USA Sculpture Removed from Snow Championship
The sculpture created by Team USA at the recent World Snow Sculpture Championship in Minnesota was taken down after it featured a hand gesture perceived as anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On January 28th, the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce expressed that some of Team USA’s works did not align with established rules and policies. As a result, the U.S. team was disqualified from the competition, and their sculpture, which remained on display initially, was eventually removed by the event organizers. The Chamber stated that the removal was a procedural decision and had no bearing on the contest outcomes or any penalties against the artist.
“Like many public art exhibits and international competitions, this event relies on specific guidelines that all participating teams receive ahead of time. These guidelines are designed not to suppress artistic expression but to create a common standard for public displays,” the Stillwater Chamber elaborated.
The title of Team USA’s entry was “A Call to Arms.” The sculpture incorporated messages in American Sign Language (ASL), such as “ICE out,” “love,” “unity,” and “resist,” as noted by various sources. Team captain Dusty Tune mentioned that their original intention had not been to create an anti-ICE statement, but the design evolved after the death of Renee Goode on January 7th.
“We discovered that the snow was quite poorly packed and contained a lot of debris. The arm we were trying to carve kept breaking apart. So, we shifted our focus to making a larger hand and shortened the arm to salvage the sculpture. Sometimes, the medium, in this case, snow, influences the final piece. Other times, external events guide us,” Tune explained.
In a letter addressed to Tune, Greater Stillwater Chamber President Robin Anthony Evenson, Stillwater Mayor Ted Kozlowski, and event co-chair Sarah Jespersen criticized the sculpture’s message as “unnecessary and divisive.” They also claimed it adversely affected their relationships with nonprofit sponsors.
The overall competition was won by the Canadian team, with participation from 16 countries, according to reports.
