Paolo Soleri with workshopers : Construction : Photos : Jennifer Thornton

The Arcosanti Community Council is offering one full scholarship this year to attend the workshop program. The application process is open to anyone who can demonstrate need of financial assistance in paying for the workshop and, as the Council has only enough funds to offer one scholarship this year, the recipient will be chosen from amongst the applicants demonstrating need, based on the merit of the applications as judged by the Council.

The deadline for applications to be in hand at Arcosanti is on or before May 21, 2003. The scholarship will then be good for any workshop July - November 2003 or in the 2004 calendar year (February - November), with the recipient being announced in June, 2003.

The following requirements are in addition to the currently established application process for admittance to the workshop itself. The applicant may apply to the workshop program before or after the recipient of the scholarship is announced.
Application Requirements:

1. Demonstration of Need
As this is essentially a need-based scholarship, the applicant must first demonstrate inability to afford the workshop tuition. The Council asks for a statement detailing average monthly income, average monthly expenses and additional financial assets, such as savings, investments or financial support from family. The Council asks that those with the resources to pay workshop tuition not apply. If deemed necessary the applicant may be asked for additional documentation of financial status.

2. Letters of Recommendation
The applicant must submit letters from three people, not in their immediate family, who know them well and can speak to their personality, attitude, work ethic, interests and ability. The Council also asks that the author of the letter comment upon their perception of the applicant's financial status, if they feel qualified to do so.

3. Essay
A statement detailing the nature of the applicant's interest in coming to Arcosanti. This is separate from the short statement required for the regular workshop application, as it should be somewhat longer and have a slightly different focus. This scholarship is being offered by the Arcosanti community (the people who live here, funded with their own money) and as such the Council would like to know what the applicant feels they can bring to the Arcosanti community, what they hope to gain from their experience here and what their expectations of life in this community might be. One reason for offering this scholarship is to gain a greater variety of active, longer-term community members, so the Council is interested in knowing the applicant's plans for after their workshop: if they are interested in staying on at Arcosanti, returning as a resident at a later date or plan to take the workshop as an educational experience on its own. It should be made clear that the workshop is a trial period for all involved, so no statements on future plans are binding.

4. Portfolio or Descriptive Resume
The parameters for this are very broad, but it will be central to the ultimate selection of the scholarship recipient. Again, as a community based scholarship, the Council is interested in bringing interesting, creative, knowledgeable and productive individuals into the community. The material presented need not relate to a specific job the applicant hopes to gain at Arcosanti (although this could, no doubt, be an added benefit) but instead to the accomplishments and talents the applicant feels best represent their interests and abilities. With this in mind the portfolio could contain creative material of any kind, videos, photographs or other documents of any projects the applicant would like to highlight. Alternatively, a descriptive resume could be submitted, detailing projects or experiences successfully undertaken by the applicant. The applicant is encouraged to be creative in their submission and choose whatever best showcases their abilities and accomplishments.

These application materials should include the applicant's name, mailing address, e-mail and phone number. They should be sent to arrive on or before May 21st, 2003 to:

Arcosanti Community Council
HC 74 Box 4136
Mayer, AZ 86333

Application materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Once a recipient has been chosen, their acceptance includes a commitment to two additional projects, over and above the regular workshop requirements:

1. Documentation of Experience
The Council is creating a community archive and asks each scholarship recipient to record his or her thoughts and experiences during the workshop in some way which can be preserved in that archive. The nature of the document is, again, as broad as the recipient's imagination: journal, essay, photo essay, video, song cycle, etc.

2. Community Enrichment/Improvement Project
The recipient is also asked to undertake one project designed to make Arcosanti a better place to be. This, again, is limited only by the recipient's imagination and could be practical (clean-up a space, set up a video library, tool lending system, etc.), cultural (performance, exhibition, education) or just about anything else (design a building for somewhere on site, for instance). The Council will work closely with the recipient in an advisory capacity, helping to facilitate the project and guiding the recipient's plans toward that which is feasible. Funds may be requested through the Council's funds proposal system. If deemed necessary due to size or nature of the project, the Council could elect to grant a time extension to the recipient.

During the last week of the workshop the Council will host a formal presentation of the document and the project undertaken by the recipient during their time here. The nature of the presentations will vary as greatly as the nature of that being presented, but the Council hopes the event will bean exciting addition to our yearly calendar, celebrating the mutually beneficial experience of bringing someone who otherwise could not have afforded the workshop into the community and gaining a dedicated new addition to Arcosanti.