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, and then head into the square to see the shanties.

On Saturday, February 24, join us for an Awards Ceremony, where a panel of local judges will give out an array of light-hearted awards, followed by an all-ages outdoor dance party from 3 p.m. to dusk. Retreat Farm’s Thirsty Goat Bar will be open for business on Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 17-18 and 24-25), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

This is the fourth 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 shanty that doubled as a working camera obscura
     — A shanty in the shape of a giant fish

Check out these photos from 2021, 2022, and 2023.

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

ADMISSION: Free

Generously sponsored by