Quirky and quintessentially Minnesotan, fish houses become art installations out on an ice-covered lake in January and February. The Art Shanty Projects are ready to chill out on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis for four weekends, starting Saturday.

After a crazy successful 2018 during the Super Bowls stop in Minneapolis, the Shanties took a hiatus last winter, when a grant from the State Arts Board didnt come through, says artistic director Erin Lavelle. The board had to make a decision pause or do it anyway.

It seemed wiser to take a break rather than disappoint some of the 40,000 people who visited the Shanties the year before, Lavelle says.

The Art Shanty Projects began in 2004 and called Plymouths Medicine Lake home until 2012. In 2014, it relocated to White Bear Lake for a couple of years and then moved to Lake Harriet (Bde Unma).

The 2020 event on ice will feature 22 Shanties and 14 performing groups and we cant calculate how many artists more than 100, Lavelle says. There arent many repeats from previous years, she adds. A jury picks the participants and this jury wasnt too interested in repeats.

Lavelle, who is in her first year as artistic director for the Art Shanty Projects, was a participating artist for a couple of years (she was in a shanty on White Bear Lake one warm year in water up to the top of my galoshes) and a longtime audience member. She calls the early Art Shanty Projects a little more wild and rogue, drawing curious audiences who didnt know what to expect.

This years Art Shanty Project will have an entrance gate, Lavelle says. Visitors can talk with artists and get some tips there. And theyll be asked to make a donation of $10 to $20, though no one will be required to pay.

While every shanty is open during all public hours, some have timed activities, including: tours of the shanty village on the hour (11, noon, 1, 2, 3) at Shantastic Tours!, daily kicksled sailing races behind Rocky the Rockin Sea Shanty, and rotating performers at: Temple of Agency, The Holding Shanty, The Shanty of People Who Know Things, and -7 Degree Entry Danceteria. And visitors can sign up in advance and bring a swimsuit and towel for an hourlong sauna session in the MinneSauna shanty (theres a changing room inside).

Theres an on-ice dance club with a light-up dance floor (-7 Degree Entry Danceteria) and Snow-ga (yoga in the snow from Yess Yoga).

Performers will be inside and outside the shanties, including Bella Yaga, Brownbody, Nitka, Prairie Fire Lady Choir, Twin Cities Native Lacrosse, Winter Plein Air Painters and the Minnesota Art Car community. A full performance schedule is at artshantyprojects.org.

This first weekend is Youth & Families weekend, with programming designed for younger audiences. The Lake Harriet Kite Festival takes place adjacent to Art Shanty Projects from noon to 4 p.m. Jan. 25.

There will be food trucks on the shore and accessible entrances to the ice. And Lake Monster Brewing has created an Ice Shanty Chocolate Porter.

Lavelle, who is a public artist and works mostly in textiles, is also involved in Northern Spark, the summer night arts festival, which like the Shanty Project is taking a year off. And which like its cold-weather counterpart will be back in a year, Lavelle says.

She shared some quirky and fun highlights:

Shanty Village Bus Tours: Think of a double-decker tour bus, Lavelle says. This tour bus is a four-person surrey bike with puppets on top. Riders move the puppets as well as the vehicle. Its fun to ride and to watch, Lavelle says.

Flora Sauna: In addition to the sauna for human visitors, there will be a plant sauna shanty, Lavelle says. OK, a greenhouse.

Pollinator Shanty: Last time, this shanty focused on monarch butterflies with bicycles that featured giant butterfly wings. This year, other pollinators, such as hummingbirds, have been added.

Franconia Flash Shanty: Franconia Sculpture Park, the outdoor art destination north of St. Paul, is getting into the shanty scene this year, Lavelle says. Visitors are immersed in the dark and get a surprise after-image out in the snow.

Originally posted here:
Art Shanty Projects bring yoga, dancing, giant butterflies and art to ice houses on Lake Harriet - St. Paul Pioneer Press