Register for Artful Ice Shanties 2023

BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center and Retreat Farm are now accepting entries for Artful Ice Shanties 2023. Registrations will be accepted until Friday, December 16.
The Artful Ice Shanties outdoor exhibit is a place-based celebration of artistic talent, creative ingenuity, and the rich history of ice fishing at the Retreat Meadows. Last year over 1,700 people attended the exhibit. This year the shanties will be displayed on the Retreat Meadows ice across the road from Retreat Farm, from Saturday, February 18, through Sunday, February 26. Prizes will be awarded for notably artistic, inventive, fun or silly shanties at an outdoor awards ceremony on Saturday, February 25, at 2 pm.
Eligible entries can be traditional or conceptual ice shanties, functional or wacky, permanent or temporary, but they must be artful. They can be moved and can withstand the wind, snow, and ice in mid-February as well as exploration by the general public throughout the week. Past artful ice shanties have included a glass box that used recycled lenses to simulate the experience of the northern lights; a shanty by the Wardsboro School’s third and fourth graders that displayed animals’ winter survival strategies; an enormous black die with moons as dots; a seascape with a three-dimensional octopus; a shanty shaped like Baba Yaga’s house; and Namaskônek, a shanty inspired by the Algonquin ancestors of the region.
Artists, ice fishing enthusiasts, tiny house aficionados, design-builders, and creative groups and individuals of all ages and experience levels are invited to enter. The first 15 artists to register will receive a $200 stipend upon delivery of their shanty. Because stipends are limited, artists are encouraged to register early. There is no fee for entry. Registration forms and details are available at brattleboromuseum.org. For more information call (802) 257-0124 or visit the website.