Our Artisans
ARCOSANTI
FOUNDRY
Ali Gibbs
Arcosanti Foundry
November 2015
"I never could have predicted that I would be managing a bronze bell foundry, though I'm glad that's the path I ended up on! The job is very physically demanding, but our crew has a lot of fun, and I get to make art with my friends for a living."
Dillon Quibin
Arcosanti Foundry
April 2014
"Heard that."
Steffan Phillips
Arcosanti Foundry
September 2013
"You have a lot of influence over your own experience at Arcosanti. It is what you make of it and I feel at home living where I live and doing what I do...by far the best job I've ever had."
Jonas Fister
Arcosanti Foundry
April 2013
“WTC7 won't go away!"
Zeb Hornberger
Arcosanti Foundry
October 2014
"That's bells, Baby!"
Jesse Fernandez
Arcosanti Foundry
September 2021
"You could give a thousand tours of Arcosanti and Cosanti, and still not truly understand everything that goes into bell making process. I am thankful for the lived experience."
CERAMICS
Linda Fournier
Arcosanti Ceramics
March 2001
“I love creating ceramic tiles because it provides the opportunity to be creative with shape, design, and color while using science to succeed at processing and kiln firing the tiles to achieve beautiful results.”
Heath Vining
Arcosanti Ceramics
June 2019
"Dream big and dare to fail"- Norman Vaughan
Angela Piro
Arcosanti Ceramics
December 2021
“I have a job where I get to play with all of the elements. It is really beautiful. The process is brought over from Italy which makes me feel connected to my ancestors. I wonder if they could have done the same thing."
Erin O'Loughlin
Arcosanti Ceramics
November 2020
"The artistic freedom we have to carve the bells with a humble set of tools allows us to be creative on a daily basis while sitting in a beautiful work environment. It's my favorite office setting I've ever experienced."
Maitri Mehta
Arcosanti Ceramics
December 2021
“Clay is so versatile! It can become anything: a windbell, a planter, a water jug, a building brick, a toilet. Peoples have been making decorative and utilitarian objects with clay since the beginning of time; ceramics makes life possible.”
COSANTI
FOUNDRY
Warren Steckel
Cosanti Foundry
August 2004
"On our bronze bells, the motifs in my design work are inspired by my memories of the illustrations of the Emerald City in the children’s book I had about the Wizard of Oz."
Wade Lanphier
Cosanti Foundry
December 2002
“After 18 years, I’m still inspired by the idea that someone will see my windbell, think ‘that’s the one,’ and take it home, treasuring what I’ve made.”
Larry Lo Presti
Cosanti Foundry
June 1999
“My grandmother had a Navajo blanket that I loved, so a lot of my windbell designs are simplified versions of what I remember on that blanket.”
Dave Tabor
Cosanti Foundry
April 2006
“These people are my friends and that makes work fun. I like to keep it lively - I’m the clown of the group, always cracking jokes.”
Chris Hardy
Cosanti Foundry
April 2007
“I love working at Cosanti because of the opportunity to be a craftsman in an age of impersonal mass production.”
Jeff Hildebrandt
Cosanti Foundry
October 2016
“I honor geometry in my art, and it fits me! I have heard it for years, ‘oh, you’re a math teacher? You must be boring.’ but I’ve embraced that as an artisan. I have dubbed myself ‘The Boring Artisan of Cosanti Originals.’”
Sue Lawrence
Cosanti Foundry
January 2022
“Working at Cosanti is a unique experience, for which I am grateful. I get to create in a beautiful and inspiring outdoor environment, and my coworkers are uplifting, helpful and kind. Molding feels like a grown-up version of playing in a sandbox, one of my favorite places as a kid."
Dakota Peterson
Cosanti Foundry
April 2021
“I am glad to be a part of something so out of the ordinary, and yet so resilient that it has inspired architects, artists, and the everyday visitor far beyond its desert home.”
Travis Mielke
Cosanti Foundry
November 2021
“Cosanti is a great place, from the product to the property to the people. It's amazing.”
CERAMICS
Spencer Smith
Cosanti Ceramics
November 2018
“Working at this oasis in the middle of the city has really made me appreciate the outdoors. The mountains, quail, roadrunners, and hummingbirds all influence my designs.”
Cj Milewski
Cosanti Ceramics
May 2022
"Never did I expect to live out one of my childhood dreams already. I always loved seeing people excited over my handmade gifts and now I can do that for a living all over the world.”
JEWELRY
Jason Catlin
Cosanti Jewelry
November 2012
"I am very grateful to be a part of the legacy here. To be able to impact my community and the world through creative endeavor is not only an honor but the goal of an artist."