Northampton Celebrates 3rd Annual Ice Festival

From the blog of the Northampton Center for the Arts:

Art celebrates ice one more time, as the third annual Northampton Ice Art Festival gets underway on Friday, February 8. The public is invited to witness the creation of fabulous ice sculptures that will grace a dozen downtown locations. Work starts at 10 am on the day of the event, and completed pieces will highlight Northampton's "Arts Night Out,” 5pm-8pm. The icy masterpieces remain on display throughout the weekend—longer, if the weather cooperates.

Participating ice artists come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Many of them are returning for the third time, including professional ice carver Joe Almeida, installation-artist Chris Nelson, painter/sculptor Greg Stone, Spoleto Restaurant carver Ralph Streete, and special guest Don Chapelle, founder of Boston’s “Brilliant Ice Sculpture.”

David Rothstein, well-known for his snow sculpture, makes a second appearance, as does sculptor Tim de Christopher. Mosaic master Robert Markey also joins the group along with local sculptors Sam Ostroff and Matt Johnson.

Following is a list of ice artists and their locations. You can download a map at the Northampton BID website. Maps will also be available at Arts Night Out locations.

Joe Almeida - Spoleto Restaurant and Florence Savings Bank
Don Chapelle - Thornes Marketplace and the Academy of Music
Tim de Christopher - William Baczek Fine Arts
Matt Johnson - Eileen Fisher
Robert Markey - Silverscape Designs
Chris Nelson - J. Rich Clothing for Men
Sam Ostroff - Eastside Grill
David Rothstein - The Artisan Gallery
Greg Stone - Cathy Cross
Ralph Streete - Mama Iguana's

The Ice Art Festival is produced by the Northampton Business Improvement District in cooperation with the City of Northampton and Arts Night Out. The event is supported by PeoplesBank and the Northampton Center for the Arts.

Photo Courtesy of Radagast via Flickr. Used under creative commons licensed.