This continues the report of a new storage shed for the Ceramics Studio from 9/25/06.
[from upper left] Expanded metal lath was applied to the outer walls, before they were covered with another coat of concrete. Construction staff Brendon Maloney and Mario Nuzzulese prepare a special concrete mix. Angus Gluck [with hat] headed this project.
The coating was moistened and cured for three weeks.
Once the first coating was cured, another thin coat of concrete was applied. Dry silt was added to this coating while it was wet.
[from upper left]Workshop participants Jung Ju Lee and Gabrielle Falconi, workshop participant Alfonso Elia, construction volunteer Darina Trendafilova, Jung Ju Lee and workshop participant Stanford Mandizha.

This surface coating blends well with the surrounding structure. The ceramics shed is complete. Well done!

Arcosanti staff and workshop participants visited the studio and sculpture garden of world famous sculptor John Waddell in Cornville, AZ. Mr. Waddell gave an extensive tour of the grounds and explained his technique and inspiration, talked about his life and experiences.
The purpose of the visit was to transport one of the sculptures to Arcosanti for display in the Colly Soleri Memorial Garden infront of the Vaults.

It took finesse and coordination to move this extremely heavy piece into a truck at the studio, then from the truck through the Vaults, down a ramp, into its present location in the Colly Garden.

The Sculpture is called THREE FRIENDS, or TRILOGY, a Bronze group on a single base • 87" x 52" x 26" (221cm x 132cm x 66cm) • It is for sale at $350,000.

Cosanti Foundation Board of Directors member Michel Sarda organized a picnic with a formal dedication ceremony, that included a traditional Navajo blessing of the sculpture and participants.

John Waddell (b.1921) was raised in the Midwest and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and had his first solo show in Peoria, Illinois at age 21.
He was in the military and the G.I. Bill financed the remainder of his formal education, which was two M.F.A.'s in Fine Arts and Art Education.
He and his wife, Ruth, a close partner in his professional as well as his personal life, moved to Arizona in 1957. Here he headed the art education department at Arizona State University (then Arizona State College) for several years. During this time Waddell made sculpture his primary art form.
The 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, in which four young girls died, became a pivotal event in his development as an artist. The monument he created in response to that tragedy, That Which Might Have Been, Birmingham, 1963, resides in the garden he designed for it at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Lincoln Drive in Phoenix.
His sculptures are exhibited in many places in Phoenix, including Civic Plaza and the Phoenix Art Museum. The Waddells have lived in the Verde Valley since 1970 and make frequent visits to Grand Canyon, where they sketch and paint.

Terry Golden travels across the United States with a stage supported completely by solar panels. Performances can be held without any external electric power. The name of his company is 'Sustainable Waves'.
On the front of the solar panel trailer is a map with all of the cities that Terry visited so far on his 'Tour de Fat'.
To achieve better exposure to collect the suns energy, Terry Golden developed a system of cranks that change the inclination of each solar panels installed on the both sides of the trailer. The panels are connected to a set of batteries in front of the stage which charge during the day for future use.

Terry visited Arcosanti for two weeks and joined part of the construction crew. He headed a team that completely rewired the stage lighting in the Colly Soleri Amphitheater and installed a whole new set of lighting fixtures. This was a very complex job and it was great to have a real expert willing to teach the crew. Wire had to be replaced from the panel box to the top of the west pillar. Scaffolding was set up on the stage to reach the steel bars that support the lighting system.

Workshop participants Stan Mandizha and Alfonso Elia were part of the team and receive instruction from Terry.
It was a stroke of good fortune that brought Terry to Arcosanti and his expertise and offer to handle this long overdue project. Thank you very much.

The Human Nature Dance Theatre presented "Essentially", a variety show including dance, drama, singing and comic performance on Saturday, October 21. 2006, at the Colly Soleri Amphitheatre.

The group arrived on October 15. for their annual one-week workshop. During the week, the performers Jayne Lee, Delisa Myles, Paul Moore, Joanna Rotkin, Megan Montgomery had rehearsals on the dance floor, which was especially set up for the performance.

As usual in every event, a fine dinner was prepared, by chef Eleanor Gilles, for visitors and residents before the performance. The costumes were designed by Anastazia Louise and Fkir Elderfae, who also did the sound. Murray Natkie, staff member of the Arcosanti Information Service, did the lighting. Human Nature was formed in 1994 and is based in Flagstaff. The group performs regularly in the region and also has performed nationally and internationally.

Alumnus Jeff Stein reports on the award ceremony:

Here's how it was earlier this week at the National Design Awards at the Cooper-Hewitt/Smithsonian Museum in New York City:
it was crowded, noisy, warm, and every man in the place was dressed in BLACK.
First, of course, as with any great awards ceremony, there were DRINKS! And hors doeuvres. In a big tent, blocking 91st Street, in front of the Cooper-Hewitt, folks began to arrive, New Yorkers mostly, a little reticent to approach Soleri who was looking very smart in his formal-wear. Except for official photographers who would lead him away from time to time for portraits.
A good interview is in this month's Cooper Hewitt National Design Journal, multiple copies of which were available to party-goers. There were around 500 of those. There was President Roger Mandle of Brown University, chair of the National Design Awards this year. And architect Richard Meier. And Rev. Howard Moody; he is with us, as is Dino DeConcini. And there's my neighbor Martha Schwartz, landscape architect from Cambridge. And Diane von Furstenberg.
Photo: Alumnus Doug Lee's daughter Sonya, all grown up, congratulates the award-winner.

No one was reticent about approaching Jim Labioda. "Pardon me," said a tall woman. "Are you Governor Pataki?" "No, Ma'am," said Labioda, resplendent in a tuxedo that we believe had once been worn by economist John Kenneth Galbraith. "That man right there?" he said, pointing to Roger Tomalty, "I'm his assistant."
By 7:30PM the drinks tent was full of celebrants; no one could move or breathe, a hint that it was time to traipse through the museum lobby and into the dinner tent set-up to cover the garden courtyard of the Museum. 55 tables of 9, black tablecloths, black stemware, bright red goody-bags, six giant video screens, and slinkys, that springy child's toy, as decoration everywhere. Paolo was in the middle of the room at a table of award recipients, seated next to architect Thom Mayne's wife, who was in a backless and low-cut gown, accepting an award on behalf of her husband who was in Paris instead of here.
Food began to arrive at the tables, and wine; and speeches and video began to flow from the dias. In no time it was dessert and the award presentations. Spike Lee presented an award, mentioning that the Mets were up 1 to 0, bottom of the third. And Robert Downey Jr. said something cheerful about a young award recipient. Awards and their presentors move light and fast.
Photo: Alumnus Jim Labioda and Arcosanti planning intern Mario Nuzzolese.

Then Milton Glaser presents the Lifetime Achievement Award to Paolo. Glaser actually knows Soleri, understands the work, admires it all. This shows. The crowd, which till now was not thinking about much, slows down, quiets. And Paolo has a few things to say to this crowd, too. About architecture, about religion as dramaturgy, about our responsibility to the future. Paolo's closeup is live on all the big video screens, his voice miked throughout the giant tent. And then someone hands him the award, a kind of extruded star a foot long made of some mystery material, and its over. Everyone toasts the winners with champaigne, some folks gather up slinkys (I think we'll be seeing a few of these at Arcosanti), and now, with the ice broken at last, people do come up to Paolo to talk.
More desserts and socializing and drinks (witnessing awards is thirsty work!) in the Museum which has thoughtfully opened its bookstore to the crowd.
And night settles on the city. Thursday morning, the sun rises over the Atlantic to shine on Paolo Soleri, winner of the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Photo: Daniela Soleri, daughter of Paolo Soleri, and Roger Tomalty, sans tie, emitting good cheer.

This continues the 10/11 report on the exhibit “PAOLO SOLERI - Green Aesthetics/Green Ethics” at the Bannister Gallery at Road Island College in Providence, RI.
Rhode Island College students clean and prepare the beautiful model of ARCVILLAGE II. This is an arcology design from the recently re-published Paolo Soleri book 'City in the Image of Man'.

Part of the exhibition consists of a selection of panels with images of silt cast techniques used in the construction of Cosanti and Arcosanti. Cosanti Foundation staff member Roger Tomalty taught a siltcast workshop to Rhode Island College students. On Exhibit is also a set of 17 panels of SOLARE, LEAN LINEAR CITY, Paolo Soleri's latest arcology design.

Arcosanti alumnus Jeff Stein gave the opening talk. Jeff Stein is the Director of Architecture at the Boston Architectural Center, which had a Soleri exhibition in April this year.

The Bannister has events planned in the gallery to support Soleri's ideas throughout the month of October: film showings, lectures, poetry readings; alumnus Jeff Stein joined for a panel discussion on Soleri's work with the Dean of Rhode Island College, the Head of RISD's Architecture Department, and an environmental design Professor from Brown, and their students.
Paolo Soleri lectures at RISD, Rhode Island School of Design, on October 24. at 7pm.
He will meet with students and public at the Bannister Gallery on October 25. at 11am.
The exhibit is open until October 27. 2006.

Paolo Soleri East-Coast tour:

Thursday, October 19. 2006, New York City:
Paolo Soleri accepted the NATIONAL DESIGN AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT from Smithonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. [photos and separate report to come]

Friday, October 20. 2006, New York City:
11am interview with Bill Menking from Architect's Newspaper
4pm Alumni reunion at the Lemongrass Grill, ( East 13th St) phone 646-486-7313
6:30pm Presentation at Parson's School of Design

Monday, October 23. 2006, Washington, DC:
5:30pm Meeting with students at the National Design Museum
6:30pm Soleri presentation at the National Design Museum

On a very cold night, this month event at the Colly Soleri Music Center was the play "Albert in Wonderland: A Fantasia on Einstein" written and performed by Jeremy Lawrence.
He also performed "Talking Tennessee" at Arcosanti two years ago.

This years original play was commissioned and developed by the American Southwest Theatre Company (ASTC) based in part on "The Expanded Quotable Einstein" by Alice Calaprice and “The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein". The play explored Einstein's life and theories with some of the debates with contemporaries like Heisenberg. Mr. Lawrence captiveted the audience with an excellent performance.

Before the play, a delicious dinner was served in the Cafe for residents and visitors. Chef Eleanor Gillis prepared Artichoke Heart Soup, Mixed Green Salad with Pecans and Pears, Roasted Parsnips with Rosemary, Arcosanti Vegetable Medley, Acorn Squash with Apricots and Bulghar, Chicken with Lemon and Olives and the special desert Dulce de Leche with Fresh Fruit.

Arcosanti produce won many awards at this years Yavapai County Fair. Foundry staff Joan Lundell, among others, helped to set-up at the recent Fair.

Sarah Beth Kurzhals, the present Agriculture Manager, is collecting some of the Arcosanti produce for the fair. Vegetables and fruit from the gardens are served in the meals prepared in the Cafe, and also sold during farmers market in the Arcosanti cafe, once a week, for visitors and residents.

On a beautiful night, in the Camp Gardens last week, all of the community had the pleasure to enjoy the good atmosphere and all home-made dinner prepared with the award winning produce grown in the Arcosanti Gardens.

Construction staff Melissa Soluski and public relations Stephen Grace host the Arcosanti Project booth during the Green Building Expo at the Scottsdale Center of the Arts.

[Photo & text: Rafael Carvao]

At the Auditorium and Classrooms, during this 9th Annual Expo, a great variety of speakers on Environmental issues took the stage, for example Randall Stout who talked about the "Environmental Alchemy". The Center of Arts surrounding area was filled with booths, aimed to show the visitors ecological alternative solutions.

[Photo & text: Rafael Carvao]

In the company of Mary Hoadley Paolo Soleri was signing the new 2006 edition of "Arcology: The City in the Image of Man" and explaining his ideas to an interested public as well.

[Photo & text: Rafael Carvao]

Tags : vistors, public, Soleri, Paolo, School of Thought, philosphy, books, design, theory

Report from alumnus and member of Cosanti Foundation Board of Directors, Jeff Stein:

Cosanti Foundation staff member Roger Tomalty and alumnus Jim Labioda put together a fine exhibit “PAOLO SOLERI - Green Aesthetics/Green Ethics” at the Bannister Gallery (named after one of the first African-American painters in the US) at Rhode Island College in Providence, RI. And it was hung, in place, lights on, a full 5 minutes before people began pouring in for the opening, at 5PM on October 5. 2006!
It's a terrific show, consisting of several models - bridges and arcologies - some really wonderful old Silt-Pile workshop posters, and a series of photos of Soleri-designed buildings, some showing silt-cast construction, newly digitized, scanned, printed large-scale, and mounted on foam-core. Makes for a very crisp and engaging presentation.
Roger did one of his famous silt workshops with RIC students; they cast part of a bridge model, of which they were rightfully quite proud.

James Montford, director of the Bannister Gallery, a great guy who worked with Roger to make this happen.

And, earlier this week, last night's scheduled keynote speaker, Dr. Ted Landsmark, President of the Boston Architectural College (the BAC changed its name from "Center" to "College" this fall) was called away for a little emergency, so I stood-in for the opening talk. That was great, too, I have to tell you...
The Bannister has events planned in the gallery to support Soleri's ideas throughout the month of October: film showings, lectures, poetry readings; next week I come down again for a panel discussion on Soleri's work with the Dean of Rhode Island College, the Head of RISD's Architecture Department, and an environmental design Professor from Brown. And their students.
In the image a couple students focus ceiling lights in the gallery. Later, chairs covered the entire floor for the 70 or so folks who packed-in for the opening talk.

Of course all this just paves the way for the Paolo Soleri lecture on October 24.

The exhibition will be open until October 27. 2006

Welcome to the October 1. 2006 workshop participants.
Back from left: Angela Truffa, Errin Turner, Jung Ju Lee, David Hutchens and Alfonso Elia.
Front from left: Stanford Mandizha and Ilaria Ferraboli.

During each workshop participants visits some of the architectural marvels of Phoenix and surrounding area. The August 27. 2006 group spent a day in Cosanti and helped install new awnings in the South Apse - Catcast courtyard.


The group toured the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and Taliesin West, where Paolo Soleri spent 18 month as apprentice.

A tour of the domehouse in Cave Creek is part of the agenda, as well as the new Public Library in downtown Phoenix, designed by Will Bruder.
On another fieldtrip this group of workshoppers visited a large solar installation close to the Prescott airport.
This weekend workshoppers and staff man a booth at the Green Building Expo , which takes place at the Scottsdale Center of the Arts.

Congratulations to the August 27. 2006 workshop participants upon their graduation.
[from upper left] Jim Keeny continues as a volunteer part-time in Soleri Archives and part-time in guest services, Callie Russell, Mario Nuzzolese continues his internship in the planning department, and Peter Ingraham. Also graduated were Rafael Carvão, Tucker Zenski and Brendan Maloney.

[top from left] Rafael Carvão continues as a volunteer in Soleri Archives, Tucker Zenski was hired in the foundry, Jim Keeney, Brendan Maloney continues in the metal shop, and Mario Nuzzalese. Kneeling in front are Callie Russell and Peter Ingraham.

Paolo Soleri was honored by the INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE for a life work of a true visionary in architecture, planning and ecology.
He was bestowed the recognition of ACADEMICIAN of the International Academy of Architecture.
Architect Brian A. Spencer, AIA / IAA / PAACH and member of the IAA Academic Council, delivered the award and metal to Paolo in front of the Cosanti Gallery.

The International Academy of Architecture, represents the global architectural community with the professed goals:
1. To stimulate architecture creation, theory and architecture education.
2. To popularize the work of its members and to work towards the development of young talents in architecture.
3. To work on the global, regional and local problems of architecture, urban planning and environment, and towards a steady development of civil society.
4. To aid in the fulfillment of the Academy’s programs and its committees regarding architecture, urban planning and environment and for a steady development of civil society.
5. To perform creative and educational activities and research.
6. To work towards the development of new ideas and concepts in contemporary architecture.

Through the unanimous election of the Academic Council of the Academy, represented by:
1. President Georgi Stoilov / Architect from Bulgaria
2. Jan Hoogstad / Architect from the Netherlands
3. Manfredi Nicolletti / Architect from Italy
4. Kiyonori Kikutake / Architect from Japan
5. Yuri Platanov / Architect from Russia
6. Pierre-Andre Dufetel / Architect from France
7. Brian A. Spencer / Architect from the United States


Long time friend and supporter Lisa Scafuro with Paolo Soleri, Brian Spencer and Cosanti Foundation Director Mary Hoadley.