Ice Follies (North Bay, Ontario)

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Under the Surface

ICE FOLLIES 2012 is COMING SOON!

This biennial exhibition of contemporary art on a frozen lake officially opens on February 18th on Lake Nipissing, Ontario

Over the past decade Ice Follies has become a signature event for both North Bay, and the North-Eastern region as a whole. Ice Follies appears to the visitor as a strange assemblage of dwellings and structures placed across the ice that is adjacent to the Government Dock and the Goulet Golden Mile walking path along North Bay’s waterfront. This eccentric community of artworks and architectures echoes the "communities" of ice fishing shacks found elsewhere on the lake. Video installations, sound-generating structures, assemblages of solar lights, ice letters and even working carousels have been erected in previous Ice Follies exhibitions. Ice Follies 2012 will be the fifth biennial of site specific multi-disciplinary artwork to take place on Lake Nipissing, and the first to be presented by Ice Follies Biennial Incorporated.

In 2011 the creator of Ice Follies, Dermot Wilson, passed the torch of this event onto local arts groups and stepped down as lead curator and administrator. As a result Ice Follies 2012 is the first event co-produced by the White Water Gallery, Near North Mobile Media Lab and Aanmitaagzi Storymakers. These visual, media and community arts groups have formed a partnership to support the artistic vision of Ice Follies and ensure its continued success in future years.

This year’s project title “Under the Surface” was chosen because it represents the efforts behind the scenes to make Ice Follies 2012 engaging and more community oriented. With artists travelling from across the country to work alongside of local artists and coordinators we hope to present a unique arts experience out on Lake Nipissing that everyone can enjoy. Hope to see you there!

Ice Follies 2012 Artists

• Brian Bertrand – North Bay, ON
• Bruce Montcombroux – Saskatoon, SK
• Peter Hargraves – Winnipeg, MB
• Michael Allgower – Hamilton, ON
• Laura Hale – Regina, SK

Itinerary

• Ice Follies 2012 will be opening on February 18th on Lake Nipissing, More about the scheduled events will be posted shortly.