Congratulations to the January 31. 2010 workshop participants upon their graduation!

[from left]: Astrid Sonne, Kirsten Lynge, Daniel Reiff, Ikue Saitou, Jin-Hee Koh, and Cara Pirello.
[photo & text: Colleen Reckow]

Our youngest residents pose for a picture with Arcosanti in the background, from left to right: Graham, Sasha, Maxwell, and Sebastian.
[photo Nadia Begin & text: Colleen Reckow]

The greenhouse report continues from Monday: the first crops were planted yesterday!

In this view, Nadia Begin inspects the recently installed membrane from the greenhouse interior. Three planter boxes are prepared currently. A fourth planting area will be constructed at the ground level on the far left.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
With the seeds and seedlings spread out and a plan drawn up, the planting team, lead by Bambú Ransom, got dirty. Our soil is comprised of: one part silt, two parts compost, with added peat moss in the top layer.
[photo & text: Colleen Reckow]
Workshop participants Cara Pirello, Astrid Sonne, Daniel Reiff, and Kirsten Lynge planted the chard and lettuce area with a rotation for timed harvest in mind.

Jeff Buderer planted dill seeds among strawberry seedlings.
[photo & text: Colleen Reckow]
In the future crop are cucumbers, carrots, summer squash, and more. Tomatoes were planted with marigolds to help prevent leafhoppers and borage to stop tomato worm. Many small loquat trees are currently stored in the greenhouse, but will be soon planted around site.
[photo & text: Colleen Reckow]

Since our last report on February 22, our new greenhouse was prepared for planting. In just the past week, the planter boxes were finished, the soil mixed, and the membrane installed.

After installing one end panel of the membrane, the construction team carried the next panel into position. Planter box work continued as well.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
The membrane, in specific, is a Polymax 5.2 oz clear woven greenhouse covering with added UV inhibitors. The end panels feature zippered openings for access.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
The frame required a few final touches before full enclosure and the third planter box is almost complete in this photo.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
Last Thursday, the largest section of the membrane was installed. Here the team (front to back: Nadia Begin, Cara Pirello, Jeff Buderer, Astrid Sonne, and Kirsten Lynge) unrolls and secures the membrane.

Workshop participants Kirsten Lynge and Otto Vervaet secure one corner. In the future, these long sides will roll up to allow for passive ventilation.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
Now the greenhouse is prepared for the 2010 growing season. On Wednesday, we will continue our report on the greenhouse and details about our first crops.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]

Continuing our report on the Resident Art Show: New work was recently added to the collection.

David DeGomez added his colorful "Figure Study" and Larry Meagher set up a display of his ceramic work.
[photo: sue & text: Colleen Reckow]
The stained glass Madonna was created by Melissa Soluski and Maria Soleri exhibits original paintings and greeting cards.
[photo: sue & text: Colleen Reckow]
Ceramic pendants by Colleen Reckow are available for purchase as well as Alfonso Elia's framed photography.
[photo: sue & text: Colleen Reckow]

Earlier this month, the Ceramics department hosted a bell-carving session for the new workshop. Participants had the opportunity to learn the processes and techniques taught to employees of the department.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
Using simple utility knives with specialized blades, they learned carving strokes and practiced on a small bell. Then, given a larger bell, participants created a final design for themselves.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
Later the bells were fired and assembled and available to take home.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]

Continuing our report on the greenhouse construction: A lot of progress has been made since our last report in December, with the help of the new workshop and construction team.

The frame is entirely in place, as shown in this first photo.

Next, work began on the large planter boxes.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
Leaving only one end of each planter box open, the team can easily fill the boxes with wheelbarrows. They are transferring aggregate, soil, and compost from the truck to the planters.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
Pictured here is a closer view of that process as well as the workshop members involved.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
Aggregate was collected near the greenhouse to line the bottom for drainage.

Processed compost was sifted and collected from the agriculture department.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
The compost will be mixed with soil and added to the planters in preparation for growing food in the greenhouse. But first, the boxes were lined with plastic. In the near future we will report on the greenhouse membrane installation and further progress.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]

The Year of the Tiger began on February 14th, 2010 and Arcosanti residents celebrated the Chinese New Year among other events that busy day with a parade and bonfire.

Astrid Sonne and Kirsten Lynge applied the finishing touches to their dragon's head in preparation for the parade.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
The group assembled in the café before walking through site with drums; hoping to drive out any bad spirits.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
Brian Thompson and Kirsten headed up the dragon.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
Jose Masoy followed close behind.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]

On Sunday, February 14th, the 2010 Annual Resident Art Show opened in the early afternoon. Many visitors stopped by Arcosanti during the long holiday weekend and had an opportunity to view our display. We provided light refreshments, wine, and music for the event.

Among many other artists, Sammie Tapia presented her oil paintings of the local environment.
[photo: sue & text: Colleen Reckow]
Artists from Cosanti also joined our show, pictured here is work by Maria Soleri and Katharine Simpson.
[photo: sue & text: Colleen Reckow]
Pastel paintings by Colleen Reckow and sculpture by Cliff Hersted returned again this year.
[photo: sue & text: Colleen Reckow]
Landscape photographs by David DeGomez.
[photo: sue & text: Colleen Reckow]
To celebrate Valentines Day, community members decorated the café with paper roses while enjoying the music and conversation.
[photo: sue & text: Colleen Reckow]
It was argued that "everyone should have a chandelier," after the installation of a new lighted fixture above the café bar seating (also an element of the art show created by Astrid Sonne and Kirsten Lynge).

Meanwhile, Pete spun a mix of Jazz, the Beatles, and light music for the afternoon.
[photo: sue & text: Colleen Reckow]

After meticulous preparation, the pour of the heat-duct tunnel walls and the last section of the tunnel roof, happened on Thursday, February 11. 2010.
The concrete was ordered from off-site, also a pump truck with a very long hose to access the lowest section of the forms first.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: sue]
Concrete was poured into the sloping form on the west side of the tunnel about half-way up, then the east side about half-way up ...
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: sue]
... then the upper half of the west-side, followed by the upper half of the east side of the tunnel wall forms.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: sue]
The pour of both walls are completed and now the last section of the tunnel roof is poured.
Here we see new workshop participant Ikue Saitou helping to finish the surface of the roof slab.

We will continue this report with the removal of the tunnel wall forms.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: sue]

[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: sue]

[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: sue]

[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: sue]

[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: sue]

Our first workshop of 2010 began Sunday, January 31st with seminar week. This week consists of a series of lectures about Arcosanti's history and tours of the individual departments on site. Also, the new group participates in their first work opportunities for the project.

Here the workshop peers over our current construction project, the heat duct tunnel and greenhouse. The tunnel extends from the S.O.D. Building to the greenhouse just above the Greenhouse Guest Rooms.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
Looking over construction drawings, the workshop gains a clearer understanding of the project and our construction department. Preparations are underway for the next large concrete pour.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
To assist the landscaping department, the workshop helped to finalize the landscaping around the new pedestrian ramp.
[photo: S Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
They helped to set concrete pavers behind the Ceramics Apse.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]
And they expressed some creativity in the Silt-Cast workshop. This is an opportunity to work artistically with silt and create a plaster tile to take home.
[photo: Chihiro Saito & text: Colleen Reckow]

The 2010 Arcosanti Resident Artshow opens on Valentines Day, Sunday February 14. 2010, with a reception from 1 pm to 5 pm.

Resident artists and Arcosanti alumni artists will present works of sculpture, photography, ceramics, painting, drawing, crafts, woodworking and jewelry.

The show can be viewed in the Arcosanti Cafe daily from 9 am to 5 pm and will run until April 1. 2010.
[Image & text: Cliff Hersted]

Welcome to this little boy, born to almni Ania Gorka and Adam Nordfors.

Adam: "his name is Wayland Tadeusz Nordfors and he was born friday the 29th in the early morning".
[photos: Ania Gorka Adam Nordfors & text: Ania, Adam, sue]

Welcome to the first group of workshop participants for 2010:

[from left]:
Mike Kelliher, Sarah Murphy [seminar week], Jin-Hee Koh from South Korea, Astrid Sonne from Denmark, Ikue Saitou from Japan, Daniel Reiff, Cara Pirello [work-study and workshop], Otto Vervaet from Belgium [3 weeks], Kirsten Lynge from Denmark and Jacon Breczinski [seminar week].
[photo & text: sue]

In response to the recent catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, the Cosanti Foundation has donated $3,000 from our Tsunami Disaster Fund to Partners in Health, a Boston-based nonprofit organization that has provided vital health care services in Haiti for more than 20 years.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti near its capital of Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010, leaving a path of utter devastation. Partners in Health is one of the largest health care providers in the country, working with the Haitian Ministry of Health to deliver comprehensive health care services to a catchment area of 1.2 million.

Our donation was made possible by gifts and accumulating contributions from the sale of Soleri Cause Bells, a line of bronze windbells sold in a variety of designs, each representing a specific cause or charity. A portion of the sale of each Cause Bell benefits a nonprofit organization.

Paolo Soleri designed the Tsunami Cause Bell [photo] in response to the massive earthquake/tsunami off the Indian Ocean in December 2004. Today, the Tsunami Bell and Fund represents the call for a humanitarian embrace of natural disaster victims worldwide.

You can join Arcosanti’s effort by giving today. Simply click on https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/haiti_earthquake?source=earthquake&subsource=standwithhaiti/"target = "_blank">Stand with Haiti It is not too late to help with a contribution in any amount.

More about Partners in Health.
[photo: Cosanti Foundation & text: Erin Jeffries]

As an urban laboratory, Arcosanti residents are encouraged to participate in community policy making. Last week there was a joint meeting of the ALT (Arcosanti Leadership Team) and the Community Council to clarify questions and assess current and future needs for policy.

Three main topics were discussed.

1) The new Extended Stay program is a way to promote longer visits from former workshop participants. The program is already in operation but there are many areas still in question.

2) Some of the cubes in the initial construction camp have been offered to the Extended Stay participants and some are in use as year-round residence by staff and volunteers. Verbal traditions need to be refined into written guidelines for the use of camp housing.

3) Verbal traditions have sufficed for the Lab Building art studio allocation and management as well. Needed guidelines were discussed.

Community Council meets weekly to discuss community issues and holds quarterly All-Site Meetings to discuss current issues with everyone's attendance invited. ALT meets every three weeks to discuss matters of policy. Joint meetings are held as necessary and are open to all interested residents.


[photo: Colleen Reckow & text: Anita Baker]

Continuing our Heat Duct Tunnel report from 1/6/10:
Our construction team is almost ready for the next large concrete pour. The interior sides of the wall formwork are in place. In this photo, crew member Jeff Buderer works diligently to finish bracing one wall.
[photo: sue & text: Colleen Reckow]
At the top of the tunnel, formwork for the last section of the roof slab is nearing completion.
[photo & text: Colleen Reckow]
A view from below and above of the construction progress gives a clear view of the inner and outer walls of the formwork and bracing. The lower parts of the walls will be poured first. We will continue this report with images of the actual pour.
[photo & text: Colleen Reckow]

We continue our report about the Kansas City Art Institute students from 1/20/10.
The KCAI students concluded their visit to Arcosanti with an art show. Visitors and residents had a chance to view the drawings they produced here and meet the individual artists.
[photo: Alfonso Elia & text: Colleen Reckow & Russel Ferguson, KCAI]
According to instructor Russel Ferguson, "Drawing for KCAI might be distinguished by its respect for function. A drawing is made to understand or to persuade. Consequently the lines and marks might be said to have the same responsibility, i.e. function."
[photo: Alfonso Elia & text: Colleen Reckow & Russel Ferguson, KCA]
Russel Ferguson: "Each student has produced a suite of Drawings in response to Edifices, Buildings and in response to daily propositions. Each suite might be seen as a series of questions about existence in and around parts of the circle. We all know from Kurosawa the circle is the glyph for community."
[photo: Alfonso Elia & text: Colleen Reckow & Russel Ferguson, KCA]
Participants in this program:

Bena, Jeremy
—Freshman in Foundation
Brumback, Adam
—Sophomore in Photography, —Digital & Film
Catto, Patty
—English, Liberal Arts
Drumwright, Marc
—Sophomore in Ceramics
Fernandez, Lindsay
—Freshman in Foundation
Gallucci, Madeline
—Sophomore in Print

Ginzburg, Brett—Freshman in Foundation
Grimm, Joey—Senior in Sculpture
Hansen, Justin—Sophomore in Sculpture
Hsu, Brooke—Senior in Painting
Johnson, Jordan—Senior in Sculpture
Kamerer, Anna—Senior in Sculpture
Lawrence, Ryan—Senior in Printmaking
Lenger, Amos—Senior in Printmaking
Loesce, Stewart—Graduate Massier in Interdisciplinary
Loiselle, Sophie—Freshman in Foundation
Lyles, Andrew—Senior in Painting
Meier, Will—Freshman in Foundation
Mersmann, Joel—Senior in Sculpture
McConnell, Mike—Freshman in Foundation
Paradise, Sydney—Senior in Sculpture
Philips, Alex—Senior in Painting
Ross, Cydney—Freshman in Foundation
Rosenblatt, Ryan—Junior in CCA, Film
Schooler, Aida—Freshman in Foundation
Tellini, Sal—Sophomore in Sculpture
[photo: SAlfonso Elia & text: Colleen Reckow & Russel Ferguson, KCA]

We were not able to post on Friday 1/22/09, because our website was down due to a terrific storm that came through Arizona on Thursday and Thursday night.
[photo: the lake and dam below Arcosanti before the storm]
[photo: YoungSoo Kim & text: sue]
This storm dropped over three feet of snow on Flagstaff, just an hour's drive north of us. Here at Arcosanti there was a lot of rain accompanied by fierce winds.
This photo was taken by Alfonso Elia during the storm.
The water level has almost reached the top of the dam.
There is a spillway at the right end of the dam that lets water escape into the field behind the dam.
[photo: SAlfons Elia & text: sue]
This photo was taken on Friday morning after the storm.
[photo & text: sue]
The water pressure of the run-offs from the surrounding mesas, feeding into the lake, has broken the dam.

On Wednesday, January 27. 2010, we will have one more report about the student group from Kansas City Art Institute.
[photo & text: sue]