Architectural Fantasies: Artist Built Environments

"Profiles more than 60 dwellings and monuments built by artists." —Publishers Weekly From Miami’s Coral Castle to LA’s Watts Towers, Architectural Fantasies explores over 60 dwellings across more than 30 states. These artist-built spaces allow one to step directly into the artwork, and range from scratch-built creations and modified structures to monuments, sites of devotion, and intricately decorated interiors. Is it a rollercoaster? A cathedral? A dream? There you are, traveling along the beautiful backroads of western Tennessee, or the majestic mountains of Colorado, or a quiet neighborhood in upstate New York, when you encounter a monumental and wondrous creation. You have found Billy Tripp’s Mindfield, Jim Bishop’s Castle, or Prophet Isaiah Robertson’s Second Coming House—examples of unconventional and unique visionary architecture. All across the U.S., these self-taught artists and architects, working outside of the mainstream, unite function with fantasy. The works are generally monumental, frequently provocative, often whimsical, sometimes reverential, and regularly misunderstood—but always remarkable. Experience this window into the passion and the innovation of some of our most creative artists and the ways they transform the spaces in which they live and work.