Casting Cosanti
An Interactive Silt-Casting Experience
Join us at Cosanti in Paradise Valley for a unique workshop opportunity which combines artistic expression informed by the desert with an exploration of our innovative and experimental historic site, precursor to the well-known urban laboratory of Arcosanti.
Students of this workshop will participate in a hands-on plaster casting exercise to get a feel for the desert soil and create a personal keepsake using the same techniques which enabled the construction of Cosanti itself. We will discuss the composition, decoration, and utility of silt molds, the interface between positive and negative form, and the artistic capabilities of that most flexible medium – the earth itself. Each student will then have the chance to design, pigment, and excavate their own plaster tile using the skills they learn and their own artistic intuition.
Our guide will also lead you on an hour-long tour of Cosanti’s structures and history, during which you may see the casting of new bronze windbells in the foundry, gain a deeper understanding of our relationship with architecture, art, and craft, and learn how the ideology of Arcology was born from the cooperation of the built environment with the natural landscape.
This workshop is suitable for ages 10-100, and for any skill level – materials and techniques will be demonstrated over the course of the activity. Due to the outdoor nature of Cosanti and the possibility of messy hands we recommend good walking shoes and comfortable, washable clothing. This workshop is limited to 15 participants.
SCHEDULE
10:00-10:15 – Sign-in and orientation
10:15-11:15 – Guided tour of Cosanti
11:15-12:30 – Silt designing, pigmenting, and casting
12:30-1:00 – Short break, feel free to bring a boxed lunch!
1:00-1:30 – Excavation, photos, conclusion
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Dakota Petersen is your instructor and Cosanti’s tour guide and outreach coordinator, and has worked for several years in our bronze foundry. He has a background in photography and a love of the Sonoran Desert, which translates to his development of the silt-casting workshop as a way to interact with the dry earth itself.
PROGRAM COST
$125.00 per atterndant
Please note that this class is only available at our Phoenix-area location, Cosanti in Paradise Valley, not at Arcosanti in Mayer.
REGISTER
If a class lists “out of stock” when trying to purchase, then the class is full.
Please check back regularly for openings from cancellations and new dates.
2025 Dates
- Thursday March 20th
- Thursday April 3rd
- Thursday April 17th
If you have any question or to request more information please email tours@cosanti.com
If you like to be notified when more tile-making classes are scheduled, please fill out the following form.
Our Other Programs:
Workshops: In the event that a participant must cancel registration, the workshop fee will be refunded IN FULL up until 2 weeks before the first date of scheduled workshop date(s). Refunds requested less than 2 weeks before the first date of the scheduled workshop will be refunded at 50% or, applied IN FULL to a future workshop held during the same calendar year. Refunds requested on or after the first date of the scheduled workshop are not eligible for a refund.
Public Programs and Performances: Ticket-holders may request a refund up until 1 week before the scheduled performance or program date; EventBrite, our ticketing platform, reserves the right to charge a nominal fee for issuing a refund. Refunds requested less than one week of the scheduled performance or after a performance or program has taken place are not eligible for a refund.
Special Circumstance Cancellations: For single-day workshops and public programs that The Cosanti Foundation is forced to cancel due to low enrollment or ticket sales, extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances, or acts of god, registrants and ticket-holders will be notified via email and receive a refund IN FULL.
Private Events: Refunds for the cancellation of private events are subject to the terms and conditions stated in the individual contractual agreements between the event organizer and The Cosanti Foundation.
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