Hello, friend!
As the new CEO & Executive Director of The Cosanti Foundation, it’s a pleasure for me to be writing to you from Arcosanti, a place I’m now honored to be able to call home. We’ve been through an interesting couple of years here, and the fact that you’re reading this right now means the world to me and to this community.
I truly can’t thank you enough.
As a nonprofit, The Cosanti Foundation depends on public support in order to pursue our mission to inspire a reimagined urbanism that builds resilient and equitable communities sustainably integrated with the natural world. Like the idea of arcology itself, it’s a mission that’s more relevant than ever before, and I believe we are poised to make an incredible difference in the months and years to come if we continue to work together.
That’s why, today, as we look forward to 2022, I want to make sure you have a chance to see some of the successes you helped us create in 2021. I also want to give you a preview of the possibilities that I hope you’ll join us in making real in the year ahead.
Take a look at some of what we accomplished together in 2021:
- Undertook major renovations and safety improvements for our offices, café, gallery, walkways, public areas, and various residential spaces across Arcosanti and Cosanti.
- Revamped our signature workshop and volunteer program to mint a new generation of alumni.
- Expanded key staffing with new hires at Cosanti and Arcosanti (including me).
- Developed a fresh vision for the Arcosanti Visitor’s Center and a plan to complete the East Crescent.
- Grew the daily tours program at both Cosanti and Arcosanti, where we received a combined total of more than 50,000 visitors.
- Piloted the first phase of a K-12 arcology curriculum in Phoenix-area classrooms.
- Established agriculture as a primary program at Arcosanti.
- Welcomed The School of Architecture (formerly the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture at Taliesin) for their second year in residence at Arcosanti
- Initiated a partnership with ASU’s Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (CBBG), which has the potential to stimulate a number of critical infrastructure projects, including a better road.
- Applied to host multiple major professional architecture and design conferences over the next 5 years.
To achieve this much in a year of significant transition (and under the constant complications of COVID) is pretty big deal, and a testament to the talents and dedication of our growing staff, board, and community. All of it is thanks to the people, businesses, and foundations that support our work—including you.
If you will help us keep this momentum going, here is some of the difference we’ll also be able to make together in 2022:
- Finish the first floor of the East Crescent to add additional housing and program space, and initiate construction of the long-awaited third floor to bring even more housing capacity to Arcosanti.
- Pursue National Historic Register status for both Cosanti and Arcosanti, as well as acquiring Arizona Certified Historical Institution status for both locations.
- Plant a new orchard and cultivate a full field at Arcosanti, in addition to tending the newly-planted food forest and multiple greenhouses.
- Complete initial restoration work at Cosanti, including Earth House, Cat Cast, the Antioch Building, and Pink House—the property’s original ranch house and the historic home of the Soleri family.
- Host an expanded variety of live public programs, from our revitalized 6-week workshops to an arcological lecture series to new ecologically-oriented specialty tours (in addition, of course, to continuing to grow our longstanding daily tours program).
- Develop digital, multi-media, and virtual reality experiences, making Arcosanti, Cosanti, and the idea of arcology accessible to audiences young and old, near and far, like never before.
- Establish new academic partnerships at every level, from elementary classrooms through graduate programs locally, nationally, and internationally, and deepen existing partnerships with The School of Architecture, ASU, NAU, The University of Strathclyde, and Phoenix public schools.
And these are just the highlights!
As a lifelong architect and teacher, I took this job in order to be able to make a difference at exactly the time when the world needs places like Arcosanti and ideas like arcology more than ever, and I’m ready to make it happen. The talented staff and board of The Cosanti Foundation are also fully committed to working with me to achieve these goals.
Wishing you the very happiest of new years and all the best in 2022 and beyond, and with gratitude for all you do,
Elizabeth (Liz) Martin-Malikian
CEO & Executive Director
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