Java.Mar.2016

NEW VISIONS
By Robert Sentinery
BUZZ
The legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright is one of our city’s strongest assets. One could
say that Mr. Wright was an early adopter when it came to appreciating the beauty
of this region. When he acquired the 600-plus acres (for $3.50/acre) at the
base of the McDowell Mountains to build Taliesin West, the winter locale for his
school and residence, he described the stretch of land as being “America’s gold
spot.” Now, some 80 years later, the place remains a mythical architectural oasis
that draws tourism from around the world.
The challenge for Taliesin West is that, over the years, it has become more of a
museum honoring Wright’s genius, rather than a vital institution for higher learning.
The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture seemed to be slowly falling
by the wayside. When the Higher Learning Commission threatened to revoke the
school’s accreditation back in 2014, something dramatic needed to happen. Enter
Aaron Betsky.
Not only is Betsky a trained architect, with a master’s degree from Yale, he is a
world-renowned theorist and critic. He has authored 12 books and hundreds of
articles on aesthetics, psychology and human sexuality as it pertains to architecture
(Betsky married artist Peter Haberkorn in 2004 in the Netherlands, a decade
before the gay-marriage movement in the U.S.). He is one of the most respected
thinkers in the world of architecture today—a fountainhead of knowledge who
promises to breathe new life into the school and restore its stature as the “workshop
for reinventing American architecture.” (See “Aaron Betsky: The Future of
Taliesin West,” p. 8).
Tucker Woodbury is a visionary in his own right, but his focus is more on recreation
and historic preservation. His company, Genuine Concepts, is responsible
for a growing list of the Valley’s finest hangouts and watering holes, including
the iconic downtown places Crescent Ballroom and Valley Bar. You may know
him from a slew of other spots, including The Vig (four locations), Linger Longer
Lounge, Cobra Arcade Bar, Little Woody’s, The Beverly and, coming soon, The
Womack—a tribute to the Chez Nous (r.i.p.), the classic lounge that’s drowned
in Phoenix history. Woodbury completed many of these adaptive reuse projects
with his friend and business partner Charlie Levy. So let’s raise a glass to them
for making Phoenix a more enjoyable place (see “Tucker Woodbury: Tomorrow’s
Yesterday,” p. 34).
Those who have been around the Phoenix creative scene for the last decade will
remember a fashion line called Arte Puro—one of the early brands to surface
from the Valley’s fashion wasteland. So much has changed since then. We now
have a thriving fashion week and lots of designers selling wares.
Leonor Aispuro was half of Arte Puro. She had high hopes for the line and even
relocated to Brooklyn (before it was hip) to take it to the next level. After pouring
in blood, sweat and tears for years, Aispuro decided to leave. She came back to
Phoenix to regroup and start anew, with a more hands-on, sustainable approach.
Her Leonor Aispuro Private Collection is beginning to make waves beyond our
shores, with a recent appearance in Italian Vogue and a designer profile in British
Vogue (see, “Leonor Aispuro: Fashion Artisan,” p. 12).