News + Updates for February 2022
Orchard Planting, Café Re-opening, Spring Events, + More
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You'll love this, Friend!
There's so much happening we barely have room for it all. Read on to see how the work of recent months is coming to fruition, and what's still to come. Plus, treat yourself to this fantastic talk from Executive Director Liz Martin-Malikian, who was this week's guest lecturer for The School of Architecture, now located at Arcosanti.
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Planting a Fruitful Future |
While many of our longtime followers and alumni have fond memories of planting and tending the peach trees in Camp, Arcosanti has gone more than a decade without a working orchard.
Until now.
Say hello to the new-and-improved Arcosanti Orchard!
For the last few months, we've been preparing the old orchard site for complete revival with the installation of a gated fence and irrigation system, and by treating the soil with our locally-made compost.
This month, with the help of experienced farm-to-table grower Emerson "Casey" Jones and our current workshop participants, the Arcosanti agriculture team made the dream a reality. On Valentine's Day itself (which also happens to be Arizona's birthday), they planted the orchard's first 29 fruit trees.
So far, we have several varieties each of apple, pear, Asian pear, and—of course—peach. The trees were sourced from Verde Valley Growers, and the variations of each fruit (some meant for fresh eating, some meant for cooking, some meant for preserving) were chosen so that the mature orchard will be able to provide year-round sustenance. The orchard has space for a total of 44 trees, so expect to hear more about additional plantings in the future.
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The orchard is being planted at the foot of the Arcosanti mesa, where the old peach orchard once stood. |
Workshopper Shanta works to get one of the 29 fruit trees situated in its permanent home. |
The peacocks show their approval by making sure there are fewer grubs & seeds competing for soil nutrients. |
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Assistant Manager Zeb trains Maria to receive customers and payments. Note the new concrete countertops. |
Shawn Kelly, Café Manager, preps the day's lunch on one of the new ranges. |
A view of the rejuvenated café in action, as seen from the 3rd-floor gallery. |
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Let's Do Lunch (and Dinner) |
With shiny new equipment in place in the kitchen and a completely renovated dining area, we're excited to announce that the Café at Arcosanti is back!
This month, after a 6-month hiatus, we restarted weekday lunch and dinner service for residents, students, and workshoppers. The revamped menu—crafted by Café Manager Shawn Kelly and Assistant Manager Zeb Hornberger—offers vegan and gluten-free options for every meal, and features beautiful fresh ingredients, some of which are sourced from the Arcosanti Agriculture program.
Now that everything is running smoothly and Shawn and Zeb have figured out which meals work best, we're just about ready to add visitors to that mix.
On March 1st, we'll be holding a soft re-opening for the general public, meaning you can once again enjoy a meal made right here at Arcosanti as part of your visit.
Why a soft opening? The one piece that's not quite finished yet is our wine bar. Once that's in place later this spring, we'll be holding a grand reopening celebration. Keep an eye on our social media for more information.
In the meantime, we can't wait to have you over for a meal or two!
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Spring Events at Arcosanti |
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Daily tours, café meals, and hiking trails aren't the only reasons to come spend the day at Arcosanti this spring. We've also got the first of our growing calendar of public programs launching in in just a few weeks. |
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Spring Speaker Series: Food in the Desert
Our Spring Speaker Series starts in just a couple of weeks. With the conversation about food, agriculture, and sustainability at Arcosanti taking root, you won't want to miss this incredible opportunity to hear from luminaries like Gary Nabhan, Roxanne Swentzell, Michael Kotutwa Johnson, and more.
This series takes place live and in-person at Arcosanti with morning and afternoon sessions on the following dates:
- March 5
- March 19
- April 16
- April 23
Attendance is free but seating is limited, and several sessions are already nearing capacity. Click the button to learn more, and register today to secure your place at the table.
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1-Day Bell-Making:
Craft Your Own Bell
In this hands-on workshop, you will learn the unique silt-cast bell-making process developed by Paolo Soleri and The Cosanti Foundation and used every day by the artisans of Cosanti Originals to make our world-famous ceramic windbells.
As a participant, you will have the opportunity to carve your own one-of-a-kind ceramic bell, which will then be yours to keep.
Spring workshop dates for this workshop are:
- March 26th
- April 30th
- May 7th
- May 21st
Attendance is limited to 8 people per session, and this workshop is extremely popular, so early registration is strongly encouraged.
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Apply Now to Be Part of Our Spring Workshops
Wondering what life is like inside our prototype arcology? Need a six-week vacation in a desert oasis, but don't mind getting your hands a little dirty? Want to learn the basics of architecture, agriculture, and ecology, as well as how to make a ceramic bell...and a bronze tile...and a welded rose...and more?
You'll get a month-and-a-half of our one-of-a-kind curriculum that includes everything The Cosanti Foundation has to offer, plus field trips to a number of the architectural and ecological wonders of central Arizona, and complimentary access to a variety of on-site programs. When you finish the workshop, you'll become part of our global alumni network of more than 8000 people who have helped to build and maintain Arcosanti and Cosanti over the last 55 years.
Workshops begin on March 9th and April 27th. Enrollment is limited, so secure your spot today.
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Coming in March:
- Cleaning Up Cosanti
- Cloth+Flame Dinners
- Alumni Reunion News
- Notes from the Field
+ more!
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About The Cosanti Foundation |
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Since 1965, The Cosanti Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has advocated for the built environment to be created in harmony with nature through the concept of arcology (architecture + ecology), and through our Arizona demonstration projects, Cosanti and Arcosanti.
Join us in our mission to inspire a reimagined urbanism that builds resilient and equitable communities sustainably integrated with the natural world.
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Images courtesy Kate Bemesderfer, Pinto LeBrun, Hamaila Qureshi, Seth Winslow, and The Cosanti Foundation |
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