Art Shanty Projects When it comes to dealing with the harsh realities of winter, Minnesotans are a resourceful bunch. Where others might see a bleak expanse of snow-covered ice, we see an opportunity. We haul ice-fishing shacks out to the middle of a frozen lake, where we take cold comfort in camaraderie punctuated by the occasional nibble. Of course, not all of us find the prospect of watching a hole in the ice all that enticing. But what if the shack were furnished with a four-poster bed, replete with resident monster underneath? Welcome to the Art Shanty Projects’ colony of on-ice installations. This literally cool idea came to fruition in 2005 on Plymouth’s Medicine Lake. The program moved to White Bear Lake in 2014, and after a year’s hiatus, it returns bigger and better this year, having received some hefty national grants. But be forewarned: Even folks who rarely cross the threshold of a museum might find themselves hooked on art after being lured into the 20-some interactive shanties.
artfullivingmagazine.com
| Winter 2016
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