Art Shanty Project artists create artwork that challenges the use of unused public space.
Art Shanty Projects is an artist-driven, temporary community based in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Funded in part by the McKnight Foundation and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the artist community creatively explores ways to invite attention to unregulated public spaces, such as frozen lakes, parking lots and neighborhood yards, by installing artist-designed ice fishing houses that stay on the lake for four weeks. Artists set up shanties, or little decorative shacks, that, according to the community's website, challenge "artistic environments to expand notions of what art can be."
Ace Stellar Shanty
One group of shanty artists created a ice-hut made for star gazing. Artists Carissa Marie Samaniego, Robinson James Miller Wilburn, Eileen Clare Shaughnessy, Abigail Phalen Mullen and Christina Igoe created a hut on the ice where locals, tourists and shanty-fanatics can study constellations and get an astrological chart reading. The structure, made with multimedia materials, includes a Galileo telescope on an observation deck. As of 2010, anyone can come inside the structure, which is located on frozen Lake Medicine, talk with the artists and observe the night sky through top of the the shanty.
Library Shanty
Drawing interaction between art, the public and the lake, the Library Shanty project is an ice hut, which acts as a storehouse of books. It is also a comfortable reading and meeting space for locals and tourists. The book collection on display mostly relates to art and cultural activities in Minnesota. Guests to the shanty can also look through the artists miniature art collection on display. The artists who created this project are Lauren Herzak-Bauman, Sarah Baker, Matt Maxx, Alex Schluender and Megan Wicker.
Dice Houses
The Dice Houses, created in 2009, made it to the press because of functional design and creativity. The red houses, spotted with large white dots like dice, are set out on the frozen lake for visitors to gather inside, play dice and cards during a four-weekend exhibition. The dice houses encourage locals and visitors to meet and warm up on the ice.
Art Shanty Projects Biennial
According to the artist community website, an Art Shanty Biennial will take place on Medicine Lake in Plymouth Minnesota in 2012. The biennial celebration will call to task another two-year long project, asking for artist submissions and four weeks spent on the ice. Artists whose shanty entries get accepted receive fair-wage stipends for the four weeks. The Art Shanty Project's ambition, as of 2010, is to populate another Twin Cites lake with shanties by 2014.
