Vrsar proudly wears the name of the “town of sculpture”. Every summer at the abandoned Montraker quarry, the Montraker school of sculpture takes place. The International School of Sculpture takes place every summer in the revived Montraker Quarry. All sculptures from previous workshops are now exhibited on the beaches, campsites, Vrsar waterfront and in city parks. Young sculptors from Croatia and abroad have been creating original and profound art in an old and abandoned Montraker quarry since 1991. The open summer sculpture school, run by the sculptor, offers tourists a unique insight into the process of redefining row stones into (three weeks later) unusual and inspired stone shapes.
On Monday 2 September 2024, the 34rd Montraker International Student School of Sculpture kicks off in the restored Montraker quarry.
The school is held during the summer months and all its works of art will remain in Vrsar as beautiful elements adorning the space. Young sculptors from Croatia and abroad have been carrying on this local tradition ever since 1991, giving it an original and fresh touch. The open-air school of sculpture and stonemasonry, under the guidance of expert mentors, offers tourists a unique insight into the processing of stone. In three weeks, young sculptors turn lumps of stone into finely crafted works of art drawing inspiration from the soul.
For two weeks, from Monday to Saturday (8 a.m. – noon and 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.), all interested persons can go and follow the work of the students until Saturday, 9 September when their sculptures will be officially presented. This will mark the end of yet another creative experience blending stonework practice & education. During the same period, academic sculptor Giuseppe La Bruna, until recently dean of the Venice Academy of Fine Arts and long-time mentor to students at Montraker, will continue his work on the sculpture started last year.
Stonemasons Deni Krizmanić and Mauricio Matukina, will be assisting the young sculptors. Professional assistant and art historian Vilma Bartolić will be in charge for writing descriptions of the student’s works of art.
During the school, an exhibition will be organised on the Vrsar waterfront featuring selected photographs from the last year’s Montraker photo contest, including the three award-winning photos. This is yet another way how Montraker lives with the people of Vrsar and their guests. The Montraker school was born from the idea of Josip Diminić and Drago Orlić. In an attempt to enrich the cultural offer of Vrsar, they decided to exploit the abandoned quarry from which, in the past, stone was extracted for the construction of Venice. All interested photographers can apply for this year’s photo contest with cash prizes – 1st prize is 300 €, 2nd prize 200 € and third prize 100 €. The funding of the International Student School of Sculpture is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. The organiser of the school is Poreč Open University, the co-organisers the Municipality of Vrsar-Orsera and Vrsar Tourist Board, in addition to Maistra d.d. and Kamen d.d. who support the project with their donations. The finished sculptures are placed in public spaces around the town by the Montraker utility company form Vrsar.
The following academies will participate in this year’s school:
The Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb
Mentor: Alem Korkut
Student: Samuel Matijević
The Academy of Applied Arts in Rijeka
Mentor: Hrvoje Urumović
Student: Stipe Golem
The Arts Academy in Split
Mentor: Nikola Džaja
Student: Roko Tomić
The Academy of Fine Arts and Design of Ljubljana
Mentor: Metod Frlic
Student: Lucija Laura Schwarzbartl
MONTRAKER PHOTO CONTEST 2024
The contest is organised as a side programme of the Montraker International Student School of Sculpture held from 2 September to 14 September 2024. The school has been devised as a platform for practical work of art academy students, focusing on sculpture. From 1991, more than a hundred stone sculptures were created and placed in and around Vrsar.
The participants can send their photographs which must be focused on the contest themes:
Sculpture in the making
The photographers will capture the participants of the 34st Montraker International Student School of Sculpture while making stone sculptures in the Montraker quarry in Vrsar from 2 September to 9 September. The students will be working from 8 a.m. to noon and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Sunday.
Sculpture in space
The photographers’ task is to capture the sculptures placed in public spaces of Vrsar, which were created from 1991 by the students of the Montraker International Student School of Sculpture. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between the sculpture and the space around it.
The participating photographers can obtain a map of Vrsar with marked locations of the sculptures at the Vrsar Tourist Board office. Each participant can submit up to three photographs. The photographs must be sent digitally to the email: montraker@poup.hr no later than 23 September 2024. The email subject must state ‘FOR THE MONTRAKER PHOTO CONTEST 2024’. The application must contain the following data:
Name and surname, address, telephone number and photograph names.
The submitted photographs must not exceed 500 KB in size each.
A jury composed of art historian Vilma Bartolić, academic painter Valter Černeka, and professor of art Andi Bančić will review the submitted photographs.
The jury will select the top three entries, whose authors will receive the following prizes:
1st prize – 300 €
2nd prize – 200 €
3rd prize – 100 €
The jury will also make a shortlist of photographs to be presented on an exhibition in September 2025, within the Montraker International Student Sculptor School programme. The organisers reserve the right to use the award-winning photographs in advertising material, with mandatory mention of the author’s name for every publication. For additional information, please send an email to montraker@poup.hr or call 091 431 59 59 (8 a.m. – 3 p.m.).
