Museum Marble Art Sculpture Culture

M.A.S.C. Marble Art Sculpture Culture

Our company is inspired by a Renaissance workshop. Inside we set up a fascinating and interesting tour to describe the extraordinary and varied world of artistic hand-working of marble. The idea of the company museum arose from the desire to share with customers, fans and tourists our expertise, knowledge and experience in the world of stone working.
We have created a pathway with materials, tools, artefacts and documents. The mission is to protect artistic handicrafts, currently facing the risk of being overwhelmed by modern technology and machinery. We believe in valuing traditions, the past, historical and cultural heritage and the surrounding area. Each of our creations is filled with history and values.

Sculpture and culture

The tour begins with a brief presentation of Arte 2000 and an introduction to the world of marble and art with images displayed on a screen.
The route is divided into two macro thematic areas:

“Look at marble” with your hands

You can see a variety of precious and rare stones and rocks, touch rough marbles, sketched, carved, engraved and worked with various artistic techniques and observe our artists-sculptors during the stages of processing and sculpting. There are several sections:

• marble library: this is a collection of almost 300 different types of soft and hard rocks, precious and rare stones and marbles that we have crafted over a period of 30 years;
• wunderkammer: this is the area of our “wonders of the past” and of stonemasons in general, where there are antique hand tools, works made using different artistic processes and decoration techniques, clay models, drawings and the 5 Italian marbles used in the early years of our business;
• timeworn: this is an area dedicated to our special antique finish, handmade with special techniques and precious secrets;

• St Mark’s lions: this section is dedicated to sculptures depicting the symbol of the city of Venice. The Venetian winged lion has always been the work that has distinguished us, and we have created some using different marbles, in different sizes and versions;
• tuttotondo/artistic: is a collection of statues, ornaments and artistic sculptures in classical and contemporary styles. Here we describe the beauty and value of handmade sculpture and what distinguishes it from sculpture made with automated and computerised machinery;
• practical training: to pass on an artistic and artisan craft to the next generation. Here, students from art schools learn to reproduce simple geometric figures freehand or more complex artistic figures in relief. The works created by the students are kept in the museum. We also offer courses in sculpture for art and marble enthusiasts and tourists;
• workshop: this is the production area where you see the sculptors at work during the artistic design, technical planning, marble selection, cutting, shaping, artistic sculpting or hand finishing. The stages in the creation of the artistic works vary according to the orders being placed and the progress of the work.

“Look at marble” with your mind

The visit continues on the first floor where the focus is on the history of our workshop, on reading and watching with the following sections:

• time line: on the walls of the staircase, there are illustrations of the most important stages of our history. In 1888 Emilio Facchini was born, a brilliant entrepreneur and the first Istrian aviator, who in 1920 bought the Quarries of Santo Stefano d’Istria. In 1959, Stefano Facchini was born, he developed over the years the artistic and cultural component of marble processing and the special “time-worn” hand finishing. Among the important steps he took, we can mention his first works abroad in the nineties, the recognition he received in the USA for his craftsmanship with the prestigious “Palladio Award” and the current creation of the company museum;
• library: this is a place where you can study in close contact with the production area. It is a collection of thematic books on marble, sculpture, art and architecture. Old and rare books on marble sculptures, cities of art, architectural and artistic works, processing and construction techniques. The books belong to the private collection of Stefano Facchini;

• culture: a space for meetings, training sessions, seminars, debates and workshops with artists, professionals and enthusiasts. A space for briefings, research, meetings around a marble table. The presence of a large monitor allows access to multimedia content and, thanks to the presence of a high-speed broadband connection, there is a fast internet connection to facilitate any interactive meetings by remote. We are now working on other related projects and on hosting small events. If you are planning to organise a cultural meeting or an exhibition, and our workshop is the place for it, please contact us personally to find the best solution together.

Shop

At our premises, you can directly purchase the works available for immediate delivery, created as unique pieces from our drawings or inspired by antique models.

Entrance

The Museum is open by prior agreement only for a guided tour led personally by Stefano Facchini. Entrance is free of charge, with a limited number of visitors, visitors under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Entry conditions, in this delicate phase of health emergency, are subject to current regulations. Soon available a virtual on-line tour.

“Le mani raccontano”

In 2019 and 2020 we participated, together with other excellences of the territory, in the project “Le mani raccontano – Atelier e botteghe artigiane negli itinerari del turismo slow veneto” for the recovery, enhancement and communication of its cultural heritage and the “know-how with the hands”.
As part of this project, organized by the Fondazione CUOA – Business School in collaboration with Fondo Plastico and financed by the Veneto Region through the European Social Fund in synergy with the European Regional Development Fund, also the docu-film”Itinerary to discover the excellences of the territory” was made.

A tour to discover a marble artisanal workshop.

Complete video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U-Q1W2bA6s