Learn by Doing at Arcosanti
The principle of learning by doing has guided Arcosanti since the beginning in 1970. Come learn in an immersive environment unlike anywhere else. You’ll connect to the inspiring landscape of Arizona and the unique architecture, all while learning new skills and helping create our community.
Arcosanti is an urban experiment that practices sustainable living through arcology, architecture + ecology, which seeks to exemplify how humane cities can exist with respect toward the surrounding natural habitat.
Help build the arcology and be a foundational part of the new Agriculture Program at Arcosanti!
Arcosanti’s popular Agriculture Workshops are back, with three- and four-week programs held monthly at Arcosanti beginning this September through the end of 2026.
Each Agriculture Workshop, including three-week and four-week sessions, begins with The Cosanti Foundation’s signature Seminar Week. This series of programs introduces participants to Arcosanti’s unique architecture, design theories, history and land. The following two to four weeks delve into hands-on programs covering topics such as agriculture and food systems.
Workshop participants will have the opportunity to participate in a full range of agricultural activities at Arcosanti, including (but not limited to) composting, irrigation and working with plants in the greenhouses, high tunnel, garden beds, field, orchards and food forest. In keeping with Arcosanti’s “farm to table” approach, participants will also be able to assist with processing and preparing food to be served in the café.
In addition to extensive hands-on work, Arcosanti’s workshops typically include guest lectures, discussions and visits to Cosanti and to other agricultural operations. Workshop participants will develop practical agricultural knowledge and skills while also learning about how agriculture fits within the larger concept of “arcology,” how it relates to concepts such as regenerative agriculture, and how it can be applied in a variety of urban settings.
The 3-week program begins at $1,530; the 4-week program starts at $2,100. See below for cost details.
The initial September 2025 Agriculture Workshop is now being offered at a reduced tuition of just $630. This three-week program cost includes Seminar Week and the Agriculture Workshop; participants are responsible for housing and food costs only.
Workshops are limited to 15 participants.
Casting Cosanti: an Interactive Silt-Casting Experience
River Habitat Restoration Weekends at Arcosanti
Cosanti, Paradise Valley
Arcosanti, Mayer
Join us at Cosanti in Paradise Valley for a unique workshop opportunity which combines artistic expression informed by the desert with an exploration of our innovative and experimental historic site, precursor to the well-known urban laboratory of Arcosanti.
Students of this workshop will participate in a hands-on plaster casting exercise to get a feel for the desert soil and create a personal keepsake using the same techniques which enabled the construction of Cosanti itself. We will discuss the composition, decoration, and utility of silt molds, the interface between positive and negative form, and the artistic capabilities of that most flexible medium – the earth itself. Each student will then have the chance to design, pigment, and excavate their own plaster tile using the skills they learn and their own artistic intuition.
Help Us Restore a Riparian Habitat on Two Volunteer Weekends: Feb. 8-9 or March 1-2!
Join us at Arcosanti this winter for a weekend restoring a riparian habitat! We will harvest poles from native cottonwood and willow trees and plant them along the Agua Fria river.
In Arizona, rivers and riparian habitat make up less than 2% of the land area but support 90% of Arizona’s biodiversity. A lush oasis in the otherwise arid desert, riparian habitats provide food, shelter, breeding and wintering habitat, and migration corridors to Arizona wildlife and to migrating species such as the endangered monarch butterfly and the yellow-billed cuckoo.
This volunteer opportunity is part of our work as an ecosystem restoration community. Click here to learn more about ERC
Event and Program Refund Policy
Workshops and Educational Programs: In the event that a participant must cancel registration, the program fee will be refunded IN FULL up until 2 weeks before the first date of scheduled program date(s). Refunds requested less than 2 weeks before the first date of the scheduled program will be refunded at 50% or, applied IN FULL to a future program held during the same calendar year. Refunds requested on or after the first date of the scheduled program are not eligible for a refund.
Public Programs and Performances: Ticket-holders may request a refund up until 1 week before the scheduled performance or program date; EventBrite, our ticketing platform, reserves the right to charge a nominal fee for issuing a refund. Refunds requested less than one week of the scheduled performance or after a performance or program has taken place are not eligible for a refund.
Special Circumstance Cancellations: For single-day programs and public programs that The Cosanti Foundation is forced to cancel due to low enrollment or ticket sales, extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances, or acts of god, registrants and ticket-holders will be notified via email and receive a refund IN FULL.
Private Events: Refunds for the cancellation of private events are subject to the terms and conditions stated in the individual contractual agreements between the event organizer and The Cosanti Foundation.
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