MEET THE CO-FOUNDERS

FLEUR: Sedona International Festival of Fine Art and Wine is co-founded by Toni and Taylor, a mother-daughter team whose shared vision brings together fine art, Arizona wine, and elevated cultural experiences in the heart of Sedona.

For Toni and Taylor, Sedona is not simply a destination, it is part of their family story. Across generations, both experienced Sedona through traditions rooted in art, nature, hospitality, and memory. For Toni, whose parents were avid collectors of Native American art, family trips to Sedona galleries several times a year were a cherished part of childhood. Her favorite place was Tlaquepaque where she loved helping her parents choose art from the lovely galleries that was always followed by afternoons spent picnicking and rock jumping along Oak Creek. For Taylor, Sedona meant weekends at her grandparents’ timeshare at Junipine Resort, exploring trails beneath the red rocks before gathering for family dinners at Javelina Cantina, one of her grandparents’ favorite restaurants. Since 2019, Toni and Taylor have lived in the Verde Valley, deepening a lifelong connection to the region's extraordinary beauty and cultural spirit.

For Toni, FLEUR is more than a festival. It is a deeply personal legacy project created in honor of her son, Trey, who passed away at just seven months old due to a medical misdiagnosis. A longtime creator of cultural events, including film, art, wine, and music festivals, and former owner of two art galleries, Toni envisioned FLEUR as a founder-curated celebration of beauty, craftsmanship, and meaningful gathering. At its heart, FLEUR is rooted in philanthropy, with a mission that values impact as much as celebration.

As Co-Founder and Director of Hospitality, Taylor brings a uniquely sensory perspective to the festival's evolution. With a background in luxury hospitality at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill, The Wrigley Mansion, and Royal Palms Resort and Spa, she developed a deep appreciation for the details that transform an event into a lasting memory. A descendant of the McArthur family, (her 3rd great uncle is Albert Chase McArthur, architect of the Arizona Biltmore), Taylor credits her family's legacy of hospitality and design for inspiring her passion for creating meaningful guest experiences.

In 2024, Taylor experienced significant vision loss as a result of diabetic retinopathy, forcing her to step away from a hospitality career at Mariposa where she had adored working for nearly five years. She lost complete vision in her left eye and has only 20/80 vision in her right eye. The experience profoundly altered how she engages with the world, heightening her awareness of sound, texture, aroma, taste, and atmosphere. Rather than ending her connection to hospitality, it transformed it. Today, she helps shape FLEUR through a philosophy that celebrates the full sensory experience of art, wine, cuisine, and place which creates moments designed not only to be seen, but to be felt, heard, tasted, and remembered.

Together, Toni and Taylor are creating more than a festival. They are building a new tradition for Sedona—one rooted in beauty, resilience, remembrance, and generosity, inviting guests to experience the art of living through every sense.

TREY BRAYDEN ROPER
October 14, 1996-May 23, 1997