Over the years there have been people from 14 countries attending. Stone work is carried out in the disused quarry Kornarija situated on the edge of the forest of Kornarija in the village of Marusici, Istria, Croatia.
History of the Kornarija School
Fifteen kilometres from the Adriatic Sea is the small village of Marusici. Quarrying stone was its main activity, as in many other parts of Istria. Istrian stone can be found all over the world, for example Teodoricos mausoleum in Ravenna, palaces of towns such as Venice, Vienna, Trieste and also New York. In the fifties and sixties quarries began to close, and in 1972 also the quarry of Kornarija. The people started to look for work elsewhere. But in spite of being compelled to work in industry and other economical activities, the heart of the people remained always bound to the white stone. In 1979 the International Summer School of Sculpture Kornarija was founded.
The idea arose from Toni Biloslav, director of Obalne Gallery Piran, and was realised in collaboration with the local community of Marusici and its cultural organization 'Bratstvo'.
In July and August 1979 came the first students from St. Martins School of Art. London, under the guidance of their professor Francisco Gazitua (Chile). In the following years there were more than a hundred students from 13 different countries participating in the schools activities. They have left many sculptures in the sculpture park. Teaching in the school were the following; Francisco Gazitua (Chile) Janez Lenassi (Slovenia) Masayuki Nagase (Japan) Leonardo Rachita (Romania) Drago Trsar (Slovenia) Carlos Lizariturry (Basco).
The school ceased its activities between 1990- 2001. The quarry was reopened and closed again. In 2001 it was reopened as Kornarija workshop organized by painter Burhan Hadzialjevich and Gail Morris in collaboration with the Famul Stuart School of Art (Slovenia).