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Artful, One-of-a-Kind Gifts
Handmade Decor Pieces
and So Much More
July 27, 2021 Volume 15
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World of Windbells
Cosanti Collectors Share Their Photos
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From coast to coast and around the world, collectors of Cosanti Originals handmade rainchains, windbells, ceramic tiles and planters add a little of the Arizona artistry we're known for into their homes and garden spaces.
"Not a month goes by without a collector reaching out and emailing photos," says customer service representative, Margarita Solaria. "I've worked here for 13 years and getting those emails from our collectors still make my day, just seeing how beautiful our pieces look in different settings."
How do you do Cosanti in your decor? Email a photo and share YOUR-iginal style with us! We might include it in a future Artisanti or in our social media.
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Arizona - Helen Rinner
*Note: Rain Chains will be available again in the Fall
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Switzerland - Roger Furrer
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Florida - Barbara and Larry Kantor
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Puerto Rico - Mariah Quintana
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New Zealand - Tamara Cartwright
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A Cosanti Superfan "by Chance," This Collector Finds Beauty Around Every Corner
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Jeff Goodman, Vice President of Communications and Partnerships at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, is a long-time supporter of Cosanti and has been steadily collecting our windbells for over 10 years. But it wasn’t always this way: he and his wife, Erin, were given a couple of bells as gifts but beyond that, they never gave them much thought. “They were always in our periphery," said Jeff, until the year they exchanged anniversary gifts and were surprised to find that they had each gifted the other a large, beautiful Cosanti windbell! “I think at that point, we both realized that we had become collectors,” Jeff recalls with a smile. Now, the couple showcases their five windbells as a collection on their back patio. “ I wouldn’t mind seeing the collection grow,” Jeff smiles, “I would love to add an extra-large, sculptural bell to the collection someday.”
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Jeff explains, “I love that there is something so iconic and recognizable about them, and yet each piece is unique. Their markings are unique, how they change with the weather, and even the tones of the chimes are all one-of-a-kind.” He and Erin are delighted that the bells “just fit” in their 1960 Central Phoenix home. Similarly, Jeff has noticed Cosanti windbells hanging in many of the Frank Lloyd Wright historic sites that he visits, saying that, “they feel as ‘at home’ there as the Midway Garden Sprites,” that are often in the gardens of Frank Lloyd Wright admirers. Like Wright’s work, “they seem to transcend time, making them appropriate in any style.”
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Fun Fact: Paolo Soleri studied as an apprentice under Frank Lloyd Wright for a year and a half, beginning in 1946. While Soleri’s time at Taliesin West was brief, his vision for the future was heavily influenced by his time there.
Jeff Goodman works in the same spaces where Frank Lloyd Wright and Paolo Soleri lived and worked, and is “surely inspired” by many of the same things they saw and experienced. Says Jeff, “Wright designed his buildings to create opportunities for deep connections with nature, art, and the people around you. He consumed beauty like the rest of us breathe air, which inspires me to regularly take notice and appreciate the beauty around me...which our Cosanti windbell collection provides on a daily basis.”
Photo of Jeff and his windbell collection (above left) courtesy of Jeff Goodman; photo (above right) of Paolo Soleri circa 1946 peeling potatoes at Taliesin West, courtesy The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
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Correction: This image (left) was mistakenly attributed to Leah Wulfman in the July 14th edition of Artisanti. The photography credit should have been attributed to Heath Vining.
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Word of the Day: Campanology
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If you’re not a crossword puzzle enthusiast or a devotee of Jeopardy, campanology probably isn’t in your vocabulary. You might venture a guess: is it the study of camping? The mapping of campgrounds? No, campanology is the study of bells.
The scope of campanology is broad and covers the technology behind bells – how they are cast and tuned; their acoustics – how they are rung and sound; and the history, techniques, and traditions associated with bell-making and bell-ringing. It usually refers to very large bells, like those found in a belltower and not as much to the majority of bells, save the sculptural bell mobiles, that Cosanti Originals makes.
Bonus vocabulary fact: A campanist is an expert on bells, while a campanologist is a bell-ringer. These distinctions are especially important in Europe, specifically Britain, where bell-ringing, bell-making, and bell-studying are more popular than in the US. In England, for example, there is an Association of Ringing Teachers, a Royal Air Force Campanology Guild, a Four Shires Guild, and about 100 others, including the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, the largest campanology association in the world. It’s no wonder, really considering the 5,000+ bell towers in England compared to under 300 in the entire rest of the world.
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Why bells?
At Cosanti Originals, that’s a question we’re very familiar with...
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Bell-ringing became fashionable in the 1600s in England, so much so that teams of ringers would hold competitions. The sound of bells ringing is deeply rooted in British culture and rightly so: almost every Brit lives within earshot of bells that have rung since medieval times, calling people to wake, to pray, to work, to arms, to celebrate, and to gather in times of crisis. In England, you can find magazines (multiple!) devoted to bell-ringing or join a bell-ringing society complete with its own coat of arms when you head off to university.
The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers convenes meetings and organizes chapters throughout Britain to serve the 40,000 campanologists there. In 2011, “watch parties” were sponsored by the National Council to cheer on a pair of bell-ringers who appeared on “Britain’s Got Talent.” Rowdy campanologists are said to have randomly rang bells throughout the night when the surprise hit bell-ringing duo narrowly missed the finals on the show. For the most part, though, British campanologists are a well-behaved group whose big fad now is “tower grabbing,” a hobby involving visiting and pulling the ropes in as many bell towers as you can.
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Artisanti Editor & Creative Director: Kelly Bird
Contributing Writer: Chloe Sykes
Graphic Designer: Jesca Wales
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Header photo credit: @ohtheplacesafar on Instagram
Footer photo credit: Jessica Jameson Photo
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