Vision

The Wright-Ingraham Institute envisions a model of integrated research and field studies that focus on complex interfaces (nexi) between natural and cultural systems in order to open new paths to solving contemporary dilemmas.

Mission Statement

Today, more than ever, our understanding of interfaces (nexi) between ecological/environmental systems and human cultures requires integrated inquiry and new problem solving techniques. To meet these challenges, the Wright-Ingraham Institute conducts and applies multifaceted research to site specific field study programs that engage with and benefit graduate students, leading academic thinkers, scientists, professionals, policy makers and stakeholders. Our goal is to model ways of understanding and interpreting complex systems that contribute to meaningful solutions in the service of society.

Our Story

The Wright-Ingraham Institute is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) education and research institution established in Colorado in 1970 by its Founding Director, the late Elizabeth Wright Ingraham. Elizabeth was a prolific author, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, a champion of women’s issues, and a highly regarded innovator who served on numerous boards and committees throughout her illustrious career. She is credited with the design of approximately 150 buildings throughout the Southwestern United States and was posthumously inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.

Elizabeth Wright Ingraham at Running Creek Field Station, circa 1973.

Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Frank Lloyd Wright, and strongly influenced by the teachings of George Bernard Shaw, Elizabeth was passionate about architecture, community, conservation, and creating synergistic relationships between natural and built systems. She created WII to promote, direct, encourage, and develop opportunities contributing to the conservation, preservation, and responsible use of human and natural resources. Under her direction, the Institute opened the Richard T. Parker Advanced Center for Research in 1973 at its Running Creek Field Station site. The field research and educational workshops, developed to study the ecosystems of the Front Range of Colorado, remain cornerstone to WII’s programming mission.

THE INTERFACE BETWEEN NATURE & CULTURE
Learn about the history and work of the Wright-Ingraham Institute.

Our Team

Staff

Tal C. Beery, Executive Director, has over fifteen years of experience in the environmental, arts, and educational sectors, and a distinguished career in nonprofit leadership, development, and strategic planning. Prior to joining the WII, Tal served as Chief Development Officer and Interim Co-Executive Director at the Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre, managing a staff of twenty-two and significantly increasing the center’s budget over three years. As co-founder and managing director of Arts and Ecology Incorporated, Tal created experiential education programs for undergraduate students, and is a frequent public speaker on place-based adult learning. Additionally, Tal has served as a consultant to more than sixty New York City community groups and social service organizations, successfully delivering impact evaluations, strategic plans, and grant awards that exceeded twenty million dollars. Tal’s independent and collaborative works as an artist and curator have been exhibited in the Whitney Biennial and the Brooklyn Museum, and he has lectured on art and social change at the Museum of Modern Art and numerous other venues.

Frida Foberg, Program Manager of the Field Stations program, is a Swedish community-oriented artist, architect, and curator. With an MA in Architecture from Aarhus School of Architecture, Frida works on interdisciplinary projects aimed at broadening awareness of social and environmental issues. Her work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, Liljevalchs, Arko Art Museum, and more. Frida’s collaborations with organizations like Arts Letters & Numbers, UNICEF, and Big Picture Learning reflect her dedication to fostering spaces for diverse voices and interactions.

Dylan Gauthier, Director of Research, is an artist, curator, designer, and educator whose practice investigates relationships between ecology, architecture, landscape, collaboration, and social change. His individual and collective projects have been exhibited at the Centre Pompidou, CCVA at Harvard University, the Parrish Art Museum, the Walker Art Center, and other venues globally. Dylan will advance WII’s research programs by helping to set priorities and goals for interdisciplinary research. Along with Frida Foberg, he co-directed the Institute’s Field Stations Iceland program in 2023, and he co-leads the Grants program with Anna Grady.

Board of Directors

Catherine Ingraham, Ph.D., President of the Board of the Wright-Ingraham Institute, is a Full Professor in the Graduate Program of Architecture at Pratt Institute, a program which she chaired from 1999-2005. She also has been a Visiting Faculty member at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, since 2016. Ingraham earned her Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University and was an editor, with Michael Hays and Alicia Kennedy, of the critical journal Assemblage. Ingraham has lectured at multiple national and internationals schools of architecture and published widely in journals and book collections. Her books include Architecture, Animal, Human (Routledge Press, London 2006), Architecture and The Burdens of Linearity (Yale University Press, New Haven 1998). She is currently working on two books, Architecture, Property and the Pursuit of Happiness and Worlds Between. Ingraham has won numerous fellowships and awards, including the Canadian Center for Architecture Fellowship, Graham Foundation grants, and MacDowell residencies. Catherine leads the StudyTank program at the WII.
Anna Grady is Vice President for Operations and Administration at the Vermont Community Foundation. VCF brings philanthropy and charitable goals together to serve Vermonters in every community. In this role, she oversees human resources, administration and I.T. functions of the organization. Anna is an accomplished leader in Human Resources and Administration, specializing in organizational strategy and development, systems thinking, change management, employee relations and strategic workforce planning. Anna's broad experience and pragmatic approach to developing employee engagement techniques, communication strategies and leadership development initiatives helps steer how WII approaches all HR-related matters, in accordance with our values, culture, and operational philosophies. Anna lives and works in Vermont. Anna also co-leads WII’s Grants program.
Frederick Marks, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, Six Sigma Green Belt, is currently a Visiting Scholar and Research Collaborator at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA. Mr. Marks has been a licensed architect for over thirty years and has a planning & design specialty in healthcare and laboratory science facilities. He holds degrees in architecture and business administration with a major in real estate & urban land economics. Mr. Marks is a founding Board member and Past-President of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA) in San Diego, CA. He is a former Assistant Director of the National American Institute of Architects (AIA) Professional Interest Committees, and a former National AIA Board Knowledge Committee member and advisor to the National AIA Research Summits. In 2024, he was elected to the College of Fellows of The AIA. He is a Past-President of his local AIA chapter and currently serves as its representative to California Committee on the Environment (COTE). Mr. Marks has been an advisor to the National Institute of Building Sciences and Delos WELL Living Laboratory, and continues to serve on the National ASHRAE Standing Guideline Project Committee, and the Johns Hopkins University Pedersen Brain Science Institute. Mr. Marks attended the WII Field Station program in 1975 as a student.
Frank Miller is a design-build architect experienced with residential, commercial, manufacturing and educational building types. Frank has expertise in urban/architectural design guidelines, master planning, digital design methods, architectural education, and research in renewable energy. He is interested in the intersection of art and science in the built environment and has a Bachelor of Science in Art and Design and a Master’s of Architecture from MIT, where he has also taught as an assistant professor. Frank lives with his family in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area.