Section I: June 1-15, 2008, Section II: June 15-29, 2008
Course package includes:
Course Costs
These twin two-week courses will teach students the fundamentals of stone carving, or guide experienced carvers towards honing their skills. Various tools and techniques will be discussed, and participants will engage in all aspects of the carving process: from roughing out the form with chisels to finishing it with rasps, sanding stones and other abrasives. The use of both manual and power implements such as diamond saws will be demonstrated.
Students will be working in a professional stone sculpture studio, and will have the unparalleled opportunity to watch experienced artisans sculpting nearby on both small and monumental projects.
Come develop your sculpting skills in the world’s marble center.
Appropriate Skill Level
Students entering this course need no prior experience with sculpture. Each student, from novice to advanced, will be instructed at his or her level.
Appropriate Skill Level
Students entering this course need no prior experience with sculpture. Each student, from novice to advanced, will be instructed at his or her level.
Combining Sculpture Courses
Due to the slow and demanding process of stone carving, we have added an additional course section from June 15-29. This course may be taken independently, but based on the requests for more time by past students, we encourage combining sections I and II to have the best opportunity to produce a finished sculpture. We feel so strongly about this that we have even added a 5% discount off total tuition costs (on top of student and early enrollment discounts) for participants who combine any two or three of the sculpture courses (Carrara courses I and II, or either one with the Flesh in Stone course).
In addition to the most important benefit of additional time to work on sculptures, we recommend combining Carrara with the Flesh in Stone course because it offers students the rare opportunity to work in two separate professional sculpture studios, and to experience the different materials, tools and sculpture methods in each environment. Participants in Carrara will have the chance to survey marbles and stones from around the world in this port town, as well as to visit mountain quarries, while Flesh in Stone course students will be exposed to a wide variety of local travertines and will see the ground-quarrying process used to extract them.
Poised on the scenic coastline where Tuscany meets Liguria, Carrara has been the source of the world's highest quality sculptural marble since pre-Roman times. Michelangelo traveled here to select blocks for his sculptures, and today Carrara remains a center for all things related to stone, including expert craftsmanship and artistry in its use.
The Tuscany-Liguria border is a picturesque location, set between the mountains and sea. Remarkable works of art are located a stone’s throw away in cities like Pisa, Lucca, and Florence. This trip combines excellent sculpture instruction with spectacular vistas and exposure to the best works of art in the area.
View Carrara on Google Maps >One of the goals of our program is to combine high-level training with simultaneous exposure to some of the best examples of artwork in the discipline participants are studying. It is estimated that Italy possesses nearly three-quarters of the West’s artistic patrimony.
Aside from having weekends free to travel to points of local interest, students will be brought on a guided field trip to the city of Florence. This excursion will be led by our knowledgeable Art Historian, Piergiacomo Petrioli, and offer students an unparalleled chance to see sculptural masterpieces with a resident expert.
Please be aware that our field trips tend to involve a great deal of walking and being on one’s feet for most of the day.
Steve Shaheen is an artist who specializes in stone carving. He was trained as a sculptor in the studios of Mauro Berrettini, Siena, and Luigi Corsanini, Carrara. He has worked both in Italy and the United States on various projects. In 2002, he planned and executed a project to create a 100-ton marble and granite memorial to the members of his community who were lost on 9/11. In 2005 he received his MFA in sculpture from the New York Academy of Art. His awards include grants from the Ludwig Volgestein Foundation and La Fortuna Foundation. Today, Steve divides his time between New York and Italy.
You are free to choose your own lodging or take advantage of our inexpensive program housing.
Program lodging is in a clean and cozy hostel very close to our sculpture studio (ground transportation will be provided). There is a pool, internet service, and nearby laundry. A single may be requested at a higher rate, depending on availability. Double and triple room occupancy is the norm, with shared bathrooms. A buffet breakfast will be provided, as well as a multi-course dinner (included in the price). Students are responsible for their own lunches. For more information on the hostel, please visit their website: www.ostelloturimar.com/en/
Should you prefer to arrange your own accommodations, here are some options in Marina di Carrara and nearby towns. Please be aware that if you do not stay in the program housing you will need a car to get back and forth.
Currency
Check here to find out what the latest conversion is from your currency to the euro: http://www.xe.com/ucc/
Food
Course participants have access to a room and board package that includes a buffet breakfast and 3-course dinners. In addition to that, all course participants will be provided catered lunches. Click here for a sample menu >
Internet, ATM, and Other Resources
There is a pay internet service conveniently located within the hostel. Participants who bring laptops may obtain limited access to the host server for checking/sending email.
Laundry
There is a laundry facility a short walk away from our lodging where participants may pay to wash their clothes.
Italian Language
You will not need to know Italian to participate in this workshop, but it is helpful to have some basic knowledge. Many students find that they want to communicate more with local residents, and therefore we recommend that as a minimum you pick up a phrasebook. There are many decent book/cd options for students who want a more thorough practice. The Ultimate Italian series offers a good balance between solid grammar skills and practical conversation.
Although many vendors in Tuscany know at least some English, it is always polite to ask first: “Parla inglese?” (PAR-lah een-GLAY-zay?) – “Do you speak English?”
Getting There
Please read our tips on airfare to Italy—the advice in this article applies to this course, except that the nearest airport to Carrara is Pisa, not Rome.
Please read this post for information on how to get from Pisa or Rome to Carrara by train or car.
What to Bring
Materials and Supplies
Students will be offered a variety of stones to choose from, all available at a discount directly from the sculpture studio where we will be working. At the end of the course students can elect to ship back their pieces individually or collectively at their own cost.
Basic tools will be supplied by the studio for use during the course. Students will have the option to purchase their own tools, if they wish, in a local supply store.
Other Expenses to Plan For
We strive to keep our courses affordable and to provide the best value we can—we want to provide courses we could and would attend ourselves. We do this by keeping our costs low, arranging inexpensive program housing, and by providing a discount for fulltime university/MFA students.
Course Costs
2008 Course Enrollment deadlines
Tuition Deposit Schedule
Cancellations
Cancellations must be submitted in writing. Refunds will be given minus fees. If a substitute is found, then a full refund will be given minus a $125 administrative fee.
If you’d like to attend, just email us or print out and mail in the registration form located here (requires Adobe PDF Reader).
If you have any questions about this program, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to talking with you.
Please note: we reserve the right to cancel trips for unforeseen circumstances or in the event that enrollment is insufficient. In the unlikely event a trip is cancelled, a full refund will be issued to all participants.
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