Art Shanty Projects is returning to the frozen water of Bdé Umáŋ / Lake Harriet in South Minneapolis Jan.16 - Feb. 7, 2027. This years’ program includes over 40 projects, including Shanties that stay up all month, and Performances + Art Actions that pop up throughout the village. Shanties are physical structures that are open during all public program hours and are facilitated by teams of artists. Performances + Art Actions happen at scheduled times and take place outside: on the open-air stage, in the town triangle, and roving throughout the village.
On the curatorial approach to the 2027 program, Artistic Director Erin Lavelle says, “Our month-long program brings people together to embrace the challenges and opportunities of winter - and of our world - through immersive, radical, participatory art. We intentionally create a space for creative exchange between artists, friends and strangers, which is really good practice for participation in greater society. This ranges from grappling with critical topics to exuberantly promoting and protecting our collective joy. After last year’s program, which happened concurrently with the federal ICE occupation in our beloved Minneapolis, artists are leaning more and more into the shanty village as a place to envision the kind of world we want to live in. This year that includes playful projects on beaver futurism, spellcasting, gender euphoria, and how to be better humans.”
Mentorship + new artists
Prospective artists and performers annually submit proposals through an open call process in summer that is juried by local artists, shanty enthusiasts and arts professionals, with the intention of having a strong return rate paired with welcoming new people into the fold. Staff also manages an outreach initiative with a dedicated budget, inviting artists from marginalized communities to participate. On the topic of welcoming new groups, Lavelle comments, “We make an effort to support artists as much as possible. This includes ever-evolving handbooks with tips from past lessons learned, resources on where to find cheap and free repurposed materials, social events to promote co-learning and relationship building, and loads of photos that illustrate shanty structures and outdoor conditions. We’ve also started a mentorship program that pairs newbies with seasoned shanty artists, which is now in its third year.” Mentorship pairings for 2027 include Halloween Blizzard of ‘91 (Alex and Tony Cipolle), mentored by Clara Schiller of Wicked Witches; Shanty Organty (Grant Dawson, Mason Tacke, and the Keys 4/4 kids art crew), mentored by Nick Knutson (past shanty artist); Gender Euphoria Bathroom (Court Nulicek with the Gentlethems and Sturdy Femmes), mentored by Robin Garwood of The Orrery; Snowed-Inn (Ben Anderson, Shia Bintliff, Beau Gaulin, Nick Holzer, Eliot Michaels) mentored by Charles Buchwald of Opticon 2, and Critter Convo: A MN Talk Show (Lisa Colburn, Walker Friend, Britt Johnson, Gail Kowsky) mentored by Cali Mastny and Olivia Mackall of Vibrance Research Station.
Returning artists
Returning artists include Jacob Carrigan with a new concept, an outdoor gym where visitors practice weightlifting with invasive species barbells (Mussel Beach), and some favorite shanties are also coming back. “Artists invest incredible time, energy, and materials in making their shanties, and we welcome them to apply again, which usually includes an evolution of activities that are amusing to new and returning visitors alike. It keeps things fresh for the artists, too,” says Lavelle. Two returning projects with new activities include aliens humorously studying what it means to be human, with expanded research modules (Vibrance Research Station) and a camera obscura shanty from 2020, this time with additional ways to promote exchange between the outside shanty village and the image projected inside, led by photographer Silvana Agostoni and designer Charles Buchwald (Opticon 2). The Free Store Shanty will also return with a brand new structure built by Trevor Zapiecki, offering gently used outerwear to visitors who arrive unprepared for the variable conditions.
Performances + Art Actions
Other happenings throughout the shanty village include a series of Performances + Art Actions. The P.R.A.N.C.E. Hobbyhorsing Club, which regularly practices at Powderhorn Park, invites visitors to grab a stick horse and join their make-believe rodeo (Hobbyhorsing On Ice). Popular in Finland, the artists state that “hobbyhorsing is a modern sport that combines barrels, prancing, dressage and horse jumping – only you are the horse.” For fans of the Sync Hole lip synching shanty from 2024 and 2025, the artists are back, but this time as performers hosting an air guitar competition (Ice Cold Hot Licks). To keep visitors warm outside, there will be dance parties with Pollinator Frenzy and Klezmer on Ice, frozen yoga (fro-gahhh), and traditional games with Twin Cities Native Lacrosse (Thakápsičapi). There will also be an aerobics class (AEROBICOURAGE) complete with choreography and costumes led by Oregon-based Allie Hankins and local artist Jeffrey Wells.
On the variety of performances, Lavelle says “On any given day you might also encounter trickster penguins or a sledful of clowns, parade alongside a marching band, or join in a square dance.”
More info
The Art Shanty Projects website contains a current list of participating artists and performers and descriptions of each project. More projects and partners to be announced, in addition to a schedule of performances and list of amenities, in early December.
The Art Shanty Projects On-Ice program will take place on Bdé Umáŋ / Lake Harriet from Jan. 16 through Feb. 7, 2027. Public hours are 10am - 4pm every Saturday and Sunday. Kicksleds are available as mobility aids during all program hours. An Audio Describer will be on site Sundays from 10am - 1pm, and an ASL interpreter will be available Sundays from 12 - 3pm, both for walk-up services. See our access page for more detailed information on services. The public program is free, and there is a suggested donation of $10-20 per person at the gate. Contributions from individuals are key to the organization’s financial sustainability, accounting for over half of the organization’s income. Visitors and supporters can also give ahead online at https://www.givemn.org/story/ASP2027.
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