From CAD to Chisel: Travis Donovan’s Second Digital Stone Project Residency
This summer, Associate Professor and Sculpture Coordinator Travis Donovan spent part of his summer in Gramolazzo, Italy where he participated in the 2026 Digital Stone Project (DSP) Residency. This marks Donovan’s second time participating in the selective international program, having previously attended in 2023. He completed a new marble sculpture entitled Blow (Floral), that is the second work in his floral series and follows up the sculpture Drape (Floral) from his 2023 residency.
The Digital Stone Project is a unique organization that bridges the gap between state-of-the-art digital design, robotic stone-carving technology, and traditional hand-sculpting methods. Held in the Tuscan quarry region of Garfagnana, the residency brings together an international cohort of sculptors, architects, and artists.
During the intensive month-long program, residents utilize advanced 3D scanning, computer-aided design (CAD) software, and multi-axis robotic milling tools to rough out their designs from solid blocks of Italian marble. The artists then spend weeks hand-finishing, refining, and polishing their stone sculptures to completion.
Blow (Floral)
Blow (Floral) builds upon an ongoing series exploring how spatial and decorative patterns encountered throughout his life have shaped his personal identity.
Artist Statement Excerpt
“This specific work focuses on my interest in embroidery and cross-stitched patterns—processes I watched my aunt and other female family members practice. Although these textile processes influenced me as an artist and my aesthetic appreciation of fabrics, textures, and floral patterns, I wasn’t encouraged to practice them. I am currently making work that revisits these patterns, re-envisioning them in different materials to celebrate and explore them in new ways.
Created using CAD software that simulates a digital plane of soft material blown against another surface, Blow (Floral) depicts digital fabric featuring a raised embroidery pattern blowing horizontally across my face. Aesthetically, I am interested in how the patterned fabric partially obscures my features and warps the embroidery design. The distortion that occurs when translating soft embroidery to hard stone is an intentional metaphor representing my relationship to traditional stereotypes of masculinity.”
Exhibition at The Fortress of Mont’Alfonso
The 2026 residency culminated in a major public exhibition celebrating the intersection of contemporary technology and fine art. Curated by New York-based curator India Price, the final sculptures were displayed in a two-month-long exhibition set against the historic location of The Fortress of Mont’Alfonso in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Italy.
A fully documented, internationally distributed exhibition catalog featuring Travis Donovan’s work is forthcoming.
