Construction during the 2006 season consists mostly of interior finishing, with only a few small exterior concrete projects. At the concrete mixer are Takahiro Suzuki, who volunteers time in construction after his workshop, and workshopper Steve Furlong.

Workshoppers Steve and Heather McGregor are taught concrete finishing by volunteer crewleader Mika Kawai. Mika completed her workshop in September 2003 and returned from Japan several times to volunteer as part of the construction team.

Welcome to the July 23. 2006 seminar week and workshop participants.
From left: Vito Depalo [seminar week], Bradyn Smith, Matteo Depalo [seminar week], Te-su Han [seminar week], Anna Greenberg [seminar week], Hannes Garrett [seminar week], Erica Mazzucato, Karen Sanford [seminar week], Jinah Lee [seminar week], Lewis Schlitt, Soyeon Kim [seminar week], Raheel Yousaf Sadi, Sung-ho Jun [seminar week] and Rafael Bezerra.

The June 18. 2006 workshop participants graduated: Ben Yasui received his certificate from workshop coordinator Graziella Pazzanese.

The groups last official meeting is a workshop evaluation session.

[from left] Tearar Chan, Ben Yasui, Heather McGregor, Steve Furlong, Brett Roeth, Shannon Elliott and Will Townes.
[not in the photo] Cary Allison also graduated.

A major storm disabled Today@Arcosanti.

On the week-end before last, excitement continued from the Italian Night event on Saturday to a horrific monsoon thunderstorm Sunday evening. It was raining and hailing so hard, one could not see what was happening. Intense wind was coming from all directions at once and damage was only visible once the storm was past. There was some minor tornado activity with selective touchdowns in various locations at the Arcosanti site.

The storm center tore apart the blue wall with the Arcosanti lettering, at the entrance to the Visitors Center. Nothing else around it was touched. The 5' cinderblock wall in the keystone area, which was set up to protect the archive air-conditioning unit, was completely blown apart and at least half of the cinder blocks were broken, but there was not a scratch on the air-conditioning unit.

The roof of the equipment shed was bent up, some of the roof panels torn of and flung into various corners of the recycling area.

The Colly Soleri amphitheater tent was ripped badly, just after so much work has gone into major repair. A series of water-heating panels behind the East Crescent complex were flipped up and over, and there was a lot of minor damage all over the site. All in all we were very lucky.

Saturday morning, in intense heat, preparations for the Italian Night event continued.

[photos from upper left] A film crew from Korea arrived and the camera man peaks over chef Eleanor Gillis shoulder during meal preparation. Workshop participants Laura Gomes and Cary Allison use a huge wooden spoon to stir the pasta. The vegetarian Peperonata (Italian Vegetable Ratatouille) will be served in tasty Parmesan cups. Volunteers Daniel Usaquen, Takahiro Suzuki and Mika Kawai line the wheel barrow from which pasta will be served and workshop participant Shannon Elliot and Mika apply the Italian national colors. Kerri Krueger and chef Eleanor decorate Antipasta plates.

As set-up in the Vaults is in progress, the sky darkens and huge monsoon clouds come rolling in. A good and timely shower helped to cool things down and by the time visitors arrived rain and the capricious wind abated. The serving crew is ready for their stations. A site tour is included in the Italian Night package. Planning intern Wendy Wu with Antipasta plates.

Paolo Soleri greets his guests with the Korean film crew following along. The pasta arrives and, as every year, Paolo serves the pasta from a wheel barrow to everyone. Four serving stations were set up to serve everyone efficiently. The food was absolutely delicious and the concert was lively and a treat.

There really is no way to convey this terrific event in a few photos - come next year and see for yourself.

The largest event of the year at Arcosanti is tomorrow nights ITALIAN NIGHT with an expected attendence of 300 - 350 visitors. This years event is an Operatic Journey with Brian Asawa, tenor, Jessica Tivens, soprano and Victoria Kirsch on piano. The evening's program will include songs, arias and duets by Handel, Monteverdi, Rossini, Puccini, John Harbison, Jake Heggie, Kurt Weill and Tom Lehrer.

All hands are busy to prepare the site and a gigantic meal in our small cafe kitchen. So far it's the hottest day of the year, at about 105f. The theater is swept and the mote pumped out and cleaned ...

... chairs are gathered, cleaned and placed in the Colly Soleri Amphitheater, and rental tables and chairs have arrived.

Morning meeting today became an event strategy meeting. Workshop participants, volunteers and staff are part of seven teams to manage all of the different chores including food preparation, folding napkins, set-up of the dining area in the Vaults and clean-up of lots of dishes.

Chef Eleanor Gillis menu is Antipasta, Penne with Puttanesca Sauce, cold grilled Salmond with Arcosanti Tomato, Beet and Spinach Salad, Peperonata (Italian Vegetable Ratatouille) in Parmesan cups, Arcosanti Tomato and Bread Pudding, Polenta with Herbs, Green Salad with Arcosanti Peach Dressing, Pears and Pecans and for dessert Italian Ice and Biscotti.

The Construction crew finished drywall and paint work in the main room of the Unit 10 lightscoop apartment.
This apartment is located on the second floor of the East Crescent and it has a wonderful east view through the round window towards camp and the gardens along the Agua Fria riverbed.

Electric outlets and lights have been installed and work continues now to finish the small bathroom. Drywall is in place and painted with a moisture sealant. Planning staff Tanja Garbe installs tiny tiles in the shower stall.

Very precise work in this angled space. This report will continue.

Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum celebrates significant achievements in the design world with its annual National Design Awards, now in its seventh year. On June 5. PAOLO SOLERI was announced this years winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Paolo is invited to the White House today for the recognition of this award, prior to the formal award ceremony at the National Design Museum in New York in October 2006. His visit today will include a lunch with Laura Bush for all of the National Design Award winners.

Paolo prepared a short paper that he hopes to present at this occasion:

I am grateful to Cooper-Hewitt for the award and honored by the White House generosity.

Observations

An American born in Italy my allegiances make me an Earthling living for the last 60 years in the North American continent.

The more my work has given body to my conscience, the more the American "miracle" and it is a vast "miracle", has caused me to become critical. To put it succinctly, the insularity of the American nation, which cause-effect is xenophobia, has generated the Empire USA. It owes its existence and its triumph to Homo faber opportunism - industriousness and determination, but in the process, we westerners have been trapped in the cage of materialism, our invention. The invention is irresistible. It delivers us comfort, self-righteousness and pride.

The technocratic empire will be short-lived because its myopic and immense power is echoed by its own theocratic imprint. The triad - empire, technocracy, theocracy - has a common outcome, materialism, its eventual nemesis.

Criticism that doesn't propose alternatives is sterile if not cynical. The alternative I have been offering is the Lean Alternative. It speaks not of reformation. It speaks of reformulation of our faiths, priorities and our environment. Reformism, history tells us, is no go in disguise. The Goliath of materialism is not successfully confronted by timidity and reforms. It needs to be denounced and the alternative cannot be a reformation of the existent, but needs to be a reformulation of life's drives no longer captive to the rules of survival of the fittest. (Jungle Law)

Life is too magnificent, anguished and noble to be prey of a theocratic, technocratic empire idolatry. The immense reservoir of good will and excellence stored in the American people cannot, must not be wasted in a run into well-padded triviality.

Paolo Soleri

Interior finishing proceeds in the Unit 10 lightscoop apartment on the second floor of the East Crescent complex. There are four lightscoop apartments in various stages of completion.

The lightscoop apartments are small studios with the possibility of installation of a sleeping loft. Volunteer Mika Kawai finishes, muds and sands drywall before painting.

Crew leader Virginia Schutte instructs volunteer Mikyung Son in finishing drywall. The small bathroom is dry-walled and prepared for tiles. More on this Unit will follow on 7/12.

The bathroom of Unit 7 is almost complete.

Faucets, shower heads and handles are installed.

The concrete sink counter was poured by Planning coordinator Dan Kelliher. Concrete was mixed with very fine gravel and sand and blue pigment was added to the wet mixture. The concrete was carefully screed to achieve a very smooth surface.

The sun slowly rises behind the East Crescent complex.

Happy 4. of July, Independence Day, to you.