Statement by Barbara Buehler, New York City Planner

As to the lie about vacations, Ms. Buehler writes: It is beyond ridiculous to say that Aesthetic Realism prevents a person from having vacations and going on trips.

In recent years alone, my husband, who is an architect, and I, who am a New York City planner, have traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah; Charleston, South Carolina; St. Augustine, Florida; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to see the stunning Art Museum by the important Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava; to Spring Green, Wisconsin and Taliesin East, the early home of Frank Lloyd Wright; Oak Park and Chicago; to Pittsburgh and Bear Run, Pennsylvania, to see Wright’s famous house, Fallingwater. We have made numerous trips to Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Connecticut, Maryland, the Berkshires. The list could go on.

As to the lie that Aesthetic Realism is against personal accomplishments, Ms. Buehler writes: To say that in studying Aesthetic Realism one’s accomplishments are belittled is absurd in the extreme. My accomplishments in my chosen field as an urban planner have not only been encouraged by the people I know who study and teach Aesthetic Realism, but have been applauded by them—including the fact that my statement on the need for housing for every American was selected for exhibition in the Municipal Art Society of New York’s Centennial Exhibition, “100 Great Ideas for New York’s Future”; and the opening of that exhibition was attended by many friends and colleagues. I have been very much encouraged as a featured speaker at housing conferences at New York University, Harvard, the University of Maryland, and the American Institute of Architects’ 2000 National Convention in Philadelphia.

As to the lie about the family, Ms. Buehler writes: To say that Aesthetic Realism is against family relationships is bizarre! I am closer to my family—who don’t study Aesthetic Realism—than I ever was before. And since my father’s death, this closeness has grown even more with my mother, whom I visit often and talk with at least once a week. I may add that over these years my parents have been very generous to us financially. And I count my brother, who is a Presbyterian minister, as one of my trusted friends.