Down the Rabbit Hole

You can never really tell where art is going to take you.  And today, I am still not too sure if I went down the white rabbit's hole or was delivered back in time to a bygone era.  (Think 1830's, not dinosaur old).  But one strong fact is, I was transported to an afternoon easy and carefree; joyous and colourful.  This is the inaugural year for ICE BOX whose tag line is "art in the heart of winter." And hopefully there will be many more to come, as it was a whimsical delight for both young and old.  Two weekends of art, history and fun! CHECK IT OUT, ONE MORE WEEKEND FEB 9th - 10th (see website for event schedule) .  My husband, dad and myself went to see what it was all about.  

Situated on the grounds of Macaulay Heritage Park, this installation is a collaboration between artists and the community.  Produced by The Department of Illumination (think the magical Firelight Lantern Festival held in Picton).   

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Guests are invited to be hands on and participate in five uniquely themed art installations housed in iceboxes. In REMIX I built my own female robot out of blocks.  Artist Hri Neil had photographed different areas  of the Macaulay house and set them on blocks.  So I decided to modernize and go A.I .   #iceboxremix
Our next stop was the STORY box, where you are invited to tell your own story, and read the stories of others.  This one I had a particular affection for because the week before I participated in a writing workshop that ended up being a focus in the box.  My work (under a pen name, LOL), was being displayed for all to see.  Susanne Larner and Sarah Selecky were co-producers of this box and it was full of fairy tale charm.  
In the DRAW box my husband got to play artist. Andrea Piller the box's designer, gave an impromptu lesson is portraiture, and we got to try our hand at it. I can definitely see the resemblance.

ME

STITCH was created by Nella Casson who also formed the Ice box Stitchers society and featured camera ready woodland creatures (like in top hats and vests), beautiful table and bed coverings, and patches (which I want really bad). 
​PRINT was very hands on as you were able to discover textures and surprises on the pop-up wall.  I also enjoyed making a "rubbing" with the crayons and paper provided.  Chrissy Poitras and and Genna Kusch were the team responsible for this creation.    

The day was completed with a tour of Macaulay house and church, where wood fired pizza was being prepared to order in the houses wood fired oven.  It was a fabulous way to enjoy the grounds.  For more in depth information check out IceboxPec.org .