March 28, 2024 | Volume 42

Experience Tile-Making at Cosanti

Join us this spring & summer for an afternoon of hands-on learning from Cosanti Originals ceramicist, C.J. Milewksi at our historic studio in Paradise Valley.

Dates: Saturday, April 6th • May 4th • June 8th

Time: 10am-1pm

Cost: $125/person

Location: Cosanti | 6433 E Doubletree Ranch Rd, Paradise Valley

Photos by: J. David Tabor

In this hands-on class, you will learn the exceptional tile making and design process developed by The Cosanti Foundation and used every day by the artisans of Cosanti Originals to make our popular ceramic tiles. As a participant, you will have the opportunity to mold and imprint your own one-of-a-kind ceramic tile. This process involves using clay and water to create your tile, so come prepared to get your hands dirty.

For more information about our hands-on workshops and experiences, email us at workshop@arcosanti.org

Looking for more opportunities to learn from our artisans & residents?

Take a trip up to Arcosanti, just one hour north of Phoenix, and dive into these unique, artisan-led experiences:

2024 Workshops at Arcosanti

Learn by doing

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 High Sonoran Desert and the unique architecture, all while learning new skills and helping us create our community. 

Workshops are offered in the following three program areas, with varying intervals of dates, according to the chosen workshop:

• Farm-to-Table Workshop
• Construction Workshop
• Archives Workshop

Click the button below for more information about workshop dates, pricing, and what to expect during your time at Arcosanti:

Travis Mielke has been a beloved member of the Paradise Valley Foundry team since joining the crew in November of 2021. We often describe our team as more of a family than coworkers⎯a sentiment with literal truth in Travis's case. Not only is he the cousin to our longtime Foundry Manager, Warren Steckel, but he's also the son of our Customer Service & Sales Specialist, Cass Mielke, who you've probably had the fortune to speak with if you've ever reached out to us over the phone with questions or for help with an order. 

On January 21st, Travis and his girlfriend⎯a fellow Cosanti Artisan⎯Landry Low, were in a rollover car accident that resulted from hydroplaning as they turned onto the 51 southbound at Cactus Rd.

Photo by: Jessica Jameson

Travis will be the first to tell you that despite being left paralyzed from the chest down from two spinal fractures and the long list of additional injuries (including 10 broken ribs, a fractured hand, multiple pelvic fractures, a broken scapula, a laceration to the back of his head, and a variety of abrasions and contusions), they were both incredibly lucky.

While he recovers and recalibrates to his new body, we are hard at work assessing how we can upgrade our foundry and site to welcome him back to an improved Cosanti.

It's no secret nor surprise that when Cosanti's primary structures were built in the 50s and 60s, accessibility for those with mobility concerns were not at the forefront of Soleri's mind. The consequences for this societally-entrenched lack of foresight would not escape even Soleri himself, who continued living and working into his 90's on-site at Cosanti. In the years preceding his death, Soleri's own natural, physical decline would increasingly hinder his ability to navigate the experimental site he called home, preventing his access to the studio spaces he built just steps from his front door so many decades prior.  

Top Photo: Cosanti Ceramics Studio ca. 1958 Bottom Photo: Aerial View of Cosanti ca. 1965

provided by The Cosanti Foundation

Over the years, important upgrades have been made around our property in Paradise Valley to improve the accessibility for our guests visiting this historic site. In 2022, we began work on our biggest ADA improvement project to date, The Pink House. Our goal with this project is to restore Pink House, Paolo Soleri's original home at Cosanti, to serve as an accessible, climate-controlled office and meeting space, equipped with a newly-built wheelchair-accessible bathroom for both our employees and our guests. 

Pink House, 2022, provided by The Cosanti Foundation

Although Pink House has been weathered and worn since it was built in the 1940s, we believe in its potential to adapt to the evolving needs of those who seek its shelter today. Two principle tenets in Soleri's work prescribes Embodied Efficiency and Creative Resourcefulness⎯"Do more with less", his common axiom. In this spirit, we endeavor to restore and highlight both the interior and exterior to reflect the historic legacy of this building while integrating improved materials, infrastructure, and adaptive design features that will allow this space to continue to evolve with the community it serves. 

We are excited to share more details about this project as it progresses, including ways to participate in realizing these goals. To contribute information and/or resources to the early stages of this project, reach out to us by emailing info@cosanti.com or by phone at 480.948.6145, so we can connect you with a staff member from our ADA Development Team. 

On behalf of the family of artisans and staff members that comprise our Cosanti Originals team, we thank all of those who have extended their support to Travis and his family. Please consider contributing to and/or sharing his GoFundMe campaign page to help ease their path forward as they navigate this new phase in their lives.

Support Travis Mielke’s Road to Recovery

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