Art Shanty Projects
Comment: Fails WP:NORG, is highly dependent upon primary sources. The organisation's website and interviews with representatives of the organisation are not independent secondary sources. Dan arndt (talk) 06:06, 7 August 2026 (UTC)
Art Shanty Projects
Art Shanty Projects is a public art program in Minneapolis, MN. The nonprofit organization facilitates the creation of a social shanty village in January and February on the frozen ice of Lake Harriet, or Bdé Umáŋ in Dakota. The organization's mission statement is:
“Art Shanty Projects intentionally creates an impermanent art village on Minnesota lake ice amid changing climate and environment. With a spirit of embracing challenges through creativity, we support an ecosystem that inspires everyone to create and participate in art, thrive in winter, and build community.”.[1]
History
The first Art Shanty was built on Medicine Lake in the Twin Cities metro area. It was built by Peter Haakon Thompson and David Pittman[2] after being inspired by the social communities of traditional ice fishing villages, and finding that there are no building codes for structures on frozen lakes[3]. The event grew each year, eventually drawing large crowds from around the Twin Cities metro area.
Art Shanty Projects became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2014, and moved the event to White Bear Lake , and then to Minneapolis in 2018 where it is currently held. The program attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually[4].
- ↑ "About Art Shanty Projects | Art Shanty Projects". 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- ↑ "Who We Are: Meet Our Staff | Art Shanty News". 2021-10-10. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ Harder, Macy (2025-01-15). "The Evolution of Art Shanty Projects". Minnesota Monthly. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ Erin (2025-12-18). "STATE OF THE SHANTYVERSE 2025 - ART SHANTY PROJECTS". Retrieved 2026-06-13.
Past Shantys, Performances, and Activities
The program includes physical shanty structures that are installed for the duration of the program and performances or art actions that happen outdoors at scheduled times throughout the shanty village. These projects are selected by an open call process, as well as an invited curatorial process for artists from marginalized groups. A requirement of every project is active participation facilitated by the artists and performers, and should be interactive and participatory art.
Examples of Past Projects:
- Postal Shanty: visitors have sent mail.
- Chapsicle of Love: ordained artists performed legal marriage ceremonies.
- Notary Shanty: where visitors could have things notarized.
- Frogahhh: yoga for the planet and the people, where Yoga is practiced in snowsuits
- Collective Joy Community Square Dance.
- Thakápsičapi: Native lacrosse games played on the ice.
- Art Cars: In the early days of the program Art Cars functioned as a taxi service for visitors to get from shore to the village on Medicine Lake.
- Tomb of the Unknown Minnow
- -7° Entry Danceteria: a mini dance hall styled like the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis.
- Lady Bear: roaming polar bear puppet
- Pollinator Frenzy: participants dress as insects and dance around a large flower structure.
- K-ICE: a pirate radio station
- Norae Shanty: a karaoke shanty
- Sonic Shanty: a shanty with playable piano strings through the ice by Rebecca Loyche
- Opticon, a camera obscura by Silvana Agostoni
- Poetry Wall: a winter poetry themed shanty by Magnetic Poetry founder Dave Kapell
- Wicked Winter: a giant gingerbread house hosted by artists dressed as witches who cast spells with visitors
- Madson AIDS Memorial Shanty: an adaptation of a design by architect and activist David Madson
- Lady Bear, a life-sized polar bear puppet
- Taiko On Ice: live Taiko drumming performed by the TaikoArts Midwest.
- Fashion Disasters: a climate change fashion show
Press Coverage
Art Shanty Projects have been featured in Local, National, and International press. Including the New York Times[1], NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt[2], and the Associated Press[3], Minnesota Public Radio[4], Minnesota Star Tribune, KSTP News[5]. Additionally, an article written for the Association for Sciences of Limnology and Oceanology was published in their Bulletin: Limnology and Oceanography in April 2025[6]
This article "Art Shanty Projects" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Art Shanty Projects. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ Brown, Patricia Leigh (2024-02-02). "It's 50 Degrees in Minneapolis. Goodbye, Ice Shanties". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ NBC News (2025-02-12). Minnesota’s art gallery on ice. Retrieved 2025-12-07 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Thousands enjoy art on a frozen Minneapolis lake despite bone-chilling temperatures". AP News. 2025-01-18. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ↑ Cipolle, Alex V. (2024-01-26). "Ice ice baby: Art Shanty Projects celebrate 20 years on Minnesota lakes". MPR News. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- ↑ Pattee, Ryan (2026-01-18). "INTERVIEW: Art Shanty Projects". KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News. Retrieved 2026-06-13.
- ↑ Benedict, Alia; Polik, Catherine; Ozersky, Ted (2025). "Opening the Black Box of Winter Through Immersive Public Art". Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin. 34 (2): 47–48. doi:10.1002/lob.10697. ISSN 1539-6088.
