Americana — nonfiction — K. C. Catalfamo

The Desert Architecture School Where Students Build Their Own Sleeping Quarters

Frank Lloyd Wright, known for creating “organic architecture” that prioritizes harmony between buildings and the natural environment, liked minimalist desert living so much that he encouraged his protégés to continue building rudimentary desert shelters after construction was completed. In addition to providing hands-on practice, the shelters forced aspiring architects to become intimately familiar with nature’s impact on living spaces.

Read more at Atlas Obscura.

Kelly CatalfamoApril 16, 2018Taliesin WestJournalism, Atlas Obscura, Americana, Frank Lloyd Wright, Architecture, Nature, Desert, The Southwest, Arizona, Education

The Perils and Pleasures of Jack Jumping

Skis, the snowboard, the toboggan, the bobsled, the luge, the inflated tube: Humans have designed plenty devices to get from the top of a snowy hill to the bottom. But some Vermonters aren’t satisfied by sleek, mainstream, mass-produced equipment. They favor "jack jumping" on a bizarre homemade device that looks like a seat perched atop a single ski.