September 2022 Newsletter

September 2022 Newsletter

Artisan Spotlight: Ali Gibbs, Jones Studio Inc Interview, and more!
 
 
 

September 15, 2022 Volume 30
 
 

Ali Gibbs (They/Them)

Cosanti Originals Arcosanti Foundry Manager 
 

Photo Credits: Jessica Jameson Photography (Top), Ali Gibbs (Bottom)

Meet Ali Gibbs, Cosanti Originals Arcosanti Foundry Manager. Ali was born and raised in Massachusetts and moved to Arizona 7 years ago to work in the Arcosanti Cafe after graduating from Hampshire College. They went to Hampshire College, where they studied education, agriculture, and design.

 

Ali found out about Cosanti Originals through the Arcosanti workshop program. They took off a semester of field study during college to take an Arcosanti workshop and volunteer on-site for a couple of months. The workshop program gets an immersion day in the foundry at Arcosanti, and they were fascinated by the sand casting process. They knew then that they wanted to apply for a job in the foundry so they could learn all about sand casting!

 

Now, as the Arcosanti Foundry Manager at Cosanti Originals, Ali's days are filled with making art with their friends. "It's a more complex and nuanced job than that—if you distill working in the Arcosanti Foundry down to its essence, what you get is making art with my friends every day—but if there's anything better than that," says Ali.

Ali's designs have become cleaner and more streamlined over time - they been using the same tools for 6.5 years, so they know now exactly what they can produce with them. They used to use a lot of embellishments on their designs, and they moved now to their signature 2 dots on most bells. Keep an eye out for the two dots on your bells and you might have an original Ali Gibbs!
 
 

Jones Studio Inc

Interview with a Cosanti Originals Collector: Eddie Jones
 

Photo Credits: Rebecca Young

Eddie Jones, the founder of Jones Studio Inc, an architecture, design, and public art studio in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, recently spoke with us about his relationship with Cosanti Originals.

 

"I was in architecture school at Oklahoma State University in the late '60s. Every student knew of Soleri's work in the desert and the famous Cosanti windbells," says Eddie. "I also remember a traveling Soleri exhibit displayed at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art…it was eye-opening. But at the time, I lacked resources to travel, so the best I could do was to think...someday."

 

 
 

Since then, Eddie has been a long-time advocate for Cosanti Originals, providing a home for approximately 40 pieces. "Over time, I have given away many bells to friends for birthdays and new babies," says Eddie. "Also, I had loaned out my Celotex portfolio of bridges and a cubic box of scrolls created for the Washington DC Corcoran Gallery exhibit to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art for their last Soleri exhibit."

 

For Eddie, the sound of a Cosanti Originals wind bell is as essential to the Sonoran desert as the Coyote's yelp. He has said that he is enamored by every large bell assembly he has ever seen and wants them all for his collection.

Eddie explains that it took decades, but he can now call himself a world traveler, and if he's in a city, somewhere in the world, it is quite common to hear the familiar sound of a Cosanti Original. Sometimes it is suspended above a balcony or front gate or, most of the time, a fire escape. It signals to him there is a potential friend beyond the wall!
 
 
 

We're thrilled to offer a carbon-neutral fulfillment option with EcoCart! For every one of our items that ships, you can offset the carbon footprint from creating and shipping your favorite windbell with a positive environmental impact!
 
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Crafting world-famous bronze and ceramic windbells and artisan decor in support of The Cosanti Foundation and other worthy causes since 1955.
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Cosanti Originals | 6433 E Doubletree Ranch Road, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253