Ice Carving - A True Alaskan Art Form
Photos & Story by John
One special feature of winter in Anchorage is the annual ice sculpting contest within the heart of downtown at Town Square. Known as the Crystal Gallery of Ice, this event serves as a showcase for talented teams of carvers who are looking to create a frozen piece of art worthy of top honors. There are ten teams in all, and although most are local, this year brought carvers from as far away as China. Each team is given two blocks of ice, and are allowed three days to sculpt. The ice they are working with comes from Fairbanks, AK and aren't your ordinary ice cubes. They actually weigh between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds!
After the three days it is time for judgement, which is done anonymously by the carvers themselves. There are cash prizes for first, second, and third place, although I would imagine that the teams are mostly after carving pride. The sculptures remain in Town Square for as long as possible, which is to say, until they melt. Creating a sculpture that will melt slowly is actually one of the criteria for the competition, as temperatures in Anchorage are unpredictable and can sometimes creep above the freezing mark (which is something locals don't complain about).
A few days after the competition ended, I had the opportunity to check out the carvings for myself, and was simply blown away by what I saw. Ice sculpting is a true art form and it was fascinating to see what the artists came up with. There were some unique creations that must've required a great amount of patience and attention to detail. How the carvers created something out of nothing is pretty impressive. Some of the sculptures included a woolly mammoth, swimming salmon, a caterpillar on a leaf, bear cubs, a lynx, an eccentric biker girl, and a maze made out of ice bricks. The setting for this event was quite perfect, as Town Square also features an ice-skating rink, the Performing Art Center, decorated Spruce trees, and a bustling, yet friendly downtown environment. The day that I was there was particularly picturesque as the sun was on its way down. Luckily, its rays were not warm enough to do any damage to the frozen ice. The top honors ultimately went to the sculpture featuring a graceful woman and her birds (pictured at top right). First place seemed appropriate, as it is a special creation. The sculptures are still up to this day, and add a unique flair to downtown Anchorage.
