenses by teaching workshops in areas that have Wright buildings.

Bruce Orendorf, director of public engagement at the foundation, claims that other photographers have documented Wright’s work, but not with permission or access to interior and exterior shots, particularly in residences. He says that no one else has done what Andrew did.

Pielage says, “I knew this project was more than just sticking my phone over a fence.”

Orendorf states that the foundation hopes the photos will increase visitors’ knowledge and experience of Wright. Because of the lack of humidity and temperature control at Taliesin West Taliesin West, these prints are copied of Pielage’s originals and are included in the audio and guided tours. Guests are asked to answer the question, “What is sacred for you?”

There have been many responses to this question. They range from the sacred nature of mountains to the existence of a gym where women work to ordinary gyms. Orendorf states that the definition is broad. “Personal space can be sacred. It allows us to have meaningful conversations with our guests. It’s allowing us to speak to them about a topic you might not expect to discuss when visiting a historic home. I think that’s a rich and varied experience, and we look forward to more of that.

Pielage’s childhood outdoors experience was a major inspiration. His father was a geologist, and his mother was an “adventurer”, he said. “We were out every weekend hiking, camping.”

Pielage recalls that the first time he drove up Taliesin West’s winding road, it “immediately put me back travelling around the deserts together,” Pielage says. He was amazed at how Wright’s architecture is not only visible, but felt it as well, thanks to his “compress-release” techniques and the way he draws your eye in certain areas.

Pielage thoroughly researched each site before he started the project. But he quickly realized that Wright’s eye and love for light gave him an “instant inspiration” to capture the experience.

In a photograph of Beth Sholom Synagogue, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, he saw that the floor sloped like a pair open hands. Triangles are also used to represent prayer in other buildings.

Pielage also considers the way Wright structures capture and play with light. Pielage uses only natural light and has an app that shows him all angles of the sun.

Pielage states, “Frank Lloyd Wright does such an amazing job of collecting light from his buildings, showing it to you, bouncing that around,” Wright’s quote is quoted by Pielage: “More than ever, it seems that light is the beautifier the building.”

Taliesin West – “Sacred Spaces” Where: Scottsdale, 12621 North Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard
Phone: 480-860-2700
Information: Taliesin West offers audio and guided tours. Advance tickets are highly recommended. Visit the Taliesin West website for more information about admission and hours. franklloydwright.org .