For this years Valentine's Day celebration, musician Jonathan Best made his debut at Arcosanti in the Crafts III building. In a solo act, Jonathan delighted his audience with a very talented and lively performance.
The Valentine package included a tour of the Arosanti site and a romantic pre-concert dinner in the Arcosanti Cafe.

Chef Carri Krueger and crew put together a delicious meal of: Artichoke Heart Soup, Chaparral Steak with Portabella Mushrooms, Orzo with Sun-dried Tomatos and Capers, Quinoa stuffed Eggplant with Pine Nuts and fresh Basil, Asparagus with Lemon and Rosemary, Baby Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts and for dessert, Vanilla Ice Cream with Randall Schultz's Prickly Pear Syrup.

Staff and volunteers gathered for the annual Christmas party this Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm in the Cafe. The party started with a potluck of hours d'oeuvres and a great selection of dessert. The most outstanding dessert was a large gingerbread construction of the existing buildings at Arcosanti, patiently put together by Melissa Soluski and Wendy Wu,.
[from upper left] Melissa and Wendy. Some of the wonderful details were a pile of sand in the Gingerbread Foundry, little fountains in front of the Ceramics Apse and East and West Housing, the Swimming Pool, in the East Crescent red licorice beams from the middle pillar to the individual units finger panels, candy coated cypress trees, all together an absolutely wonderful effort. Paolo Soleri admires this delicious version of his project.

At 6:30 pm the crowd moved to the Sky Theater for a special performance of Pictograph. This is a combination of music, light and dance projected against the mesa south of the Arcosanti site. The performance was choreographed by Project Director Tomiaki Tamura to the music of 'Radio Head' and 'Moby'. Performers were Murray Natkie, Rick and Debbie Frost, and Charlie Wicker. After the performance all the local children enthusiastically took to the stage and shadow danced. The glow above the mesa is from the city lights of Phoenix, 70 miles to the south.

The party continued with a lively dinner in the cafe.
[from upper left] As every year, after dinner Paolo distributed Christmas presents, with helper raindeer Melissa Soluski. Each person, including the kids, was called to come to the front to receive their gift and give a big hug to Paolo. The best entertainment of the evening was Melissa's very graceful and funny introduction of each person. Volunteer Jung Ju Lee makes a Heart with Paolo, for the camera. The foundry had produced a special collection of tiny bronze bells and everyone received one of the bells. The Italian volunteers made a lively cheering section. It was a wonderful party with many funny moments.

The Second Annual Arcosanti Holiday Open House took place on Saturday, December 9th! Hundreds attended from neighboring communities.
[from upper left] Murray Natkie (AIS member) gives a presentation in the Gallery before taking one of the large groups on a tour. The student choir from Copper King School graces the Cafe with carols and songs throughout the lunchtime hours.

Included in the General Site Tour was a visit to the Bronze Foundry. Pictured here, resident foundry workers Tucker Zenski and Eleanor Gilles do a bronze pour for visitors to see.

Also on the tour was a visit to the ceramics studio. The sunny day at the ceramics apse was quite pleasant. There were also two special tours that visited some of the residences and Soleri Archives was included in three of the tours.

Thanksgiving at Arcosanti is a day of happy preparation in every kitchen. The traditional afternoon meal is a pot-luck, where many of the residents, volunteers and workshop participants cook and bring their favorite Thanksgiving dishes. On this beautiful warm fall day the cafe dining-room is prepared for a big family meal. The delicious aroma of four slow-cooking turkeys wafts through the Cafe building. Sue Anaya stirs stuffing and cafe manager Carrie Krueger whips cream.

[from upper left] Workshop participant Curtis Sanchez and AIS crew Murray Natkie. In the background workshop participants Andrea Paneghetti and Sayer Broughton. Quite a few alumni came for the occasion, as well as lots of family members and friends. Director Tomiaki Tamura carves the turkeys.

The Arcosanti site is closed to tourism for this day and it is quiet and peaceful. People from all over the world are gathering for the traditional American meal, for some the first Thanksgiving dinner. Dr. Sparks dresses the THREE FRIENDS sculpture [see report from October 27. 2006] for the occasion. Workshop participant, artist Erin Turner, arranges the center-piece for the dessert table. This report will continue.

This continues the report from November 20. 2006.
[from left] Both wall-panel forms are ready. The concrete is mixed on a slab above the Ceramics Apse. Workshop participants Jeffery Meylan, Bernardo Claus and Sayer Broughton pour the concrete mixture into the slide that is normally used to move clay from a truck to the Ceramics studio. Volunteer Alfonso Elia catches the concrete mixture with a wheel-barrow.
Landscape coordinator Ron Chandler and crew man the mixing process of sand, gravel and cement.

Construction manager for this project, David Tollas, pours the concrete into the silt-cast form, while the crew of construction staff and workshop participants distributes to fill every nook and cranny of both forms.

[from upper left] The outer steel forms are wide enough to actually accommodate two wall panels, one on top of the other. The first panels have been poured and two days later the crew applies a layer of silt on top of each panel. The reinforcement-bar cage is put in place and secured to the upper layer of the form. The second photo shows the intricacy of custom bent steel and wiring.
David Tollas secures an arrangement of custom cut Styrofoam that will provide a cavity for an existing set of pipes. This report will continue.