Snow Sculpture Removed From Contest for Anti-ICE Symbols
Stock photo. (Getty Images/docksnflipflops)
A snow sculpture was removed from a Minnesota park after organizers said it no longer matched the approved design and crossed into political territory.
The US team’s entry in the World Snow Sculpting Championship in Stillwater, titled “A Call to Arms,” featured a sphere of outstretched hands. On Monday, it was taken down from Lowell Park after judges determined that some of the hands were forming phrases in American Sign Language, including “ICE out” and “resist,” along with “love” and “unity,” according to the Pioneer Press.
The Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, which oversees the event, said the changes violated rules requiring teams to follow their original sketches and avoid political or controversial themes. Chamber president Robin Anthony-Evenson said the ASL gestures did not match the open-handed design that had been approved and that the organization had received complaints from members of the public.
Organizers initially attempted to remove only some of the hand signs but later dismantled the entire sculpture after discovering additional messages.
Artist Dusty Thune, captain of Team USA, said the design evolved because unstable snow forced the team to carve larger hands with shorter arms. He also indicated that the recent fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by a federal immigration officer influenced the direction of the revised message. Thune, a special education teacher in St. Paul, said he invited students and colleagues to share ideas and viewed the piece as a call to “stand up and to speak out.”
He said the phrase “ICE out” should be seen as a humanitarian appeal rather than a partisan one and said his team stands by the work.
In a letter to Thune, the chamber, Stillwater’s mayor, and the event’s co-chair described the additions as a “selfish” and “unnecessary and divisive” violation of clear rules against political content. Mayor Ted Kozlowski also expressed hope that Thune would participate in future competitions.
A member of Team New Zealand criticized the decision on social media, saying it was more political than the sculpture itself.
The removal comes amid a similar situation at the St. Paul Winter Carnival, where a smaller snow sculpture bearing the phrase “ICE OUT MN” was partially carved away under family-friendly, nonpolitical guidelines.
Thune, whose team won the Stillwater world title in 2023, said he now hopes to recast “A Call to Arms” in iron and has started a fundraiser to support the project.
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