In-house film maker Aimee Madsen has been at work for several years on footage for a documentary about Paolo Soleri.

Now she hopes to raise funds to continue and complete this very important project.

The documentary is filmed mostly at Cosanti in Paradise Valley, AZ, and centers on Soleri's work as an artist and a sculptor.

With the following link you can access a teaser clip with commentary by Sonny Fox.
BEFORE FORM: The Creative World of Paolo Soleri.

Here you can learn more about Aimee Madsen.

We thank everyone for their continued support during the last year and wish for a Peaceful, Healthy and Productive 2012 for all of us. We will continue our reports in the New Year.

On December 12. 2011, new Cosanti Foundation President Jeff Stein held a first Strategic Planning Retreat with ALT, the Arcosanti Leadership Team and some of the department managers.

From left, Ron Chandler, manager of Landscaping; David Tollas, project manager; Nadia Begin, manager of the planning department; Mary Hoadley, Cosanti Foundation director and treasurer; Roger Tomalty, agriculture manager at Arcosanti and manager of Soleri Scuptures; new President Jeff Stein; maintenance manager Randall Schultz; utilities manager Scott Riley; manager of HR, workshop coordination and the Italian Project, Matteo Di Michele; Cosanti Foundation director and director of the Soleri Archives, as well as director of Design, Tomiaki Tamura; and taking the photo is Sue Kirsch, manager of the Soleri Archives.

Jeff Stein sent the following address to the Arcosanti Alumni:

13 December 11

Dear Fellow Arcosanti Alum:

Best wishes!

It’s Jeff Stein sending you a note from Arcosanti. As I write this, the sun is shining, the air is crisp and buildings you helped construct continue to be occupied and more relevant than ever.

Those of us at the site want to take this moment before the start of a new year to thank you for taking a chance on an Arcosanti Workshop years ago, for having had the foresight to come here to contribute your strength and energy to build this place where we live and work today. You have helped to shift some of the discussion worldwide from maximized cars to miniaturized cities. The dialogue, of course, is still ongoing; but you should know the importance of this desert place is greater than it was when I was a workshopper thirty-five years ago. We have regular calls from journalists - New York Times, Wall Street Journal, new international publications – and educators. This past month, a documentary film director showed up to tell us he needed to revise his shooting script about the future of housing in America to show visual evidence at Arcosanti, because architects he was interviewing around the US suggested relevant dialogue on green/ sustainable architecture BEGINS here.

The news this month is of University of Michigan studies about the effect of nature on enhanced brain function. The studies claim that memory, attention span, creativity…all are enhanced by time spent in - or even just a view of - unspoiled nature. Arcosanti, standing and functioning in the midst of a vast nature preserve, is a living example of this enhanced ability to evolve.

We are thankful for the continuing support of alumni. Geoff Bruce has funded the Geoffrey Bruce Workshop Scholarship for the coming year; Russell Ferguson returns for his annual month-long visit with 16 students from Kansas City Art Institute in January; Anthony Floyd, pioneering the new International Green Construction Code, is at Arcosanti lecturing about it, keeping us up to date. And we appreciate all of you for visiting with family and guests, buying bells, sending workshoppers. As an Arcosanti alum, please do consider supporting a workshop scholarship; or find a way to support our exhibition and publication schedule. We need donations to both these projects, and welcome your participation in them.

Thank you for all you have done so far to make Arcosanti a reality in the world. There’s much more to do, and we look forward to your help.

Cheers.
Jeff Stein

On behalf of the Arcosanti Community
Jeff Stein AIA
President, Cosanti Foundation
Arcosanti HC74 Box 4136
Mayer AZ 86333
T: 617-435-9909
E: jeffstein@arcosanti.org
W: www.arcosanti.org

JUST A NOTE: The following is a partial list of what we are up to just recently at Arcosanti. Again, it is your support that continues to make all this possible.

Books:
*Our new book ARTERIAL ARCOLOGY: Lean Linear City, put together by Arcosanti staffer YoungSoo Kim, is at the printer; Princeton Architectural Press brings out a new CONVERSATIONS WITH PAOLO SOLERI this spring; and new additions to the QUADERNI series will be arriving by summer.
[more about these new books will be posted in the early part of the New Year].

Films:
*Five separate documentary films are being prepared about Arcosanti and Paolo Soleri’s work, including projects by Geoffrey Madeja, Eric Bricker, Michael Peterson / Blue Dot Films, Lisa Scafuro / Mona Lisa Films , and Aimee Madsen / Eye Am Films. This last Eye Am film is an in-house project at Cosanti .
[We will post a report about Aimee Madsens project on Friday, December 30. 2011].

Lectures:
While Paolo Soleri (age 92!) no longer makes public appearances, several of us continue to represent the work in venues across the US: Matteo DiMichele and YoungSoo Kim presented at the University of Nevada; Roger Tomalty in Boston, Jeff Stein at NAU, TECHONOMY, and the Santa Fe Institute.

Exhibitions:
We are preparing two exhibitions during the coming year: a major retrospective of the work of Paolo Soleri, with comprehensive catalogue at the NAU Art Museum in Flagstaff; and an equally significant exhibit at SMOCA / Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, part of a series of installations in conjunction with ASU.

Roads:
*Not that one, just yet, but it’s a start: a new Cordes Junction interchange ($50 million!) is under construction with a special ramp to Arcosanti; Paolo Soleri was design consultant for all the concrete bridge (5 new bridges) abutments and landscape walls.

Workshops:
The construction workshop / experiential education remains at the core of our educational mission. 2012 workshops begin on February 5, and we look forward to a larger group of diverse students undertaking more projects on-site than during the past few years. We have added special events to this year’s workshops: side trips, foreign language study, and a special tuition discount for children of alumni.

Institutions:
*We are developing new educational / research relationships with Northern Arizona University and with the Santa Fe Institute; and closer ties, project-based, with Arizona State University and Taliesin West/the Frank Lloyd Wright School.

Planning:
*Strategic planning is ongoing with Board and Staff and Community, sharpening our focus as a lean institution and working through the possibilities to accomplish our mission. We will welcome new thoughts for consideration in the coming months.

Construction:
*We know what must be done, and pretty much how to do it: the East Crescent needs completing; expanded greenhouse agriculture is ready to happen; site utilities need expanding; archival storage is in the works; Cosanti in Scottsdale requires restoration work.

Colly Soleri Music Center
*The annual series of performing arts events at Arcosanti continues in the coming year – April to October – with returning guests as well as new artists ready to produce some extraordinary moments in the East Crescent amphitheater. We hope you can join us for one or more of these.

President:
*Of course Paolo’s retirement from day-to-day management decisions made this happen at the end of the past summer; I have left Boston and the Deanship of Boston Architectural College to do this work; the board and staff at Cosanti and Arcosanti, and Paolo himself, have been extremely generous in helping to insure our success here as we move forward to the future.

Again, I thank all of you for your continued support of this place and of each other. I hope to see you out here. Jeff

[photo: Sue & text: Jeff Stein, Sue]

Tags : alumni, vistors

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to family and friends near and far.

[photo: sunrise viewed from the third floor of the East Crescent]

Just incase you have not been able to find the perfect Christmas present, there is a gorgeous collection of COSANTI ORIGINAL items waiting for you at the Arcosanti and the Cosanti gallery.

Every piece of the COSANTI ORIGINALS collection of bronze and ceramic bells and sculptures is designed by Paolo Soleri and embellished by skilled artisans in sympathy with his compositional standards.

Also available is a beautiful, hand carved, selection of tiles.

The spirit of the Cause Bell is depicted in the special links designed by Soleri. Each link represents an issue of either national or global concern. Individuals and organizaions can share the spirit of these ideas and give a helping hand by RINGING A BELL FOR A CAUSE.

For every bell purchased from the Cause Bell collection, the customer may choose to donate $16 of the retail price to one of the several benefiting organizations including the Cosanti Foundation.

We continue our report about his years Christmas party, which took place last Wednesday, December 14. 2011.

David Tollas wishes Paolo Soleri a Merry Christmas.

Delicious food and good company.

Ji-Eun Lee from South Korea receives a Merry Christmas from Paolo Soleri.

More good cheers.

Lovely tunes were provided by Dan Thomas and Sal Tellini.

This years Christmas party took place last Wednesday, December 14. 2011.
As in previous years, there was a potluck of appetizers and deserts.

The cafe staff provided a delicious dinner.

Paolo Soleri was at Arcosanti for the day. In the left photo we see the Christmas tree with Christmas bonus envelopes for everyone.
In the next photo we see a batch of the traditional annual Christmas bells, one for each of the staff, volunteers and workshop participants.

Construction staff member T.J. Murphy is receiving his bonus and bell and a Merry Christmas from Paolo Soleri.

Alicia Dallstream is our terrific Guest Services Coordinator.

Staff member since 1976, Tomiaki Tamura, receives a Christmas hug from Paolo.

More photos of the Christmas party will be posted on Wednesday, December 21. 2011.

This continues our report from 12/14/2011.

Congratulations to the November 6. 2011 workshop participants upon their graduation. The graduation took place at Cosanti.

Here is Rosalba Ordonselli from Italy with Paolo Soleri.

Will Redwine with Mary Hoadley and Paolo.

Emilie Parks from Canada.

Jamie Lombardo came in April for the first two weeks of her workshop and joined the present group to complete her five weeks.
Thank you for sharing the wonderful photos, Jamie and Emily.

Participants of the November 6. and last workshop of 2011 had their graduation at Cosanti. Congratulations to:

[back from left]:
Nick Klever [scholarship], Rosalba Ordonselli from Italy, Nisu El, Danny Fields, Will Redwine, Jamie Lombardo and Ji-Eun Lee from South Korea.

[front from left]:
Mary Hoadley, Paolo Soleri and workshop participant Emilie Parks from Canada.
Yasaman Esmaili from Iran also graduated.

Nick Klever.

Nisu El.

Ji-Eun Lee from South Korea.

Danny Fields.

There will be more graduation photos posted on Friday, Dec. 16. 2011.

The Maintenance crew is working on the cafe level in the Crafts III building. Here we see maintenance manager Randall Schultz and crew Dan Thompson preparing the winter season 'heatsock'.

Note the crossbar mounted to the top of this very long tube of canvas. This crossbar holds a fan.

Brent Scott, harnessed for safety, is operating the winch that pulls the heat sock up to locate it center under the skylight. Randall and Dan insert a hoolahoop into the bottom of the sock, so it will keep its shape.

The idea is that the fan is located right under the skylight where all the [rising] warm air collects. This fan gently pushes the warm air down into the heat sock and the warmth distributes into the cafe.

But there seems to be a mistake. 'Oh NO', the fan is working the wrong way and it's pulling Randall up and away. YIKES!

[photo: Anthony Floyd during the 2011 Italian Night dinner under the Vaults at Arcosanti]

Last Wednesday evening, December 7. 2011, Anthony Floyd, AIA, LEED-AP, Senior Green Building Consultant for the City of Scottsdale Office of Environmental Initiatives, also an Arcosanti alum, gave a talk on "Codification of green building initiatives" here at Arcosanti.

Anthony has been a green building advocate for the city of Scottsdale for many years. Scottsdale City Council adopted the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) as the core component of the city's voluntary Commercial Green Building Program. This progressive step makes it easier for developers of commercial and multi-family housing to be green certified.

The new code provides flexibility to adapt to Scottsdale's geographic conditions and environmental quality of life while promoting uniformity and consistency from city to city. By integrating the voluntary code into the city's plan review and inspection process, green certification is streamlined and a Green Certificate of Occupancy is issued following the final building inspection.

The lecture was an interesting insight into "What happens when green becomes code?"

The foundry crew is busy making lots of bells for the Christmas season. Despite freezing temperatures they are cheerfully working away. Crew members at the moment are Matt Cornwell, Colin Evans, Guy Flagg, as well as three foundry women, Cabiria Dourte, Zoe Middlebrooks and Sal Tellini, and foundry manager Andy Chao.

Here is Sal Tellini molding the fine sand mixture into one of the bell forms. The damp sand gets packed around an aluminum bell pattern (there are about 38 different styles / shapes in the collection) inside this 2-piece wood and metal frame called a snapflask (the top half is called the cope and the bottom half the drag).

Zoe finished her mold and is cleaning the form. She removed the snapflask from the cope block of sand, which was molded around the aluminum pattern. The aluminum pattern was then removed leaving a cavity for the liquid bronze to fill. Within the cavity are carvings of the individual artists.These become the images that are seen on the outside of the cast bells. Each artist tends to have her / his own renditions of the classic Soleri standard motifs, so it is interesting to observe the unique creations being made.

A propane-fired furnace melts bronze ingots inside a silicon-carbide crucible vessel. While bronze as a material (comprised primarily of copper alloys) melts at 1700F, this furnace heats the metal all the way to 2200F, enabling the bronze to maintain its liquid state long enough to do successive pours.
A series of sand blocks in steel sleeves are laid across the deck of the Foundry Apse, awaiting the pour. While two people balance and pour the crucible of molten metal using foundry tongs, others stand ready to pitch sand onto any stray pools of bronze.
The melted metal enters the spru hole and follows a channel to the cavities formed by the aluminum patterns. In only a few minutes the metal cools back to solid state and soon enough the bells can be broken out of the sand molds.
Here is yesterdays 10:30 am pour. Andy is guiding the crucible with Matt tailing and Sal, Zoe and Cabiria are shoveling, making sure that any spilt bronze is dealt with right away.

Cabiria is grinding bells to eliminate excess bronze flashing. Once the bells are 'cleaned up', a hole is drilled through the top of each bell. This makes it possible to attach the clapper and ft-links [which can comprise the hanging chain attachment off the tops of the bells].

Cosanti Original bells, bronze and ceramic, make wonderful Christmas presents, and better yet, some of the income from the bells supports ongoing construction here at Arcosanti.

Today's early morning visit to the Hightunnel Greenhouse revealed a surprising collection of crops this late in the season. Despite near freezing outside, the inside of the greenhouse was temperate without any heating arrangements other than the sun. And the last few days have been mostly overcast with quite a bit of rain and sprinkles of snow.

There are still organic tomatoes, salad greens and chard, as well as parsley, chamomile, four different kinds of basil, nasturtiums. Here volunteer Carmen Thennes is harvesting crops for the Arcosanti cafe as well for the residents of Arcosanti.

Public Relations Andrea Speed is picking tomatos.

Some seedlings are coming along in a halfpipe suspended along the south wall of the greenhouse.

Not unusual, this past week was a busy one all around. Here are just some of the highlights.

Landscaping manager Ron Chandler and his crew worked on re-sanding and re-sealing all of the woodwork in the Colly Soleri Amphitheater.

They also removed the lowest step in front of the Ceramics Apse and poured a ground panel in it's place. This is the first part in bringing this set of steps up to present code.

President Jeff Stein guest lectured at NAU Northern Arizona University on Tuesday, to students of biology. His speaking engagement was part of a series on Global Sustainability, initiated by Dr. Stefan Sommer, Director of the Colorado Plateau Biodiversity Center.
We had a visit from a group of 24 high school students and 4 staff members from Monterey. They arrived Tuesday evening, toured and worked all of Wednesday and left Thursday morning.

On Wednesday two film makers from Blue Dot visited. They interviewed and filmed for a "Future Housing" documentary. Here they are with Soleri Archives photographer David DeGomez.

[photo: Weekly meeting with Paolo Soleri on Thursday, 12/1, from left Tony Brown, Paolo Soleri, Mary Hoadley and Jeff Stein]

Thursday bubbled with activities. Paolo Soleri came up from Cosanti for the day. Film maker Lisa Scafuro visited with her director of photography, Sam Shinn of "Ironeye Productions", and spend the day following Paolo and interviewing him in various departments and with various people. Lisa is working on a documentary about Soleri, called "The Vision of Paolo Soleri", which she hopes to complete during the early part of 2012.

Also on Thursday a group of 14 students from ECOSA visited. The Ecosa Institute, located in Prescott, Arizona and afiliated with Prescott College, was founded in 1996 by Arcosanti alumnus Tony Brown. His dedication to issues of sustainability and ecological design developed after joining Paolo Soleri's Cosanti Foundation where he worked for thirteen years on conceptual designs for a new vision of urban settlements. He worked with Soleri as architect in residence supervising both design and construction.