Arcosanti, camp

About

The Arcosanti Camp Exhibition featured archival photos and video (taken between 1970-’85) of the creation of and life within Camp, an alternative co-housing community at Arcosanti, Arizona.

Arcosanti is a 50-year old prototype arcology (experimental city focused on architecture and ecology) in the High Sonoran Desert in Arizona. While the majority of Arconauts (residents of Arcosanti) lived “up the hill” in mixed use structures on the mesa, a group of 15-20 residents lived in Camp (short for basecamp – the first structures created on site made initially to house volunteers). Campers typically lived in their own 8x8ft concrete cubes with communally shared bathrooms, showers, and kitchens. We cared for chickens, ducks, and peacocks.

Below are photos from the exhibition, as well as from my two years living in community at Arcosanti.

ROLE

I’m deeply curious about what’s working (and not working) about living and being in community and have lived and passed through various cooperatives, artist warehouses, communes, eco-villages etc to identity patterns and differences in ways of relating.

I lived at Arcosanti for two years and served on Community Council and as Camp Coordinator. In my last months at Arcosanti, I worked closely with Sue Kirsch in Archives to produce this exhibition showcasing the history and many past lives of spaces I have grown to love. I opened this exhibition my last night at Arcosanti, closing this chapter of life with my favorite arco things – decor foraged from the nearby Agua Fria River, shared home cooked food, friends and neighbors, and reflective conversation around a cozy fire.