Today@Arcosanti - Daily Life category

SWIMMING POOL

Mon, 19 May 2008 19:49:53 GMT

In the hot summer month, here at Arcosanti, the wonderful pool is so very important. With temperatures around 100 degrees for month on end, it is such a relief to be able to jump into a nice cool pool.
The pool was emptied at the end of last year for some overdue deep cleaning and maintenance.

[Photo & text: sa]

The maintenance department, with some help from crewmembers of other departments, spent some month scraping and power washing, to get rid of lots of calcium deposits.
The under water light fixtures were fixed, cavities around the fixtures received some attention, and some of the plumbing had to be re-done.

[Photo: Jenn Epstein & text: sa]

And just in time the pool is ready for another season.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you" to the maintenance department, construction and utilities crew, and volunteers.

[Photo: Jenn Epstein & text: sa]

SILT-CASTING AT ARCOSANTI

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:45:58 GMT

Continuing with our report on the Silt-Cast bell technique from Monday, we follow the bells through to their next stage of creation.

Here, you see the bells in an early phase. The moisture content of the air and the amount of sunlight on the day that the bells are poured affects their drying rate. At this particular point, the excess slip has been removed with a ladel and suction device to ensure a uniform thickness around the edges of the bell.

[Photo: Joelle McTigue & text: Amber Klatt]

At the next stage, you see that Ceramics Manager Edward Werman carefully plucks the bells from their silt molds and lines them on the front counter. The bells are not completely hardened at this point. Instead, they have dried to the point that the Ceramics artists can handle them without misshaping the bells. On the Ceramics webpage, Edward notes a unique aspect of the Silt-Cast method: "Since the walls are firm but not solid, it is possible to make indentations directly into the silt mold walls which also get filled with slip. These negative impressions translate into positive relief patterns on the surface of the bell when it is removed from the mold. This feature cannot be duplicated with the plaster molds since they are solid structures."

[Photo: Joelle McTigue & text: Amber Klatt]

Finally, the Silt-Cast bells are lightly doused with water, to remove the residual silt from their outer edges. Edward points out some more of the variations between Plaster-Cast and Silt-Cast bells: "Another difference concerns the surface of the silt mold which has a rough texture reflecting the characteristic of the sand and this feature is picked up by the surface of the bell. The plaster molds have smooth interior surfaces and its bells also pick up and reflect a smooth surface."

This report continues on 5/9/08.

[Photo: Joelle McTigue & text: Amber Klatt]

ARCOSANTI TEAM ON EARTH DAY 2008

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:07:12 GMT

[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.

[Photo & text: sa]