With Spring in the air - or on the wind gusts, if you are on our mesas - the concert season has begun at Arcosanti.

On Saturday April 26, the annual Vivaldi performance was held. With a crowd of approximately 80 people, the Colly Soleri Music Center Amphitheatre was animated with visitors and residents alike.

Following the late afternoon tour, and a gourmet dinner of Minestrone Soup, choice of Rosemary Chicken or Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Penne Pasta, Green Salad, and Dessert, the performance got underway.

This year, the orchestra included sopranist Hélène Pouillon, and violinists Myra Lin, Katelyn Nelson, and Jeanette Ensley, as well as an accompanying youth orchestra. Performing Vivaldi's La Sravaganza, and La Pastorella, with Carissimi's Oratorio, Boccherini's Fandango, and Corelli's La Folia Variations, the musicians captivated the crowd.

Just as enamoring were the dancers from Terpsicore Dance Co. and Movement Source Dancers. Delighting the audience with visual appeal, the dancers leapt and balanced to bring to life the classic sounds of the baroque pieces.

Alumna Laura Powers e-mailed these images this morning.

Paolo Soleri was invited to speak at the ECOCITY conference at the Masonic Conference Center in San Francisco on Saturday, April 27. 2008.

Conference organizer and Arcosanti alumnus Richard Register, ECOCITY Builders, Oakland, CA, with Cosanti Foundation staff Roger Tomalty and Paolo Soleri, also with Peter Head, Director Dongtan, China project for ARUP, London.

We received a google alert this morning with a 30 minute film of Paolo's presentation at this conference at this link Eco City Conference Media.

Thank you for the photos, Laura.

[front row from left]:
David Tollas – Construction Manager, baby Sasha Tollas, Nadia Begin – Ceramics Staff, Matteo Di Michele – Workshop Coordinator, Italian Project coordinator, Erin Jeffries – Public Relations, and Bernadette O'Neill - Landscaping Crew.

[behind Erin Jeffries and Bernadette, from left]. Tomiaki Tamura - Cosanti Foundation Director, Mary Hoadley - Cosanti Foundation Director and Treasurer, David DeGomez - Maintenance Crew.

[sitting on the steps, from left]:
Mario Andres Botero Giraldo - Planning Intern, Anna Greenberg – volunteer in the Foundry and Bakery, Ron Chandler - Landscaping Coordinator, Colleen Reckow - Ceramics Staff, Starlyn Cag [red sweater, Arcosanti Scholarship], Shara Brown – Construction Volunteer.

[second row from top, from left]:
Gabriel Hendrix - Foundry Crew, Scott Riley - Utilities Manager, in front of Lisa Willott is Melissa Soluskie - Construction Crew and Garden Volunteer, Joelle McTigue – Ceramics Staff and Archives Volunteer, Gregg Elliott – Workshop participant, Yong Su Park – Workshop participant, Antonio De Biase – Workshop participant, Jose Masaoy – Bakery Crew and Garden Volunteer, Daniel Copperman – Workshop participant, Anuj Dayal – Construction Intern, Stefano Galimberti [yellow shirt, Visitor].

[upper row from left]:
Paul Vigne – Purchasing and Recycling, Amber Klatt - Archives, Graphics Volunteer and Tour Guide, Jeffrey Michael Graphics Department, Alfonso Elia – Planning Volunteer, Lisa Willott – outgoing Agriculture Manager, Nelson DeLa Rosa – Construction Crew, Cliff Hersted - Foundry Crew and Tourist Office, Brendan Scott – Construction Crew, Maggie Lamb – new Agriculture Manager, Ivan Planes Llull – Visitor.

[Not in the photo]:
Sue Anaya – Archives, Virginia Bateman – Gallery Crew, Michael Bittman aka Dr. Sparks – Site Electrician, Nick Bortel – Construction Crew, Andy Chao – Foundry Crew, Thomas Crowe – Café Staff, Dean Thomas – Gallery Crew, Cabiria Dourte – Foundry Crew, Linda Fournier – Ceramics Staff and Accounting, Amarillis Fuentes – Café Staff, Shane Hayden – Workshop participant, Will Holman – Construction Crew, Jim Hornberger – Foundry Manager, Melanie Husband – Accounting, Workshop Coordination Staff and Café Staff, Carri Krueger – Guest Services and Café Staff, Peter Lindgren – Café Manager, Rebecca Manning – Cermiacs Staff, Murray Natkie – Bakery Staff, Kelly Pai – Foundry Staff, Katie Schroeder – Garden Crew, Randall Schultz – Maintenance Manager, Paolo Soleri – Chief, Darina Trendafilova – Garden and Archives Volunteer, Errin Turner – Café and Gallery Staff, Ed Werman – Ceramics Manager, Tucker Zenskie – Foundry Staff.
Kids: Tristan Tollas, Zeb, Jasper and Cyrus Hornberger, Charlie Wicker.

While Paolo Soleri was in Rome for the conference on sustainability on April 15th, 2008, he also made a trip to visit “Dives in Misericordia”, the world famous church designed by architect Richard Meier.
The building, completed in 2005, attracts thousands of visitors each year and has significantly changed the life of its neighborhood.

A special tour of the site was provided by the parish priest, who allowed Soleri to visit areas not open to the public.
Dr. Soleri was impressed with the quality of the concrete used in the church design; to make it, cement was mixed with marble ground into dust.
The design of the church is marked by the succession of white, curved concrete sails and windows that allow light into the interior.

On April 15, 2008, Paolo Soleri was featured as a guest speaker at “Building Well to Live Better”, a three day conference organized by the Roman Catholic Church to address issues of sustainability and the environment.
The intent of the conference was to bring a valid and substantial contribution in the field of eco architecture applied to old and new religious buildings.

The three main topics of discussion were:
the importance of the connection that lies between human development and environmental protection; examples of sustainable building and virtuous eco-architecture; and guidelines for intervention on existing buildings and increase comfort and energy efficiency.
Most participants were priests involved with restoration projects and new development.

With the assistance of Arcosanti resident Matteo Di Michele, Paolo Soleri’s presentation focused on his early architectural works as well as his latest ones, such as Solare, the Lean Linear City. Paolo Soleri also explained his Lean Alternative theory and the consequent need of total reformulation in today’s consumerist way of life.

On Monday, April 14, Arcosanti hosted a meeting of the minds interested in the Prescott National Forest .
Local representatives from ten communities (Black Canyon City, Crown King and Southern Bradshaw Mountains, Castle Hot Springs, Cherry, Cottonwood/Verde Valley, Jerome, Mayer/Agua Fria, Paulden, Prescott, and Wilhoit) in the vicinity of this forest,
were present to share their visions for the area,
with public access and forest management as recurring themes.

This event comes after an approximately 100 person community meeting in Mayer, organized by Clifford Hersted (Arcosanti Artist-in-Residence),
Mary Hoadley (Arcosanti Site Coordinator),
and Tom Teske (local veterinarian/ecologist/rancher).
The three intended to instigate local consideration for long term planning associated with the Prescott National Forest.

To learn more, check out the US Forest Service's website for Prescott at Forest Plan Revision.

Babel Canyon, the model of an arcology designed by Paolo Soleri, has navigated a northern trek, where it finds itself part of Québec City’s Musée de la civilisation’s Urbanopolis exhibit.
Consistent with Soleri's perspective on urbanscapes, the museum's press release notes that "throughout history, the evolution of urban societies has been driven by human creativity ... cities past and present have always been and always will be works in progress, ongoing endeavors in a perpetual process of construction, visualization, and reinvention. Symbols of hope for humankind, they inspire passions and raise major challenges for the 21st century."

The modern model of Babel is no exception for this.
The model will be on display until June 2009, participating in Québec City's 400th anniversary commemorations.
More information on this particular Soleri model can be found in November 21, 2007's Daily Progress report.

Babel Canyon early drawing from page 302 of Paolo Soleri Sketchbook 5, October 1966.

The Babel Canyon arcology design can be found on pages 81-83 in "City in the Image of Man" by Paolo Soleri. The new 2006 edition is available through our web-site store.
The model was built in 1969 at Cosanti and was part of “The Architectural Vision of Paolo Soleri” exhibition in 1970.
That exhibit opened at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washinton, DC, then traveled to the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City, to the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, the Canadian Gov. Conference Centre, Ottawa, the University Art Museum at UC Berkeley, and the Phoenix Art Museum.
The Babel Canyon model was also shown during “Soleri’s Cities, Architecture for the Planet Earth & Beyond” exhibition at Scottsdale Center of the Arts in 1993.

This is the last chance to view the 2008 Art Collection of Arcosanti residents and alumni, which is displayed in the Arcosanti cafe until the end of the day tomorrow.
This years collection included a beautiful canoe, handbuilt by alumnus David Hutchins [David also displayed ceramic art pieces].

Artists featured were:
Sue Anaya - beadwork,
Palma Burdick - painting,
Nelson Delarosa - sculpture,
Alfonso Elia - photography,
David De Gomez - photography, graphics, sculpture,
Ania Gorka - sketches,
Cliff Hersted - sculpture, graphics,
Will Holman - furniture,
Amber Klatt - sketches,
[photo] Cliff Hersted sculptures and photographs of local petroglyphs.

also:
Maggie Lamb - sketches, collage,
Peter Lindgren - sketches,
Jeolle McTeague - photography, graphics,
Larry Meagher - ceramics, painting,
Jeffrey Michael - painting,
Adam Nordfors - painting,
Katie Schroeder - jewelry, collage,
Melissa Soluski - glass work,
Erin Turner - quilting.
[photo] David De Gomez photography.

CANNON-FIRE Jazz Showcase brings a series of monthly dinner-show performances for presenting regional, national, and international artists. The programs offer quality weekend opportunities for family enjoyment. The 'artists' will appear each 'Second Sunday' of the month, from 3:00 to 6:00 pm on the Colly Soleri Amphitheater stage at Arcosanti.
The April 13. schedule presents Cannon Fire Showcase Review with THE CUNNINGHAM'S.
[photo of the Cunninghams during their dynamic performance at the 2007 Juneteenth festival at Arcosanti].

A crew of staff and volunteers gets the theater ready for the first out-door performance of this season.

A new canopy is in the design stage. For this event a small parachut will keep the stage shaded.

Show only $20.00 pp
Dinner and show $35.00 pp

VIP weekend retreats are available and include dinner & show, overnight stay, continental breakfast and the official tour of Arcosanti.
For reservations call
[928] 237-7908
or [928] 632-1735

School of Thought is a weekly hour with Paolo Soleri, usually Wednesday afternoons at 3pm, where public visitors, workshop participants, volunteers and staff can ask Paolo about his architecture and philosophy.
Each week has a suggested subject and this afternoon the subject was on excerpts from the "Vatican Paper", a paper written by Paolo for his upcoming visit at the Vatican.
[from left] Director Mary Hoadley, next to Paolo is Matteo Di Michele who will accompany Paolo to Rome, and Erin Jeffries, our new Public Relations person.

Paolo was invited to Rome, Italy, as a speaker for the April 14. - 16. 2008 conference "Building Well To Live Better". This conference was organized by the Roman Catholic Church to address sustainability and the environment.
As a major international real estate owner, the Catholic church can play a key role in sustainable architecture and design.

Most participants at this conference will be priests involved with restoration projects and new developments.
The three main topics of discussion will be the connection between human development and environmental protection; examples of sustainable building and eco-architecture; and guidelines for intervention on existing buildings to increase comfort and energy efficiency.

A quick mention, the Sunday "School of Thought" sessions at Cosanti have been canceled.

Welcome to the April 6. 2008 workshop participants:
[from left]
Daniel Copperman,
Antonio De Biase,
Shane Hayden,
Gregg Elliott
and Yong Su Park.

Congratulations to the March 2. 2008 workshop participants upon their graduation:
[from left]:
Anuj Dayal,
Todd Jenkins,
Shara Brown
and Eric Bernstorff.

Arcosanti Organic Gardens are bustling with spring activities. The peach trees are in full pink bloom, making the orchard a splendid view from any point of the Arcosanti site.

Agriculture staff Katie Schroeder diligently clips another branch. Pruning has been the agenda for the garden crew these days, which is quite a project for a small team of farmers and an acre of orchard! The beautiful cuttings now brighten the Cafe and other spaces.

Agriculture Manager Lisa Willott irrigates a recently planted bed in the Paulownia Garden. Willott and crew are alternating the growing beds of garlic with new crops, including broccoli and celery in this case. (Note the 'row cover' that acts a simultaneous protector against varmints and the adjusting vernal temperatures.)