Learn by Doing at Taliesin West! Whether you attend a half-day, 1-day or two-day workshop at Taliesin West, we offer workshops for a variety of skill levels and durations. Whichever you choose, you’ll come away with a new skill or hobby that’s sure to be a conversation starter.
Details:
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Each workshop is unique in agenda and pricing.
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Some workshops require you to bring your own supplies. Read each workshop description below to find out more about what to bring and how to prepare for your workshop.
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Workshops grant access to the areas of the property used for workshop instruction. Not all workshops include a tour. Please see workshop descriptions for details about what each workshop includes.
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Prices include any supplies, amenities, and food or beverage that are included with the workshop experience.
2 Day Workshops
All Levels Photography: Taliesin West Through Time with Andrew Pielage
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February 3 and 4, 2024 – 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Join us for a two-day, all-levels experience photographing the land and spaces that shape the history of Taliesin West. This all-levels workshop will take students on a journey through the timeline of Taliesin West, starting with our natural desert landscape, into the historic spaces around the property, and finishing with students creating their own visual chronology of the site. Discover more about how the land inspired Wright and notice the way experimentation is a part of everything done at Taliesin West.
Students will learn how to photograph both nature and architecture, as well as basic composition and editing. Participants can shoot using the digital camera of their choice. Phones and DSLR cameras are welcome, however, all cameras must produce digital file photos. Participants are also required to bring their own laptop to download, edit, and share their photos.
Price:
Adults $550
Students (13-25 with student ID) $385
Members $495
Intermediate/Advanced Creative Writing with Faculty from Scottsdale Community College
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March 9 and 10, 2024 – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Looking for inspiration for your next great written work? This intensive two-day workshop is designed for the intermediate or advanced creative writers seeking to grow their skills in an inspirational, world-renowned setting. Participants will have an opportunity to learn from Scottsdale Community College Creative Writing instructors during various theme-focused sessions. Throughout the workshop, participants will practice newly honed skills or continue working on a piece in progress while writing and sharing their work in various locations around Taliesin West. In the spirit of community-centered learning, participants will share and workshop their writing with one another, developing an appreciation for the path to progress.
Price:
Adults $550
Students (13-25 with student ID) $385
Members $495
SCC Creative Writing Instructor Bios
Kim Sabin
Kim Sabin is English Faculty and Creative Writing Lead at Scottsdale Community College. Along with teaching creative and academic writing courses, Kim produces and hosts events designed to elevate SCC student voices and serve the greater creative writing community. She serves as the editor of Vortex Literary and Art Journal, and her own creative writing work has been published in Lunch Ticket, Hags on Fire, and on Kelly Corrigan Wonders podcast. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles and is currently revising her first novel. When Kim isn’t busy grading papers or having conversations with fictional characters, she enjoys spending time with her beloved husband and daughter.
Sarah Yaron
Sarah Yaron is an author, poet, writer, and teacher. Her poetry and creative nonfiction have been published by The Smart Set, Across the Margin, Grey Sparrow Journal, From Whispers to Roars, The Big Windows Review, and Flora Fiction. Currently, three of her novels are agented and on submission to editors. She holds a BS from University of Pittsburgh in Applied Developmental Psychology and an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University. Sarah lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband and eight-year-old twins.
Erica Litz
Erica Maria Litz has been an Adjunct Creative Writing and English Professor for Scottsdale Community College since 2016. Erica Maria Litz is also a published poet and professional writer, editor, and publishing consultant. Her credentials include a BS in Business, MFA in Creative Writing, and MEd in Curriculum and Instruction in Gifted Education from Arizona State University.
1 Day Workshops
Introduction to Creative Writing with Faculty from Scottsdale Community College
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November 11, 2023 – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Have you ever wanted to share your story ideas with the world, but not known where to start? Join us for this one-day introduction to creative writing, taught by faculty from Scottsdale Community College’s Creative Writing Program. Participants will learn the core principles of nonfiction, poetry, and fiction while being inspired by Wright’s unparalleled architecture. Participants will generate a poem, a short memoir piece, and a flash fiction story, and learn how to effectively participate in critique sessions.
Price:
Adults $250
Students (13-25 with student ID) $175
Members $225
SCC Creative Writing Instructor Bios
Kim Sabin
Kim Sabin is English Faculty and Creative Writing Lead at Scottsdale Community College. Along with teaching creative and academic writing courses, Kim produces and hosts events designed to elevate SCC student voices and serve the greater creative writing community. She serves as the editor of Vortex Literary and Art Journal, and her own creative writing work has been published in Lunch Ticket, Hags on Fire, and on Kelly Corrigan Wonders podcast. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles and is currently revising her first novel. When Kim isn’t busy grading papers or having conversations with fictional characters, she enjoys spending time with her beloved husband and daughter.
Sarah Yaron
Sarah Yaron is an author, poet, writer, and teacher. Her poetry and creative nonfiction have been published by The Smart Set, Across the Margin, Grey Sparrow Journal, From Whispers to Roars, The Big Windows Review, and Flora Fiction. Currently, three of her novels are agented and on submission to editors. She holds a BS from University of Pittsburgh in Applied Developmental Psychology and an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University. Sarah lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband and eight-year-old twins.
All Levels Photography: Taliesin West Inspirations with Andrew Pielage
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January 27, 2024 – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
From the colors of the mountains to the shapes of the rocks, Wright’s buildings were inspired by the natural land around him. Find your own desert inspiration in this one-day, all-levels photography workshop! In the morning, you’ll learn how to capture the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, and then you’ll spend the afternoon photographing Wright’s desert-inspired architecture at Taliesin West. This workshop will culminate in sharing your own inspirational journey, and the photo you took along the way, with other workshop participants.
Participants can shoot using the digital camera of their choice. Phones and DSLR cameras are welcome, however, all cameras must produce digital file photos. Participants are also required to bring their own laptop to download, edit, and share their photos.
Price:
Adults $250
Students (13-25 with student ID) $175
Members $225
Half-Day Workshops
Desert Landscaping with Michele McGuinness
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February 10, 2024 – 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Looking for a new way to keep your yard sustainable? Join Master Gardener Michele McGuinness for an in-depth class on landscape gardening in Arizona. Learn some of the little-known tips and tricks for maintaining your plants throughout the seasons and come away with a greater appreciation for the native southwestern landscape. This workshop includes an engaging information session with Michele, followed by an inspiring walk across Taliesin West’s property to learn about the different techniques you can incorporate into your personal landscape design.
Michele McGuinness, a Maricopa Master Gardener since 2019, continues to expand her landscape and gardening experience in sustainable desert landscape and landscape design. She currently teaches vegetable gardening and integrated pest management (IPM) at Maricopa home shows and in the Desert Institute of Gardening. Active in teaching for over 40 years, she currently works with children and the community at the Fort McDowell Early Childhood Education Center building and maintaining a production vegetable garden.
Price:
Adults $150
Students (13-25 with student ID) $105
Members $135
Succulent Gardening with Michele McGuinness and Gretchen Tittle
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March 16, 2024 – 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Capable of surviving in harsh climates with little water, succulents are a beautiful and unique species that many people are fond of! Join Master Gardeners Michele McGuinness and Gretchen Tittle to learn more about how these special plants grow and thrive in the desert and then make a piece of living art that you can take home with you. During this half-day workshop, you’ll receive educational instruction in caring for and planting succulents, enjoy an informative walk across Taliesin West’s property focusing on the surrounding landscape, and end your day with a hands-on activity planting succulents in a pot you can then take home and use to decorate your living space or patio.
Michele McGuinness, a Maricopa Master Gardener since 2019, continues to expand her landscape and gardening experience in sustainable desert landscape and landscape design.
Gretchen Tittle has been a Certified Master Gardener since 2021 and is a graduate of the Desert Botanical Garden Desert Landscape School as of Spring 2023. Gretchen’s gardening philosophies encourage integrating sustainable design, landscaping and horticultural practices to create a desirable habitat garden.
Price:
Adults $150
Students (13-25 with student ID) $105
Members $135
Private Events at Taliesin West
Hosting your event at this architectural icon will be a special and memorable experience for your guests. For those who value one-of-a-kind experiences in iconic environments, Taliesin West is both a National Historic Landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Taliesin West may not be used for birthday parties, reunions, wedding receptions, external customer marketing events or events that are political or religious in nature.
