Ice Sculptures

19 January 2012
6:30 PM

Sunrise at	10:17 AM	in direction	142°	Southeast
Sunset at	3:47 PM	in direction	218°	Southwest

Duration of day: 5 hours, 30 minutes (6 minutes, 7 seconds longer than yesterday)

Around Christmas and into the first of each year, ice sculptures begin to pop up around town and on campus.  In March, the World Ice Art Championships are held.  Competitors from Russia, Japan, and China are usually well represented.  But, in looking over the list for 2010, artists from France, Portugal, Finland, Mongolia, Mexico, Germany, the Netherlands, the Phillipines, and even Gabon contributed.  Last year was skipped because Ice Alaska moved its venue, but plans for 2012 are in the works.

I would love to include a few photos from the competition, but I haven't received permission to copy any of them, so instead I am providing the link to Ice Alaska 2010 photos.  There are two major categories, single block and multi-block.  Within those two categories are prizes for abstract and realistic sculptures.  When you click on a link to a sculpture, a series of photos appear on the bottom of the panel.  Double clicking on those photos will display the images with increased size.  I preferred the black and white over colored, but you have a choice.

Index of 2010 Ice Sculptures

By the way, my son-in-law, Jamie Hollingsworth, is a member of one of the multi-block teams.  That sculpture depicts the Inuit blanket toss.  The blanket toss requires skill, strength and the ability to leverage increased height beyond the toss height.  A member of the village is tossed into the air as high as possible to be able to view distances along flat ice surfaces.  The skill is tested during the Alaska Native Olympics.

I took photos of this event in 2000, but by March, the ice becomes more transparent.  My photos caught the transparency, whereas my eye clearly noted all the folds of drapery, all the delicate spirals, and the skill of the artists.   Right now the ice blocks are still fresh and milky, so I gave it another shot (or two).  Each year, the mascot, Nanook (polar bear),  appears on campus.  Typically entrances to the campus have a polar bear on the prowl, but one near the Wood Center is often whimsical.

Nanook greeting drivers as they enter the campus

Nanook striking a casual pose

Do you remember commercials advertising Stella Artois Beer during the 2010 winter?  I do because it was one of the advertisers for the TV series, Monk, which I was watching from beginning to end on Hulu.  The story line was an ice sculpture contest and the winner sculpted a piano that he could play, winning the prize of Stella Artois beer and the admiration of the the lovely female judge.



Design Alaska is one of the spots that has sculptures each year.  Not to be outdone by Stella Artois, this sculpture gives you a taste of what's to come in the spring.

Artistry at the entrance to Design Alaska

Impressive, isn't it?