Creative Laboratory of Ceramics and Stone

Island Stone & Pottery Retreats is an experiential workshop programme that interprets the identity of the islands of the Zadar Archipelago through artistic creation. In its pilot phase, the concept was developed using the Island of Pag as a case study. The product combines an interpretive introduction with hands-on work in clay and stone, enabling participants to gain a deeper understanding of key aspects of island life through their own creative expression.

The workshop is designed as an immersive experience taking place at a single location that offers visitors insight into a distinctive and meaningful aspect of island culture or landscape. On Pag, for example, the experience focuses on the island’s extensive grazing lands and its long-standing sheep-farming tradition. Following the introductory interpretation, participants are invited to engage in one of two creative workshops under professional guidance: the Island Pottery Class, dedicated to working with clay, or the Island Stone Experience, which explores traditional and contemporary stone craftsmanship.

Through direct engagement with natural materials and local heritage, participants are encouraged to connect with the cultural landscape of the island in a meaningful and memorable way.

The product was conceived and piloted within a creative laboratory involving Goran Blažević, independent artist; Zrinka Brkan Klarin (Liliput Gallery, Zadar); and Anđela Šimunov (the Re-kreativci Association, Zadar). The cross-border mentor for the initiative was Raffaele Fiorella, artist and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts of Bari, Italy.

Raffaele Fiorella

Raffaele Fiorella

  • Gallery:
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  • Region: Zadar
  • Artistic Focus: Creative Reinterpretation of Local Ethnographic Heritage and the Island Way of Life
  • Name and surname: Raffaele Fiorella
  • Website: https://www.raffaelefiorella.it
  • Info:

    Raffaele Fiorella (Barletta, 1979) works across installation, video, and sculpture, exploring the expressive potential of digital art. Poised between poetry and everyday life, his research investigates the boundary between reality and fiction,constructing landscapes of memory and illusion as spaces of escape and refuge, imagined or simulated. He has exhibited in Italy and abroad, including Italian Reflections (Italian Cultural Institute, Cairo, 2017) and Opera Viva Barriera di Milano (Turin), by invitation of Christian Caliandro. Among the main milestones of his career are Unodiuno (Naples, 2016), Syntesis (Fondazione Museo Pino Pascali, 2015), the BoCS Art residency (Cosenza, 2015), the solo exhibition Menzogna (Bari, 2015), Fuoriluogo (2014), and Duel (Fondazione Museo Pino Pascali, 2014). More recently, he has participated in Zoo Generation (2020), La comunità del Compost, and Play Dead – Chapter 2 (2024). In July 2025, he will be in residence at the Caloma Festival at Fondazione Le Costantine. Alongside his artistic practice, he has organized several residencies and curated participatory projects with Erasmus students and young artists, promoting collaborative processes and intercultural exchange. He is currently a lecturer in Digital Applications for Visual Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts of Bari. 
Goran Blažević

Goran Blažević

  • Region: Zadar
  • Artistic Focus: Creative Reinterpretation of Local Ethnographic Heritage and the Island Way of Life
  • Name and surname: Goran Blažević
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  • Phone: 091 570 2710
  • Info:

    Goran Blažević from Zadar is a distinguished artist and educator known for his work with clay and ceramics. For many years, he has led creative workshops for adults and beginners, where participants learn techniques of shaping, building, decorating, and glazing ceramics. His works, as well as those created by his students, are frequently exhibited at local exhibitions, including the Zadar City Museum.

    In addition to ceramics, Goran cultivates other creative disciplines, ranging from photography and video to traditional Japanese archery (Kyudo), which he teaches to children, young people, and persons with disabilities. His versatile approach to working with materials and people makes him a recognized member of the Zadar artistic community.

    Goran is also active in the international Kyudo community, collaborating with masters across Europe. His work is distinguished by the integration of traditional techniques with contemporary artistic expression and the use of natural materials.
Udruga Re-keativci

Udruga Re-keativci

  • Info:

    The “Re-kreativci” Association from Zadar was founded in 2019 with the aim of encouraging creativity, artistic expression, and social inclusion through workshops, courses, and art colonies. The association is based in Zadar, and its founders are Blaženka Juren Marušić, the association’s president, and Mirko Marušić, a visual artist and active collaborator.

    The association organizes various creative activities for all age groups, including painting colonies, Paint & Wine workshops, and work with recycled materials, aiming to stimulate imagination and artistic expression.

    One of its recognizable activities is the Art Colony on Dugi Otok, organized in cooperation with local partners, where participants — both amateurs and professionals — create and exhibit their works in an inspiring natural environment.

    Their work enriches the cultural offer of Zadar and its surroundings and contributes to connecting the local community through art.
Galerija Liliput

Galerija Liliput

  • Info:

    Zadar archaeologist and art historian Zrinka Brkan Klarin opened a small but truly unique sales gallery in the old Brkan family house in Varoška Street. The gallery provides an authentic reflection of the local craft and art scene. Gallery Liliput brings together works by numerous Zadar-based authors, including Zvonimira Karavida, Aleksandar Bonačić, and many others, offering a rich selection of local handicrafts and souvenirs.

    Gallery Liliput is one of the most distinctive galleries and art & craft shops in Zadar. Its concept is based on a carefully curated collection of locally made design and applied-art products, such as silver and brass jewelry, handmade bags, dolls, illustrations, photographs, and related works. Liliput is a meeting point of creativity and tradition — a space that supports local authors and where visitors can find unique items that carry the creative spirit of Zadar.