Join Summer to Support the Winter Art Shanties!

When I moved to Minnesota in winter 2024/25 I visited the Art Shanty Projects, this magical temporary art village taking place on top of a frozen lake. After feeling glee and mild fear at stepping onto the ice (in Indiana we don't always trust it to be fully frozen) I walked up to a puppet dramedy occurring on the stage and encountered a shanty in which you could pretend to be a cat. I fell in love, and later that year, joined the board to help make this incredible event continue to be possible. 

Last year was not at all what anyone expected, as ICE (the bad kind) was creating havoc and causing damage across our cities. The artists responded immediately, making sure that our event was a safe and welcoming place that showed we all support our neighbors here. 

There were human penguins frolicking across the ice, entered a secret on-ice mini dance club, learned about beaver behavior and the fish below us, and many more artist creations. I danced with volunteers at the entrance gate shaking our buckets to encourage donations and helped pick up food from local restaurants to feed our artists and crew. 

Every year there are different shanties and performances, and it's exactly the kind of thing that makes me love living in this place. It's free to attend, funded by donations and grants, so we need your support to keep it all going. If you're able to share a few dollars, every single one counts and goes to pay the artists and staff and support the program.

I hope this year you can come experience it all in person!