Chicago Hot Blog

The Millenium Park Ice Sculpture will be an abstract ice sculpture installed behind “The Bean” at Millenium Park and will be one of the biggest events in Chicago this February. Part of a Millenium Park’s Winter Festival, the Millenium Park Ice Sculpture will measure 95 feet in length and 12 feet in height. The Millenium Park Ice Sculpture will be created by Canadian artist Gordon Halloran and is part of his “Paintings Below Zero” series. The Millenium Park Ice Sculpture and The Museum of Modern Ice will run February 1-29, 2008.

The Millenium Park Ice Sculpture will be situated in The Chase Promenade area, creating a dramatic backdrop for The Bean / Cloudgate Sculpture. The Ice Sculpture will consist of different ice crystals and colors that will slowly melt and refreeze, to reshape and change the sculpture on an ongoing basis. As part of The Museum of Modern Ice Festival, Gordon Halloran will also embed an abstract ice painting into the Millenium Park Ice Rink. Skaters will be able to skate on the rink after the installation is complete, but no word on if this will cause a temporary shut down of the Millenium Park Ice Rink. The Sculpture and Ice Rink are free to the public.

Update: I went and checked out the Millenium Park Ice Sculpture, and I have to say that I was rather disappointed. I was imagining a large, multicolored iceberg, but what I got was a few pieces of colored ice - held up by scaffolding. In envisioned the Millenium Park Ice Sculpture as creating a dramatic backdrop for the Couldgate (Bean), but really it doesn’t. Also, the “Painting” inside of the Millenium Park Ice Rink is nothing more than a few colored circles, much like you’d find on a standard hockey rink.

Stay tuned to Chicago Hot Blog for updates on the Millenium Park Ice Sculpture or get new posts emailed to your inbox. You can also visit the official Millenium Park Ice Sculpture website for further details.

Millenium Park Ice Sculpture

A colossal, site-specific installation of boldly-colored, abstract paintings in ice by Canadian artist Gordon Halloran will be the centerpiece of a new winter celebration in Millenium Park, Museum of Modern Ice, February 1-29, 2008. The Millenium Park Ice Sculpture, which marks the U.S. debut of Halloran’s innovative work, Paintings Below Zero, will incorporate a brilliantly colored ice wall - 95 feet long and nearly 12 feet tall - into Millenium Park’s dramatic art and architecture. Situated on Chase Promenade behind Cloud Gate, The Millenium Park Ice Sculpture will be the artist’s largest and most spectacular installation to date. To complement the majestic structure, Halloran will also embed an abstract ice painting within the Millenium Park Ice Rink, allowing visitors to skate on its multicolored surface. The installation and ice rink will be available for all to enjoy free of charge.

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