7,500 Pound Ice Sculpture to Illuminate Night Sky at USU Performance Hall

One of the largest multi-block ice sculptures in Utah will light the night sky Wednesday, Jan. 19, as part of Utah State University’s Celebration of the Arts week, hosted by the Caine College of the Arts.

The illuminated ice sculpture, “CCA Electrifies,” is a multi-block sculpture constructed of 24 crystal-clear ice blocks. When constructed, the structure, at 17 feet long, 7 feet wide and more than 7 feet high, will weigh more than 7,500 pounds. At approximately 9 p.m. outside the Performance Hall, the sculpture’s lights will appear, showcasing a sparkling display of ice and colored lights.

“It will be a grand illumination of an expressive and pivotal piece of art that will commemorate the first of many celebrations for the Caine College of Arts,” said Craig Jessop, dean of the Caine College of the Arts. “The piece is designed to capture the light and youthfulness of this brilliant new college, while honoring some of our most treasured friends.”

The arrangement of the blocks of ice relate to the structure of the building behind them, the Chase Fine Arts Center. The central structure will have four blocks fused together, while the remaining 20 blocks will be arranged at slight angles to provide contrast, said Victoria Rowe Berry, executive director of the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art.

“At that scale, it will be an impressive piece of art when it is completed,” said Jeff Petercsak, executive director of the National Ice Carving Association, a global organization based in the United States with more than 400 members. Ice is a unique medium that continues to be impacted by its environment, he said. The sun, wind and temperature continue to change and define an ice piece uniquely from any other form.

“Ice is a fascinating material,” Berry said. “At the unveiling we will flood the structure with brilliant colored light. When illuminated, the beams of light will bounce off the various facets of the ice — like jewels in the night — creating a lasting and memorable visual impression.”

John Simpson, ice sculptor and executive chef at Culinary Concepts, will supervise and help fabricate the ice piece. Simpson estimates that it will take three days of working side-by-side with students to fuse, carve and carefully assemble the 24 blocks of ice; altering them from individual pieces into a singular, visual and cohesive object.

“I know people that sculpt — I sculpt,” Simpson said. “However, the characteristic of this sculpture is the sheer volume.  It’s extreme. It didn’t just happen.”

This piece will echo pyramidal design and mimic the historical tradition of monuments such as the Egyptian pyramids, said Berry. This really isn’t a work of art, as much as an object that will perform the creative process.

“I think one of the appealing characteristics is its ephemeral qualities — it is going to melt and go away after all the effort,” said Berry. “In a week or two, it will be weathered and reduced to piles of ice.”

“CCA Electrifies: The Unveiling” will light-up the evening following “Raising Caine,” a free musical concert, hosted by the Caine College of the Arts featuring faculty, staff and students. In addition, the concert will offer a special performance featuring Jessop and Gary Amano, professor and assistant department head for the department of music.

The Caine College of the Arts blends intensive artistic instruction with a strong academic program for more than 1,100 majors. The Caine College of the Arts includes the departments of art, music and theatre arts, as well as the interior design program and the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art.

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Caine College of the Arts

Writer: Denise Albiston, 435-797-1500, denise.albiston@usu.edu

Contact: Denise Albiston, 435-797-1500, denise.albiston@usu.edu