Some history from the booklet, Kornarija, 1987
"At the distance of fifteen kilometres from the Adriatic sea, on the road that goes from Buje to Oprtalj and reaches Rijeka, is located a small village Marušići. Its main activity, as in many other parts of Istria, was related to the work in the white istrian stone throughout the world, such as Teodoricos mausoleum in Ravenna (520 a.c.) and palaces of towns such as Venice, Wien, Trieste and New York. In the fifties and sixties the quarries began to be slowly closed, and the same happened in the 1972 to Kornijaš quary. 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 this people remained always bound to the white stone. And it may be this the reason why in 1980 was founded in Marušići the International Sculpture School "Kornarija". The idea arose from Toni Biloslav, The director of Obalne Galerije Piran and it was realised in collaboration with the Local Comunity of Marušići and its cultural organisation "Bratstvo". In July and August 1980, came the first students from St. Martin`s School of Art of London, guided by their professor Francisco Gazitua. These students shared, in the following five years, their working experiences with other students coming from Italy, Spain and former Yugoslavia. During the seven years of the school activity 100 students from 13 different countries have participated and they have left dozens of sculptures in Marušići`s park. Lecturers in the school were the following sculptors and professors: Francisco Gazitua (Chile), Janez Lenassi (Slovenia), Masayuki Nagase (Japan), Leonard Rachita (Romania), Drago Tršar (Slovenia) and Carlos Lizariturry (Basc-Spain). Some among the students and lecturers have decided to remain in Marušići. This are Gail Morris (England), the already above mentioned Carlos Lizariturry and Masayuki Nagase, who in collaboration with the painter Burhan Hadžialjević are the organisers of the Open Studio Kornarija. In the village of Marušići live also other artists who found in this idyllic village their home. "

Kornarija quarry stopped hosting students in the early nineties, when Kamen Pazin begun to explore stone sources, again. Things changed, Croatia went through hard times of war and also the Kornarija itself changed: from a relatively small stone pit it grew into a large cave, so, that you can hardly recognize the old Kornarija, seen on the picture above. But the summer 2002, the organizers of the old Kornarija summer school decided to be the right time to resume the tradition. Our student summer workshop will be the first step forward.
From the old 'acquaintances' stay: Toni Biloslav and Burhan Hadzialjevic (organization) and Gail Morris (as a tutor). Rene Rusjan and Bostjan Potokar (both sculptors from the Famul Stuart School of Applied Arts, Ljubljana, tutors) are also 'the old acquaintances' of Marusici, but they first came there as students of Ljubljana Academy for Fine Arts in 1986 and 1987, the last years of the former summer school…