Stone Sculpting Classes in Italy

Marble & Art Workshops in Italy

25th Annual Marble Sculpting Classes in Pietrasanta, Italy

Letter From the Director

Lynne Streeter founded the Marble & Art Institute© in 1985.
This is her 25th year as director and principal instructor of the sculpture workshops in Pietrasanta, and her 29th as a resident of the town.

Dear Workshop Friends,

This past season was busy and exciting as always. Workshop participants created very impressive results in each session, and our master artisan carvers certainly helped that happen. In 2009 we continued to enjoy the Studio Rossi Pio & Figli, with its excellent workspace. It is equipped with specialized heavy-duty machinery, such as lathes, diamond wire cutter and disc cutters, core drills, a forklift, and a heavy motorized crane. It is located in the heart of downtown Pietrasanta. We were assisted by Gino Lombardi and Eolo Galeotti. These men are uniquely talented, and it is always a pleasure to work with them. In 2010 our main assistant will be Eolo Galeotti with extra help from other artisans as needed. I will, of course, be present for both sessions.

In 2009 there were many wonderful art exhibitions during the months I was in Pietrasanta. First, in May and June, there was “Genesi”, works of Viliano Tarabella. His monumental abstract marble sculptures were in the main square. Smaller sculptures in various materials, as well as drawings, were shown inside Sant’Agostino. Viliano was from a nearby mountain village in the Versilia. He passed away a few years ago. “Animals’ Countdown” by Brescia artist Stefano Bombardieri was on display the entire summer. It dealt ironically with the extinction of many endangered species- gorillas, rhinoceroses, elephants, etc. In the square was a fiberglass whale pulled by a small child. Three fiberglass orcas dangled from a frame. In Sant’Agostino there were many more sculptures in marble and bronze, plus two dimensional work. In the fall Pietrasanta honored two long-time residents who showed inside the Sant’Agostino cloisters: American artist Joseph Sheppard “The Human Condition” and Dutch artist Aart Schonk “Marble and the Legend, Metamorphosis of a Passion.” And finally at the end of September Garessio-born Giuseppe Penone placed “Ideas of Stone” in the center of the main square. This was a monumental leafless bronze tree with a sequentially smaller series of bronze rocks going up the tree.

In 2007 I had the honor of receiving two grants for my sculpture. One was the Gottlieb Emergency Grant and the other a Pollock-Krasner Award. These grants helped me to begin a new series of bronze and marble sculptures. To see four images of my work go to www.pkf.org. Again this year I am offering stone carving workshops here in Oakland until I go back to Pietrasanta in May. Perhaps some of you would like to come to Oakland and get a head start on carving before joining us in Pietrasanta.

The wonderful DVD “Through the Eyes of the Sculptor”, which features our Pietrasanta workshop and was filmed in 2003, is still available from the web site www.tteyesof.com. It is still being aired on various Public Broadcasting System affiliates around the U.S. There is a lot of beautiful footage of the Pietrasanta area. I converted my video about our workshops to a DVD and I still have the VHS as well. They are available from me for $20.00, which includes tax and shipping. You will be able to reach me at my U.S. contacts until 5/15/10. After that, as always, you will find me at my Italian contacts. Both are included on this web site. Of course, my email remains the same. Please let me know if you have any questions about any aspect of our program. I hope to see many of you in Pietrasanta and send you all my best greetings.

In Peace,

Lynne Streeter
Director, Marble & Art Workshops
Winter/Spring 2010