Five years of dialogue between art and business: the story of Marca Corona per l’Arte
In 2022, Marca Corona per l’Arte was created as an identity-driven project designed to communicate the company using a new language: that of contemporary art. A business with almost 300 years of history that continues to look forward, each year commissioning a leading Italian or international artist to create an original artwork, inspired by the values and identity of Marca Corona.
This is far more than a simple art commission: it is a project based on collaboration and research, a dialogue between business culture and artistic vision, where each piece takes shape through the direct involvement of employees. The project unfolds across a sequence of key moments that recur and evolve with every edition: the creation of a site-specific artwork on-site at the company, the exhibition finissage in Bologna, a symposium bridging art and architecture, the Premio Marca Corona dedicated to young artists under 35, and workshops with local schools such as the Venturi and Chierici institutes. Edition after edition, this process builds a veritable archive of works and narratives woven into the identity of Marca Corona, bringing the culture of Made in Italy ceramics into ever broader artistic spheres.
The creations emerging from this journey do not remain confined to a single event: they take up permanent residence within the spaces of Galleria Marca Corona, the corporate museum and archive founded in 2010. Here, over time, they form a coherent narrative highlighting the company’s identity and evolution alongside historical documents, photographs and testimonies spanning over three centuries of history in the Sassuolo ceramic district.
Past editions: from Giuseppe Stampone to Pino Deodato
In the inaugural edition in 2022, Giuseppe Stampone created “Nel Blu Dipinto”, a participatory journey taking the form of a visual alphabet capable of articulating the company’s identity and values through symbols and cultural references shared with employees. In 2023, Stefano Arienti brought “Opera Aperta” to the Gallery, a project shaped by the gaze of the observer, connecting the corporate space with the surrounding region’s cultural dimension.
In 2024 Andrea Mastrovito created “MCm – Minimo Comune Multiplo” (Least Common Multiple), a paper mosaic inspired by a historic photograph from the Marca Corona archive. Utilising the frottage technique over paper tiles, the work reassembled company memory through a contemporary lens, establishing a direct dialogue between art and manufacturing processes.
Lastly, in 2025, Pino Deodato presented “ricAMARE. Il ricamo è un gesto d’amore” [“RicAMARE. Embroidery is an act of love”], a site-specific terracotta artwork comprising nine glazed bas-reliefs and two sculptures, weaving together tradition and the contemporary by once again involving employees in a shared process.
Four different languages, one unified trajectory: telling the story of Marca Corona through the people who experience it daily, translating industrial memory into artistic matter.
Marinella Senatore takes centre stage for the 5th edition: presenting “Materia Comune”
For its fifth edition, Marca Corona per l’Arte welcomes Marinella Senatore, one of the most prominent international figures in participatory art, named 2026 Artist of the Year by the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome. For the very first time in her research, the artist explores ceramics, a material entirely new to her practice.
For over two decades, Senatore has created collective artworks involving communities, schools, institutions and workers worldwide, turning participatory processes into public monuments, festivals and installations. Her recognition as 2026 Artist of the Year underscores the pivotal position of her research within contemporary Italian and international art, rendering her ceramic début at Marca Corona all the more significant. In keeping with previous editions, Marinella Senatore’s project originated from a collaborative workshop with Marca Corona employees: spoken words, personal stories, active listening and even somatic practices fuelled a collective creative process. Indeed, participation, listening and community have been the watchwords guiding her practice for over twenty years, and they re-emerge in this project tailored for Marca Corona.
Out of this experience comes “Materia Comune”, the first ceramic artwork ever produced by Marinella Senatore: a choral work reflecting the identity, values and history of the Sassuolo ceramic district through the voices of those who live it every day.
Artworks on display: all the information
Marinella Senatore’s creation stands as the centrepiece of the “Materia Comune” exhibition, curated by Mariacristina Ferraioli and open to visitors from 9th October to 4th December 2026 at Galleria Marca Corona in Sassuolo. The exhibition also features a curated selection of the artist’s other creations, including collages, traditional light sculptures (luminarie), canvases and sculptures, set in dialogue with Marca Corona’s historic collections.
The journey does not end in Sassuolo: it will travel to Bologna on the occasion of ART CITY Bologna and Arte Fiera 2027, concluding in the autumn of the same year at the Palazzo Ducale in Sassuolo.
With Marinella Senatore, Marca Corona per l’Arte opens a fresh chapter: for the first time, a ceramic artwork created by a participatory artist becomes an integral part of the Gallery’s permanent collection, alongside the paintings, drawings and sculptures collected during previous editions.
It is a step confirming that the dialogue between art and business at Marca Corona is a path still entirely to be written.
