A vintage phone booth, a replica of a lighthouse and a mini pop-up exhibit honoring the photographer and meteorologist Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley — these stylized ice shanties would likely seem out of place on lakes around Vermont, but they’ll be looking to steal the show at Brattleboro’s fourth annual Artful Ice Shanties exhibit this month.
Hosted by the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center at Retreat Farm, the event aims to celebrate local artistic talent and Vermont’s rich ice-fishing heritage by displaying decorative ice shanties created by community members of all ages and backgrounds.
This year, the exhibit is expected to feature about 15 shanties and is scheduled to take place between Feb. 17-25, with an awards ceremony and an all-ages dance party scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 24.
“It’s just a really fun outlet for people,” said BMAC director Danny Lichtenfeld. “It’s one of those things that appeals to kids and appeals to adults. It appeals to people who are very into art, as well as to those who are more just into outdoor activities and ice fishing.”
Lichtenfeld said that over 2,000 people attended the exhibit last year and that he’s hoping for a similarly strong showing this time around.
As always, the shanties on display are expected to range from the traditional and tasteful to the whimsical and wacky. According to promotional materials, one shanty will consist of salvaged vintage architectural objects. Another is inspired by a zany thought experiment: What if fish found shelter in sunken gingerbread houses?
This will be Charlie Konkowski’s fourth year participating in the event. His entry is a replica of a classic New England lighthouse, fit with a functioning light and an auxiliary lightkeeper’s house.
“That first time I just got sucked into the creative spirit and have been enjoying it every year since,” Konkowski said. In previous years he has built crowd favorites such as his “Moto Magic Bus” — what he described as a sort of hippie bus with a surfboard on the roof — and a replica of a lunar capsule.
“I’m always excited about it and I do it as a whimsical, fun thing,” Konkowski said. “A lot of kids come with their parents and, you know, I just like to see the looks on their faces when they see these things. They really think they’re cool.”
Lichtenfeld noted that the museum doesn’t tap professional artists for the event or have any skill requirements for participation. “We basically put a call out there for creative people of all ages and backgrounds who want to do this to have an opportunity to dig in and share their creative efforts with the world,” he said.
Two elementary school classes will have their work displayed. Fourth graders from NewBrook Elementary School are building a shanty that raises awareness about plastic pollution. Students from Wardsboro, meanwhile, are creating a shanty that celebrates famous human-rights activists.
The BMAC first decided to put on the Artful Ice Shanties exhibit in 2021 with the hope of providing a safe outdoor event for the community at the height of the pandemic, but the event has since become a staple of winters in Brattleboro.
“We’re still doing it four years later because, well, it’s pretty much proven to be as fun and engaging as we had originally hoped — even more so,” Lichtenstein said.
