Minnesota loves a winter art spectacle of any kind, from the ice carving competitions at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival and the Minnesota Ice Festival to Art Shanty Projects atop frozen Lake Harriet. And starting next week, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) will join the lineup with the return of its annual Institute of Ice event.
Starting Thursday, Feb. 6, guests can experience Mia’s collection like never before: in frozen form. Hand-carved ice sculptures inspired by popular works like Your Dog by Yoshitomo Nara and Raffaelo Monti’s Veiled Lady, plus pieces from the upcoming Giant: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys exhibition, will be on display in Mia’s Target Park.

Courtesy of Mia
Like other programming at Mia, admission to the event is totally free, and the sculptures will be on display during museum hours until the ice melts. Temperatures might creep into the 30s again as soon as next weekend, so be sure to visit early and catch these works in their prime.
The opening party on Feb. 6 (5-9 p.m.) will feature more than just ice sculptures—guests can also enjoy live carving demonstrations, an ice bar with winter-themed beverages, eggrolls from the KCM Eggroll food truck, winter lantern-making, live DJ sets, and more. No registration required.

Courtesy of Mia