While snowy weather inspired a less-than-enthusiastic response from some last week, three Goodrich teachers spent time in the frigid temperatures transforming billions of the fine, white, ice crystals into a work of art.
Lauren Miller, a second grade teacher at Reid Elementary, Meg Bundy, a fine arts teacher at Goodrich High school and Goodrich art teacher Steve Barker, all participated in last week’s Zehnders? SnowFest snow sculpting competition at Frankenmuth. This was the 19th year the festival, and the yearlong planning it involves, has taken place.
‘Basically (SnowFest) is a festival where we feature snow and ice carving events throughout the entire festival,? said Linda Kelly, special events coordinator at Zehnders of Frankenmuth. ‘The atmosphere is a family atmosphere. We have a lot of entertainment… It’s more or less just a fun time for the whole family.?
Kelly said 120,00-150,000 people attend the festival during the five days of the event.
‘This is one of the largest snow and ice events in the United States because we have so many different competitions,? said Kelly. Competitions that include: international snow carving; U.S snow sculpting; kids snow sculpting; high school snow sculpting; professional ice carving, and, the category in which the three Goodrich teachers enrolled? state of Michigan snow sculpting.
For Miller, 27, the transformation from teacher to snow artist began when Barker, 36, who had previously competed, put the word out he was in need of two teammates for the competition.
‘I wanted to get a Goodrich team together and wanted to get teachers who had an art background,? said Barker.
Miller, an art minor in college, had never attempted snow sculpting before, and thought it would be fun to give it a try.
‘We just did it for fun ‘we didn’t expect to win first place? we were just in it for a new challenge,? said Miller.
Kelly said each year, 17-19 teams of three from around the state are selected to compete based on a submitted application featuring a sketch of their intended sculpture.
Miller’s team decided to create an approximately 8-foot-tall sculpture of a butterfly alighted on a leaf with a nearby magnifying glass showing part of the sculpture in larger detail.
At the competition, the rules are straightforward.
Kelly said teams are not allowed to use power tools or any snow other than that provided to them in their block. All works should be an original design, and occupy no more than a 12- by- 12 foot area. There is no limit to the height of a structure.
The sculptures are made from a 6-by-6-by-10 foot block of snow produced specifically for the competition, removing the inconsistencies found in natural snow.
Sculptors went to their task Jan.24, with the festivities culminating Jan. 27.
For Miller and her teammates, it meant long hours in cold weather.
‘I think the hardest thing was combating the cold. Everything you wear is waterproof. I was wearing six layers of shirts and four layers of pants,? said Miller.
To Miller, working with snow was much like working with wood.
‘You have to saw snow, chip it away, and you have to sand it down,? said Miller.
The task was more physically demanding than Miller had anticipated.
‘It was very difficult. You know how you shovel snow for about half-an-hour and your body hurts? Imagine doing that for about 4 days,? said Miller.
The hours devoted to the project were numerous. Miller said though she worked most days at the school before meeting her teammates at Frankenmuth, Barker and Bundy began around 9 a.m. and worked late into the night. One night, Miller said, the team was at work until around 5 a.m. Barker added the whole project took about 35 hours to complete.
In addition to battling the cold and fatigue, the team found snow is by nature an unstable medium to use for sculpting. Detail they had intended to add to the sculpture had to be forgotten because the weather warmed up.
For Barker, the biggest challenge to overcome was also one of his favorite things about the competition? being the only experienced snow sculptor, he had to explain techniques to his teammates, who were going up against teams that had competed many times before.
Despite the obstacles the Goodrich team faced, they completed their design in time for the 10 a.m. judging on Jan. 27.
The competition was fierce.
The winning team had created a rendition in snow of an elaborately designed fish, mouth agape and body contorted by effort, frozen in time as it lunged from the water to catch a worm.
Second place was a hot rod car; third place was entitled ‘Face in Tree? and featured a winter-eyed creation casting a tendril-framed, icy stare at visitors.
A crowd favorite and winner of the ‘people’s choice? award was a fridge-raiding duo of dinosaurs, one with its arm plunged deep into a literal ice box.
‘I think we had a lot of very good (sculptures),? said Kelly, adding the winners received prize money, with the first place winners able to advance to the national level of competition.
While the Goodrich team didn’t emerge from the competition as victors, they said they sure had a great time trying.
‘We didn’t place, but we were probably in the middle (with judges). For our first time, I was really proud of what we did,? said Miller.
‘I did have a good time,? said Barker, who intends to compete again.
Miller agreed, although for her, the decision of whether or not to ever attempt such a project again wasn’t as easy.
‘At first, I was thinking, ‘Wow. Am I ever going to want to put myself through this again?? But when you finish you have this great sense of accomplishment, so I really enjoyed it,? said Miller.
As a first time participant in the competition, Miller said she marveled at the transformations taking place all around her.
‘It was amazing (how) you see a big chunk of snow when you’re starting off, then you see how they look in the end? the pictures don’t do them justice, ? said Miller. ‘You really have to be there to believe.?