I&S was honored to be invited last year on a truly unique trip, organized by none other than our friends at Artistic Tile. And while it was quite a few months ago, we still thought it beneficial to you, our readers, to be aware of these amazing CEU trips this tile giant offers to designers to learn exactly where these products come from and how they get to your projects. For more information on how to participate in one of these trips, please contact Laura Steele, vice president of marketing at Artistic Tile, at [email protected].
“CEUs on buses have become our specialty,” joked Artistic Tile President Joshua Levinson to the group as we all journeyed to the Danby Marble Quarry in Vermont on a big comfy bus. It was a two hour CEU course he led up to the largest underground marble quarry in the world, with guests that varied from designers and architects to professors and editors.
“Journey from the Center of the Earth” is one of many CEUs the company offers. Topics range from the sustainable use of natural stone, to where the product comes from in various locations around the world and its history (which is what “Journey” focuses on).
From Italy to Turkey to Spain to China, Levinson ran down what types of marble and stone each country specializes in, how it’s quarried, extracted and different shipping methods.
After a quick stop at The Apple Barn to pick up some infamous Vermont maple syrup, we finally arrived at the Danby Quarry. Here we were led through a huge cave of glittering, blindingly white marble blocks, were able to watch one be fully separated from the herd as a bulldozer knocked it over (check back in a few days to view a video of that), and were able to view a diamond saw cut as well.
After the quarry, we made our way over to the nearby production facility where slabs of marble are cut and finished for specific jobs.
Enjoy the photo essay below for a visual timeline of the day. And to learn more about the quarrying of stone, read this article published in our January Tile & Stone section, written by Levinson about the American National Standard for the sustainable development of dimensional stone production, currently being developed by a number of organizations.
