Artful Ice Shanties

Presented by the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center and Retreat Farm, the Artful Ice Shanties outdoor exhibit is a place-based celebration of artistic talent, creative ingenuity, and the rich history of ice fishing in New England. The Artful Ice Shanties will be displayed at Retreat Farm (45 Farmhouse Square, Brattleboro, Vermont).

Visitors are welcome from dawn to dusk. Park at Retreat Farm, stop in at the welcome hut near the farmhouse (free hot chocolate!), and then check out the shanties.

On Saturday, February 25, at 2 p.m., join us for an Awards Ceremony, where a panel of local judges will give out an array of light-hearted awards celebrating artistry, ingenuity, and general silliness. Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife will offer an ice-fishing clinic that morning (register at retreatfarm.org). In the evening, 5-7 p.m., we’re throwing a free, all-ages, outdoor dance party, with Jaci’s BBQ food truck and the Thirsty Goat Bar on hand to meet all your ingestive needs. Purchase a raffle ticket to be entered to win an Artful Ice Shanty quilt created and donated by Suzie Walker. 

This is the third year of Artful Ice Shanties. Prior year’s entries have included:

     — Namaskônek, a shanty inspired by the Algonquin ancestors of the region
     — A glass box that used recycled lenses to simulate the experience of the northern lights
     — A shanty by third and fourth graders that displayed animals’ winter survival strategies
     — An enormous black die with moon-shaped dots
     — A seascape with a three-dimensional octopus
     — A shanty shaped like Baba Yaga’s house

Check out these photos from Year 1 and Year 2.

This project was inspired in part by Art Shanty Projects in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

ADMISSION: Free

Generously sponsored by