The artists Dominique Campana and Carol Haas are the creators of the trophy for the 2014 edition of the prestigious regatta the Corsica Classic.
Inspired by sailing, the trophy is realized in handmade colored glass and sculpted stainless steel.
The couple is known for large scale glass and metal sculpture. Recently three monumental pieces by Dominique and Carol were commissioned and installed in the Calvi-Balagne Sports Complex. A giant red starfish, yellow seahorse and blue grouper all made of glass with colored inclusions and polychrome steel were commissioned by the local territorial community (Communauté des Communes Calvi-Balagne) as part of the French national public program 1% for Art. The program in which 1% of the budget of a newly built public structure is set aside for the acquisition of art is to make culture easily accessible for everyone.
The artists’ work is often exposed in art galleries in France and Europe, locally in their workshop gallery at the foot of the citadel in Calvi and the Gour Beneforti gallery in Bastia. They often participate in ephemeral shows in unexpected places like the garden of the Sofitel Golfe d’Ajaccio in Porticcio, Corsica where giant insects are shown this summer in the hotel’s majestic garden overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Dominque Campana is a sculptor and he masters glasswork which he learned through a long apprenticeship and welding, learned through different creative experiences. Carol Haas, who conceives the pieces and collaborates in the workshop, is a visual artist originally from New York who earned a BA in studio art at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Their work is included in French public collections and private collections internationally.
Dominique and Carol are all the more pleased that Dorade is the winner of the sculpture prize because of the “small world” story behind the trophy. Carol Haas and Katia Assante of the regatta organization have a mutual friend who lives in San Francisco who made the connection. The trophy was made in Calvi from a friendship that spans the globe from California to New York to Paris and all the way to Corsica.
Article by Carol Haas. YouTube video from Dominique Campana.