This report is on the Haunted Hayride that took place at Arcosanti on the nights of October 24th and 25th.
Tucker Zenski and Jenn Epstein organized the highly entertaining fundraising event with the help of Arcosanti's residents, workshop participants, alumni and guests.
Visitors from all around the area attended the show that took them on a ride from the Crafts III building to the camp area of Arcosanti – the site of a baffling and mysterious happening.

As the tourists walked through zombie-infiltrated campgrounds, they witnessed medical staff and locals trying to find an answer to and fight against the otherworldly phenomenon that had infected the area.

Adults and children cooperated on the terribly believable performance that evoked both fear and amusement.
In this picture, we see Zeb Hornberger and Tristan Tollas, two of the children who live at Arcosanti, as actors in different scenes that were set in the Camp apartments.
At the end of the night, people enjoyed a thrilling performance by the brilliant musicians from Ganges Cousins.
Many thanks to everybody who participated in the event and to Scott Riley for taking these beautiful images.
Happy Halloween!

Today, Arcosanti gladly hosted 48 5th grade students and their teachers from the Phoenix Country Day School.
The children stayed for three days packed with fun, exploration of nature and craft-workshops.
Immediately after arrival, the students gathered and watched one of the bell bronze pours here at Arcosanti. The night of the same day, the 5th graders performed an exhilarating talent show on the stage of our Colly Soleri Amphitheater. The night was over after a bonfire and smores under the bright stars in the Tuscany landscaped Minds Garden.

The next day, the children had an opportunity to explore our Agriculture department, or follow a nature walk where they saw thousands year old petroglyphs and hunting stone walls from the 13th century. A presentation by Cliff Hersted, an expert in the local cultural and natural history, preceded this walk.

In the afternoon of the same day, the student group enjoyed a silt-casting workshop organized with the help of Arcosanti's residents. Later, the group met with Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti's designer. The children had a one hour question and answer session with Paolo.
Thank You PCDS for visiting Arcosanti

Work has finally been picked up again in the studio apartment on the ground floor of Unit 9 in the East Crescent Complex.
This is the first apartment at Arcosanti that will be completely fitted for a handicapped occupant.

Alumnus Angus Gluck returned and has installed insulation and drywall. Here he is in the process of mudding the walls.
This apartment faces north and has a great view over the camp and the east valley.

Workshop participants Giorgio Bologna and Hortense Sestito work with Angus to learn different stages of the interior finishing processes.
This report will continue as work progresses.

Today we continue the report from October 22, 2008 on the construction of a handicap-access ramp at the entrance of Arcosanti.
The previously-poured inclined sections of the ramp will be now connected with pentagon-shaped level platforms.
In this picture we see two of our international workshop participants Elvire Cannaghan from Ireland and Aarthi Janakiranam from India, doing preparation groundwork and assembling formwork for the platforms.

On the day of the pour, the crew divides efforts and works on different levels at the same time.
The mixed concrete is delivered in wheel barrows traveling on the previously built sections of the ramp. Once the right amount of mix is poured in the designated location, the concrete is spread out and screeded for evenness.
After it hardens a little, aluminum trowels and edgers are used for smoothing the surface and rounding the edges of the slabs.

Here is an image of the finished pentagon-shaped slabs. We will post future reports on the progress of this project.

Today we continue the report from October 3, 2008 on the construction of a handicap-accessibility ramp at the entrance of Arcosanti.
This is the last slope to be poured, and the final stage of the project will involve construction of between-level platforms. The Construction and Landscaping crew started early in the morning with mixing about 4yd of concrete at the Arcosanti batch plant. The cement truck was conveniently parked immediately next to the section to be completed. As some members of the crew moved the wet concrete mixture, others stayed in position for leveling and smoothing of the concrete surface.

After the labor-intensive casting, crew leaders David Tollas and Ron Chandler instructed workshop-participants, construction interns and volunteers into the finer process of grooving and rounding edges of concrete slabs.

This is an aerial view of the new pathway at the end of the pour. The execution of this ramp, together with the installment of a night-light photovoltaic system and resurfacing of the Visitor's parking lot, has been financially supported with a grant from the Arizona Department of Tourism.
On Friday, Oct. 24, 2008, we will continue with a report on the construction of the mid-level platforms of the ramp.

This continues the report from the "Jump Now" exhibition.
[see previous postings on 9/24, 10/15 and 10/17/08].
Two of Paolo Soleri's Arcology models were sent to Suwon-Seoul, South-Korea, for this exhibition. One of them is the URBIS ET ORBIS Space Arcology model, here displayed at the Nam June Paik Art Center.
All the exhibiton photos came from Soleri Archives Director Tomiaki Tamura, who traveled to Korea especially to supervise the installation of this model.

The URBIS ET ORBIS model weighs over 360 lbs and is wired with a 4-channel sequential chaser that creates a rotation of lights.
[Tomiaki] "The space model installation was a challenge, but done successfully to hang in an open mezzanine level space."

This photo was taken at the Cosanti Foundry, when the model was first completed.
It was built for the TWO SUNS Exhibition, featured by Xerox Coorporation at the Xerox Square Exhibit Center in Rochester, NY, in 1975.

URBIS ET ORBIS:
Prompted by renewed interest in space colonization, Paolo Soleri re-examined his concept of an orbiting arcology and in 1975 developed this version: URBIS ET ORBIS.
In this model, the climate extremes of space have transformed the arcology into a totally protective envelope. Rotating on its five-kilometer axis, the arcology incorporates seven cylindrical landscapes, one inside another, ranging from water and materials storage in the regions closest to the landscape where gravity approaches that of earth, to a highly technological landscape in the center where gravity is near zero. Surface area, of all the landscapes together, is some 300 kilometers.

The opening of the NOW JUMP exhibition at the Nam June Paik Art Center took place on October 8. 2008.
The exhibition features numerous international artists including Paolo Soleri.
[see previous reports on 9/24 and 10/15/2008]

For some details on this exhibition, see articles in the Korea Times 9/19/08 and Korea Times 10/10/08.

A group of Arcosanti Alumni from Korea joined Tomiaki Tamura at the opening.

[from left]:
Hyun Ju Kim (one week visitor to Arco),
Archives Director Tomiaki Tamura,
Sung Sik Cho (Nov. 2006),
Yong Joong Shuk (July 2007),
Seon Yeong Ji (July 2007),
and Lee Jung Ju (Sep 2006).

We reported on September 24. on the most recent exhibition of Paolo Soleri art work.
Two models, URBIS ET ORBIS Space for Peace Arcology model and NUDGING SPACE Arcology model, also one original scroll by Paolo Soleri and seven silk screened Bridge drawings, were crated and picked up to travel to Korea.

The exhibition NOW JUMP is taking place at the NAM JUNE PAIK ART CENTER outside of Seoul, South Korea. This new museum is devoted to the world renowned Korean Media artist Nam June Paik, who passed away in January 2006.
Note the large Soleri model crate across the street from the Art Center.

This exhibition features numerous international artists including Soleri.

The NJP Art Center is located 25 Kilometer south of Seoul. The NJP Art Center is next to GyeongGi Provincial Museum and across from the main gate of Shingal High School.

Soleri Archives Director, Tomiaki Tamura, arrived in Korea on October 5th to supervise the installation of “Urbis et Orbis” Space for Peace model. He wrote back " The space model installation was a challenge, but done successfully to hang in an open mezzanine level space [see upcoming report on 10/20/08].
There will be two additional venues (ShinGai High School Gym and Zien Art Space, a recently built contemporary gallery) are used across from Nam June Paik Art Center to accommodate all the installations."

In addition to the original works, Soleri Archives also sent a collection of digital images that were mounted at the Art Center for display.
We continue this report on 10/17/08 with images of the opening of the exhibit.

This years Colly Soleri Rememberance Concert took place this last Saturday and featured renowned pianist Sonya Lee.
Sonya Lee is the daughter of alumnus Doug Lee, who worked with Paolo Soleri during many of the early years of the Cosanti Foundation. Doug is a member of the Cosanti Foundation Board of Directors.
Sonya Lee has garnered a reputation amongst audiences worldwide as a pianist who plays in the grand Romantic tradition as " she delights the audience with a passionate and beautifully accomplished, awesome performance". Ms. Lee performs a diverse repertoire including blockbusters by Beethoven, Liszt and Prokofiev, to the sonatas of Scarlatti and Haydn, as well as works by Japanese and contemporary American composers. Ms. Lee has recently been touted as a cross-cultural ambassador of Classical music for students in other disciplines of the performing arts and was invited as a guest lecturer to speak and perform at New York University's Drama Department.

Ms. Lee has given recital debuts at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Aoyama Hall in Osaka, Japan, at the Honenin Temple in Kyoto, Japan, and has given numerous solo and chamber music performances at renowned concert halls throughout cities in the U.S. including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Aspen, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Abroad, Ms. Lee has performed at the Salle des Colonnes in Fontainebleau and at Bel Ebat Parc in France, and at the Create Center Hall in Osaka, Japan. As a chamber musician, Ms. Lee has collaborated with members of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and with several illustrious alumni of The Juilliard School, The Curtis Institute of Music, and Yale University.

This was Sonya Lee's seventh appearance at the Colly Soleri Music Center.
It was a very cold night and a cheerful audience huddled in blankets and was treated to a delightful and dynamic performance in the open-air amphitheater.
Beautifully played pieces by J.S. Bach, Chopin and Ginastra were followed by a fireball delivery of the "Apres une lecture du Dante" by Liszt, a technically most difficult piece and played by Sonya Lee with passionate ease, perfection.

Today we report on the prizewinning participation of Arcosanti's Agriculture department in the Yavapai County Fair.
After a dynamic and productive year, our Agriculture staff members, Maggie Lamb and Melissa Soluski, together with volunteer Maki Yamamoto and workshop participant Erin O'Rourke, returned from the Fair with 23 awards in their hands.
We went third in the Connecticut field pumpkin and Butternut squash categories. We took second place in Eggplant, Japanese Eggplant, Concord white grapes, Klondike watermelon, Red Bartlett pears and Texas Hummingbird sage.
Arcosanti Gardens came first in 15 categories: Black Eyed peas, Strawberry popcorn ears, shelled Red popcorn, Black Seeds sunflower, Mexican cashew, long type Okra, Garlic and braided Garlic, Yarrow, Mint, Rosemary, Rue and Basil.

[Photo sa & text: Darina Trendafilova]

To the left is an image of Arcosanti's table that triumphed in the category for Artistic Display.

[Photo: Maggie Lamb & text: Darina Trendafilova]

And here, we see a close-up image of one of Arcosanti's beautiful baskets and other tables at the Fair.
Congratulations to the Agriculture crew!

[Photo: Maggie Lamb & text: Darina Trendafilova]

This past Saturday the Arizona Shakespeare Festival came to Arcosanti's Colly Soleri Amphitheater stage and presented a delightful and highly entertaining performance of Shakespeare's play "As You Like It".
The audience was enthralled with the actors' energetic and engaging act. Laughter filled the air in the amphitheater, and considering the great success of this performance we hope to see a future return of the group.
After the event, the audience enjoyed a delicious dinner in the Arcosanti Cafè.
"Celebrating 10 Years of Excellence", the Arizona Shakespeare Festival is touring throughout Arizona. The remaining locations include Scottsdale, Mesa, Sun City, Orme School, Surprise, Bullhead City, Kingman, Lake Havasu, Anthem/No. Valley and Tucson.

Welcome to the Sept. 28. 2008 workshop participants:

[from left]
Sean Bender [seminar week], Giorgio Bologna,
Elvire Callaghan, Amy Bunker, Aarthi Janakiraman,
Stafano Loasses [seminar week], Alyssa Blumstein, Hortense Sestito,
Isabel Gomez [seminar week] and Asako Kitazawa.

We continue the report from 10/01/08 on the construction of the handicap-accessibility ramp at the Arcosanti entrance.
Starting at 6am, Construction crew leader David Tollas introduces the process of concrete mixing and pouring as well as safety considerations.
After the concrete is mixed in a batch plant on site, the concrete truck takes the load to the ramp site. Construction and landscaping crewmembers, with the help of interns , workshop participants and volunteers, transport the wheelbarrows.

Once the concrete meets the ground, it is moved with shovels, and then screeded and vibrated.

After the surface is leveled, Landscape coordinator Ron Chandler and Construction intern Kyle Engoian set grooves into the pavement. As this section is nearly finished, the crew continues pouring the next level.
This report continues with the completion of the pour for level 1 ramp.

This resumes the report from 09/10/08 on construction of the handicap access ramp that will connect the Arcosanti Visitor's Parking Lot to the Arcosanti Visitor's Center. The crews attention is on the two lowest levels of the ramp.
This project is supported with significant financial aid from the Arizona Department of Tourism, (A.O.T.).

Here, the construction crew compacts the ground surface in order to assure steady settlement of the concrete slab. This will prevent cracks that might develop with time.

Paola Manzo, Nicola Toscano, Liza Chiu and Ashley Langan, participants in the August workshop, are clearing rocks and soil from the last sections of the ramp. Landscape coordinator, Ron Chandler oversees the critical process of groundwork and slope preparation.
On Friday, 10/3/08 we will report on the concrete pour on these last two of six levels of the ramp.